October 20, 2023
Six New Two-Year Cooperative Agreements Addressing Elder Abuse in Tribal Communities
ACL awarded a total of $985,000 for the first year of six new two-year cooperative agreements addressing elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in tribal communities. The awardees will focus on identifying community needs; facilitating multidisciplinary activities advancing elder justice; and preventing and responding to abuse, neglect, and exploitation:
- The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon will focus on reducing incidences of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in the tribal community; increasing the empowerment of tribal elders with knowledge and cultural insights to recognize and prevent abuse; reducing reported isolation among at-risk elders; and providing support with follow-up for elder abuse cases through the response team. The program seeks to strengthen the protection, well-being, and rights of tribal elders within the tribal community by implementing a comprehensive and culturally sensitive elder justice initiative that encompasses prevention, mitigation, and response strategies.
- The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community plans to incorporate a tribal elder protection system with a multidisciplinary team approach to ensure comprehensive support to tribal elder victims. This includes the development of a continuum of resources and outreach and the implementation of culturally sensitive mitigation measures with the establishment and formalization of partnerships to specialize services for elder abuse victims.
- The Oneida Nation will create a community and programmatic service provider committee to assist with services and resources to elders on elder abuse and develop a strategic plan to serve victimized elders in their community that will focus on a customized approach for providing services and the creation of tribal codes and laws.
- The Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma will increase awareness and respond to financial elder abuse/exploitation throughout the Kiowa Tribe's service area. Kiowa will collaborate with tribal organizations to specify trends, challenges, barriers, and better responses to elder abuse victims and cases.
- Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT) will provide awareness and education in the community on elder abuse and provide services to victims of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Through these efforts, SRMT will work to prevent re-abuse, and develop a tribal elder abuse code.
- Nisqually Indian Tribe will create viable solutions that offer legal advocacy, cultural engagement, and social inclusion to remedy the most intense effects of neglect and abuse, or mitigate unfavorable circumstances, that produce adverse consequences for older victims and other vulnerable people within the household.
This work represents the intersection of two important ACL priorities: ensuring ACL programs serve the needs of marginalized communities and addressing the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults.