NAELA Applauds Increased Funding of Elder Justice Act
Washington, DC (PRWEB) February 03, 2016 -- The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), a founding member of the Elder Justice Coalition, was pleased to see a doubling of funding for the Elder Justice Act in FY 2016 to $8 million in the appropriations package.
“NAELA supports the federal government’s investment in the safety and well-being of this vulnerable population,” said NAELA President Shirley B. Whitenack, Esq., CAP.
One of the objectives of the Elder Justice Act is to coordinate the response to elder abuse by federal and state agencies, as well as support efforts to detect and prevent abuse. The Elder Justice Coalition sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee stating that “programs that focus on prevention warrant greater investment and funds for elder abuse prevention,” as well as “funding [that] would support a critical element of a long overdue need in the field of elder abuse — improved data collection through unified Adult Protective Services (APS) databases, a key finding of a GAO report.”
Funding could provide the resources needed to prevent elder exploitation, such as the recent incident in the December 2015 Washington Post article, where “embarrassing and dehumanizing photos” of nursing home residents were posted to social media.
Learn more about NAELA’s position on elder justice and other advocacy issues.
About NAELA
Members of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) are attorneys who are experienced and trained in working with the legal problems of aging Americans and individuals of all ages with disabilities. Established in 1987, NAELA is a non-profit association that assists lawyers, bar organizations, and others. The mission of NAELA is to establish NAELA members as the premier providers of legal advocacy, guidance, and services to enhance the lives of people with special needs and people as they age. NAELA currently has members across the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit NAELA.org.
Abby Matienzo, Communications Manager, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, http://www.naela.org, +1 (703) 942-5711 Ext: 230, [email protected]
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