ACE (ADVOCATES FOR CONSERVED ELDERS) A VERY WORTHWHILE CAUSE TO REDUCE ELDER ABUSE

 ACE (Advocates for Conserved Elders) Volunteer Recruitment - The next two-day training is Saturday, January 30, and Saturday, February 6, 2010 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. The training is free, breakfast snacks and lunch are served, and attorneys receive 13 hours of MCLE credit. For a more detailed ACE volunteer position description and an application, please contact Laraine Mestman at 310.394.9871 ext. 445 or at Lmestman@wiseandhealthyaging.org.

"ACE Volunteers help serve as an extra pair of "eyes and ears" for the court in its effort to reduce isolation, loneliness and elder abuse among nearly 9,200 conserved elders in Los Angeles County."

Last year, Jane completed her requirements to become an ACE Volunteer. She was assigned to Charlotte, a victim of elder financial abuse. Her conservator is the Public Guardian. When Jane first met Charlotte, she was introduced to a wheel-chair bound elder, who had no friends to visit her. She said, "Thank G_ I have someone to talk to!" as she indicated her deaf roommate in the next bed. When Jane asked Charlotte what TV programs she liked to watch, Charlotte said, "I can't turn on the TV. I don't have a remote." Within minutes, Jane was able to rectify the problem. When Charlotte first complained of being depressed, she told Jane that she didn't want to live anymore. Jane made the report back to the ACE project manager, who in turn notified the PG and the facility. Through Jane's intervention, Charlotte was able to get the help that she needed. Charlotte has also become a part of Jane's life. They share meals and Charlotte dresses up for Jane's appointments. When Jane travels, she sends Charlotte postcards of the places she visits.

About one of every 20 elders is a victim of neglect or physical, psychological or financial abuse, according to statistics from the California Attorney General's Crime and Violence Prevention Center. More than 132,000 elders in California are abused in nursing homes each year, and that estimate is probably very low because only one in 14 cases of elder abuse is reported to authorities.
There are more long-term care facilities in the City and County of Los Angeles than there are in any entire state other than California. To help prevent and reduce elder abuse here, WISE & Healthy Aging, a nonprofit social services agency dedicated to helping seniors, launched an innovative, volunteer-based project for seniors and dependent adults who are under court-ordered conservatorships and residing in residential care facilities and skilled nursing facilities in Los Angeles County.
The Advocates for Conserved Elders (ACE) project is supported primarily by a grant from the California Community Foundation (CCF). It was developed in partnership with the Los Angeles Superior Court (LASC), the largest probate court in the state and possibly the nation, which received 1,500 petitions for conservatorship in 2005. "Other counties have visitation programs, but nothing like the ACE program," said Ret. Superior Court Judge Aviva K. Bobb, former Presiding Judge of the Probate Division of the Los Angeles Superior Court. "It would be a natural evolution for this program to serve as a prototype for other communities throughout the country." Last year, the Los Angeles Superior Court nominated the ACE Program for the prestigious Ralph N. Kelps Award.
The court is required by the California Probate Code to conduct periodic reviews of the adequacy of care provided to conservatees and the appropriateness of financial management provided by conservators. Depending on the specifics of each case, these reviews must take place every year or every other year. The court employs probate investigators, attorneys and support staffs, but the growing number of seniors and the rising incidence of abuse complaints are increasing the burden on limited resources. Also, because many conservatees live in isolated situations, they may need more regular contact with someone they can relate to as a "friend." "Although they are often at heightened risk for abuse, many conserved seniors do not have access to a dedicated, consistent third-party advocate. We are delighted to be working with the Los Angeles Superior Court, through the ACE program, to train volunteers who will be available to take an interest in the total well-being of the conservatee, working to improve quality of life and reporting any care-related problems to the court," said Grace Cheng Braun, President and CEO of WISE & Healthy Aging. "The project builds upon the strengths of the Court Appointed Special Advocates program, a nationally recognized model for assisting children. The Los Angeles Superior Court has one of the largest, most experienced CASA programs in the nation."
ACE Volunteers must be over 21 years of age, attend a free two-day training, and commit to visiting conservatees two times a month, from anywhere to 15 minutes to an hour, for six months to a year. The volunteer goes through a security background clearance, a TB test, and gets their fingerprints taken at LASC. Under the ACE project arrangement, WISE & Healthy Aging, in conjunction with the Probate Court Investigators, will train the ACE volunteers. The court has established the criteria for identifying conservatees at greatest risk of elder abuse and isolation and providing appropriate names and addresses to project administrators.
ACE volunteers serve as regular visitors, providing a degree of social interaction for elderly conservatees. They establish an on-going relationship with the conservatees in order to diminish isolationism and loneliness. During their visits, if the volunteers hear of any complaints about the care received or observe anything that would lead them to suspect abuse or neglect, the volunteer immediately notifies the ACE project manager. In addition to regular monthly reports and meetings, the ACE project manager will liaison with the Los Angeles Superior Court Probate Investigators if there are concerns about neglect or abuse. There is immediate access to the court's Probate Investigations Office. And as required by state law, reporting will occur for any instances of abuse or neglect to the appropriate agencies, including local law enforcement, Adult Protective Services, or the Long-Term Ombudsman Program, as well as the Court and the Conservator. As the only organization authorized by the State Department of Aging to provide long-term care ombudsman services within the City and County of Los Angeles, WISE & Healthy Aging is in a unique position to fulfill this reporting role.