Elder Abuse/DV

Domestic Violence in Later Life and Elder Abuse

What We Do

The Virginia Center on Aging (VCoA) is a founding member of and administers grant-funded training initiatives on behalf of two collaborative groups.

The Central Virginia Training Alliance to Stop Elder Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation more

Educational events include:

For more information, contact Paula Kupstas, PhD at (804) 828-1525 or pkupstas@vcu.edu

The Central Virginia Task Force on Domestic Violence in Later Life more

Trainings, workshops and presentations for justice professionals, direct service providers and others who serve or work with older adults. Sessions may include lecture, discussions, PowerPoint, activities, and/or case scenarios. Trainings can be tailored for the audience, and include topics such as:

Working Together to Address Domestic and Family Violence in Later Life
Presentations are adapted for the group participating, such as adult protective services staff, law enforcement officers, domestic and sexual violence programs, health care personnel, area agency on aging staff, caregivers and magistrates. (Session lengths vary, but are typically 30 minutes to 2 hours long.

  • Unique Aspects of Domestic and Sexual Violence in Later Life
  • Serving the Older Client: Issues of Aging
  • Cultural Issues within Aging
  • Responding to Sexual Violence in Later Life

For more information or to schedule a training, contact: Lisa Furr at (804) 828-1525 or furrl@vcu.edu

Take Back Your Life

Take Back Your Life is a solution center focused on providing resources to help empower individuals concerned with domestic violence in later life. The Virginia Center on Aging partnered with Senior Navigator on the development of this solution center and provided training to faith community leaders on domestic violence in later life. 'Take Back Your Life' was made possible through generous grants from The Cameron Foundation and The Verizon Foundation.

Take back your life

Who are the victims of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation? Does it surprise you to know that most elder mistreatment is committed, not by strangers, but by persons known to the victim, such as family members, caregivers and others in positions of trust? How is suspected abuse reported? And how can professionals work collaboratively to better address this complex issue?

These questions and more were answered May 11, 2011, noon Eastern, during a live presentation and interactive discussion titled "Elder Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation." Dr. Paula Kupstas and Lisa Furr of the Virginia Center on Aging presented on the topic; Dr. E. Ayn Welleford (Virginia Commission on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders/Virginia Commonwealth University) moderated the discussion.

This free webinar is co-sponsored by Virginia Alzheimer's Commission's Alzpossible Initiative and VCU's Department of Gerontology and partly funded by the Virginia Center on Aging's Geriatric Training and Education Initiative.

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