ACL recently announced grant awards totaling over $1.2 million to help older adults gain access to quality legal services.  These awards are designed to help improve the quality of life of elders at risk of abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation in their communities.

The Administration for Community Living recently announced grant awards totaling over $1.2 million to help older adults at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation gain access to quality legal services.

Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs Final Rule is Now Effective The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs final rule became effective on July 1, 2016.   A culmination of several years of collaborative work with states and other partners, this rule guides implementation of the portions of the Older Americans Act governing grants to states for operation of Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs. The rule addresses:

President Obama signed the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2016 into law today, reaffirming our nation’s commitment to the health and well-being of older adults. Earlier this year, the President called on Congress to reauthorize this important legislation as part of his remarks at the White House Conference on Aging.

This week the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Center for Elder Abuse Prevention presented Assistant Secretary for Aging and ACL Administrator Kathy Greenlee with a Champion for Justice award. The award recognizes a public official who advances elder abuse prevention and innovation.

Final rule prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability; enhances language assistance for individuals with limited English proficiency.

Upon confirmation of Dr. Thomas E. Price as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mr. Dan Berger was selected to serve as the Acting ACL Administrator and Acting Assistant Secretary for Aging.

ACL is committed to supporting states in developing effective Adult Protective Services (APS) systems to ensure all older Americans and people with disabilities have similar protections and access to services, regardless of where they live. As part of these efforts, last summer we released Draft Voluntary Consensus Guidelines for State APS Systems and asked for your feedback.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released the much-anticipated Elder Abuse Surveillance: Uniform Definitions and Recommended Core Data Elements (PDF).