Fineman, Gretchen C.
(2024)
The American Rescue Plan Act and States' Use of Mandatory Grants for the Prevention of Elder Abuse.
Master Essay, University of Pittsburgh.
Abstract
Elder abuse is defined as physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation, neglect, or abandonment of older adults. At least one in ten adults over the age of sixty in the United States will experience some form of elder abuse during their lifetime. It has been suggested that this incidence is even higher due to underreporting. Most older Americans are still living in the community, rather than in skilled facilities where abuse may be more readily detected. As the population of the US of those over age 65 continues to grow, one in six in 2020, the prevalence of elder abuse is also likely to increase.
There have been policy attempts to address elder abuse and promote elder justice with limited success. The Elder Justice Act of 2010 was the first legislation enacted to undertake the prevention of elder abuse and the protection of the safety of older adults at the federal level. The Act pledged grants of $757 million over five years to support state and local programs aimed at prevention and intervention in elder abuse and established the Elder Justice Coordinating Committee to oversee efforts at the federal level. Unfortunately, only approximately ten percent of these funds were received and used. Reasons for the lack of progress in elder abuse prevention have been cited as a possible lack of detailed data and policymakers’ reluctance to recognize the extent of the problem.
The more recent American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 provides funds to bolster the activities in the prevention of elder abuse and promotion of elder safety described in the Elder Justice Act. Funds are specifically dedicated to adult protective services, elder justice programs, and The Long-term Ombudsman program. This essay examines the American Rescue Plan Act and states’ proposed uses of granted funding toward elder abuse prevention and compares these proposals to best practices in elder prevention found in the literature.
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Details
| Item Type: |
Other Thesis, Dissertation, or Long Paper
(Master Essay)
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
| Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Fineman, Gretchen C. | gcf13@pitt.edu | gcf13 | |
|
| Contributors: |
| Contribution | Contributors Name | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID |
|---|
| Committee Co-Chair | Degenholtz, Howard B. | howard.degenholtz@pitt.edu | howard.degenholtz | UNSPECIFIED | | Committee Member | Albert, Steven M. | smalbert@pitt.edu | smalbert | UNSPECIFIED |
|
| Date: |
13 May 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Completion |
| Number of Pages: |
51 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Public Health > Health Policy & Management |
| Degree: |
MPH - Master of Public Health |
| Thesis Type: |
Master Essay |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
elder, abuse, prevention |
| Date Deposited: |
13 May 2024 18:15 |
| Last Modified: |
13 May 2024 18:15 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/46348 |
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