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SMAA Participates in Creating the Maine Elder Justice Roadmap
Established by Governor Mills by Executive Order, the Elder Justice Coordinating Partnership assembled private sector and public sector experts representing a wide array of disciplines to develop an Elder Justice Roadmap to address Maine’s response to and prevention of elder abuse in all its forms.
In 2021, Katlyn Blackstone, Chief Program Officer, SMAA, alongside twenty other members from both the public and private sectors, participated in the Elder Justice Coordinating Partnership. Established by Governor Mills by Executive Order, the Partnership assembled experts representing a wide array of disciplines to develop an Elder Justice Roadmap to address Maine’s response to and prevention of elder abuse in all its forms.
The United States Department of Justice estimates that one in nine people over the age of 60 will be abused or exploited every year, for an estimated 33,000 victims of elder abuse in Maine alone. Recognizing the value of a multi-disciplinary approach and Maine’s proven track record of success with multi-disciplinary efforts, Governor Mills constituted the Partnership to combat this growing health, justice, financial and social crisis.
Elder Justice Coordinating Partnership has identified challenges to the prevention of, detection of, and response to elder abuse in the State of Maine and has developed strategic priorities across the public and private sectors to prevent and respond to elder abuse. These recommendations, contained in the Elder Justice Roadmap, range from improvements in direct victim services, public and professional education, public policy and data collection and evaluation.
“The abuse of vulnerable people, especially our older citizens, is an insidious crime that has no place in Maine,” said Governor Janet Mills. “I am grateful to the public and private sector organizations on my Elder Justice Coordinating Partnership who have worked to thoughtfully determine how we can better protect Maine seniors from abuse, neglect, and all forms of exploitation. I look forward to reviewing these recommendations and advancing our efforts to combat elder abuse.”
Jaye Martin, Private Sector Chair of the Partnership and Executive Director of Legal Services for the Elderly commented that “Tens of thousands of older Mainers experience elder abuse every year. This Roadmap identifies actions that can be taken to address this crisis and improve Maine’s response to elder abuse and exploitation. We look forward to continuing to work with the Mills Administration to improve life for all seniors in Maine.”
“By working together to implement the changes outlined in this Roadmap, public and private sector entities can help decrease the incidence of elder abuse in our state,” said Judith Shaw, Public Sector Chair of the Partnership and Maine Securities Administrator. “This Roadmap identifies clear priorities that responding organizations can use in the fight against elder abuse and I encourage communities across the State to take them to heart in their efforts.”
The Elder Justice Roadmap was released in February 2022. It is the state’s first report focused on combatting elder abuse.
