ACL awarded a new cooperative agreement to the International Association for Indigenous Aging (IA2) to operate ACL’s Native American Elder Justice Initiative National Resource Center. IA2 will receive approximately $300,000 for the first year of this five-year project.
The resource center will promote locally tailored, culturally relevant activities to address the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian (AI/AN/NH) elders and promote justice for the nation’s indigenous elders.
Specifically, the National Resource Center will:
- Establish a national hub for elder abuse training, technical assistance, and targeted resources. Resources will support tribes, tribal leadership, tribal elder justice staff, tribal health and LTSS staff, Urban Indian Health Center staff, tribal elder services advocates, and others who work with AI/AN/NH elders, including law enforcement and the aging network.
- Advance community engagement among tribes and organizations that serve tribal members and build local capacity by:
- Promoting innovative and best practices for preventing elder abuse and exploitation and mitigating their impact, including through holistic assistance to victims.
- Providing training and technical assistance to strengthen adult protective services, including through the use of multi-disciplinary teams and restorative justice.
- Identifying evidence-informed and evidence-based activities and resources that can be adopted for implementation with native populations.
- Identifying and disseminating model tribal codes that support elder justice, similar to tribal codes protecting children, and providing technical assistance for implementation.
The work of this resource center represents the intersection of two important ACL priorities: ensuing ACL programs serve the needs of marginalized communities and addressing the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults and people with disabilities.