TESTIMONY
John Holt, Senior Staff Attorney at the Weinberg Center for Elder Justice, on Elder Justice and the Importance of a Coordinated Response to Abuse
1:47:23
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105 sec
John Holt details the crucial role of coordinated responses in combating elder abuse and enhancing elder justice.
- Holt emphasizes the Weinberg Center's multidisciplinary method to provide safe futures for older adults who've faced harm.
- He supports the city council's proposal for a holistic citywide approach through a cabinet for older New Yorkers, advocating for the inclusion of elder justice principles.
- Highlighting a grim statistic, Holt notes that only 1 in 24 cases of elder abuse are reported, underscoring the need for improved detection and support.
- He proposes several initiatives including training for city agency staff on elder abuse detection and interagency coordination to enhance the city's response to elder abuse.
- Holt concludes by expressing gratitude to the committee on aging and the city council for their dedication to supporting older adults.
John Holt
1:47:23
Alright.
1:47:24
Good afternoon, Jared Hudson, the members of the committee.
1:47:26
I'm John Holt senior staff attorney for the Harry Engine at Weinberg Center for Elder Justice at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale.
1:47:31
As a multidisciplinary provider of shelter services to older adults who have experienced harm, We at the Weinberg Center see every day the impact that coordinated responses across government and non government systems have an assisting survivors of elder abuse.
1:47:44
By identifying the interconnected legal, medical, mental health, and long term care, social, spiritual, and emotional needs of the older adults we serve, The Weinberg Center is able to craft tailored solutions that help them build supported, safe, and sustainable futures free from harm.
1:47:59
The Weinberg Center supports the council's proposal to apply the same holistic approach to meeting the needs of older adults on a city wide level through the codification of cabinet for older New Yorkers.
1:48:09
We strongly encourage the cabinet to incorporate elder justice principles and an understanding of the relationship between accessibility and elder abuse in fulfilling its mission to ensure equitable access older adults to city services.
1:48:20
It is estimated that 1 in 10 older adults experience some form of elder abuse each year, but in spite of the prevalence of harm experienced by older New Yorkers, Studies have shown that only approximately 1 in every 24 instances of abuse are ever reported.
1:48:34
In New York, city agencies and their employees are on the front line interacting with older adults who may be at risk of abuse are currently experiencing harm that they are unable to recognize or unwilling to report.
1:48:45
New initiatives such as training of staff on elder abuse detection, creation of elder abuse screening tools, focus on outreach to isolated older adults, an interagency coordination of responses to reported or suspected harm will help ensure that the city provided services become more dynamic in preventing ongoing and future abuse.
1:49:02
We thank the committee on aging and the city council for your work to support older adults and create systems that better meet our needs.
1:49:08
Thank you.
