G1: Objective 2

Enhance multi-disciplinary prevention and response policies for elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation across state agencies.

Strategies:

Review and adopt recommendations of the Task Force on Preventing and Countering Elder Abuse, including:

 

Implement policies that promote justice and safeguard older adults across state- and federally-funded programs.

Overview of Progress Made

  • MDOA, the Maryland Long Term Care Ombudsman, Leading Age Maryland, and the LifeSpan Network partnered with AgingIn to host Empower Your Possible, an educational series focused on changing the culture of care in Maryland’s long term care settings towards person-centered supports.

Key Initiatives

 

Enhance accountability and oversight for people moving between levels of care or settings within the health care system.

Improve systems for monitoring private and public guardianship to preserve the rights of older adults.

Overview of Progress Made

  • The Supreme Court of Maryland’s Administrative Office of the Courts concluded a three-year Elder Justice Innovation Grant from the Administration for Community Living to assess the state’s guardianship system and the “healthcare-to-guardianship pipeline” to find ways to reduce the number of unnecessary or overly broad guardianships.

Key Initiatives

  • MDOA Guardianship Program: A legal relationship created when a court gives one person (the guardian) the power to make personal and financial decisions for another person who is seen to be at risk of harm or unable to handle their own affairs. https://aging.maryland.gov/pages/guardianship.aspx
  • DHS Adult Public Guardianship Program: A legal relationship created when a court gives one person (the guardian) the power to make health and safety decisions for another person who is significantly impaired by disease, accident or disability.
  • Maryland Court Guardianship Training Program: Training that guardians of a person and property must complete. https://www.mdcourts.gov/family/guardianship/courtappointedguardians

Prevent fraud, cybercrime, and financial exploitation through increased oversight of powers of attorney and representative payees, and implementing collaborative systems of action on bank fraud and exploitation.

Outcomes:

Short-Term (1-3 years)

  • Develop partnerships and implementation plan for enhanced response to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation

Mid-Term (4-6 Years)

  • Implement the action plan through legislative and programmatic policy development

Long-Term (7-10 years)

  • Improve prevention, detection, assessment, intervention, and investigation policies and programs