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A strategic initiative in the Golden State yields powerful outcomes against elder abuse.
Elder abuse is a crime without boundaries, crossing all racial, social, class, gender, and geographic lines. As the United States' older adult population continues to increase, the rate of elder abuse will also increase. There is also clinical evidence that elder abuse and neglect contribute significantly to the morbidity and mortality of older adults (Lachs et al., 1998). While elder mistreatment has attracted attention from practitioners and some interest from policy makers over the past two decades, it has not received significant attention from researchers or agencies that provide research funding. As a result, there is very limited information and data on the incidence, prevalence, causes, and the effectiveness of elder abuse prevention and intervention programs.
In 2003, after engaging in strategic planning, the Archstone Foundation, under the leadership of its president and CEO, Joseph F. Prevratil, refined its grantmaking focus by selecting three priority areas. The criteria for selecting the priority areas were as follows:
1. the Foundation's prior investments and experience with the topic area;
2. the area posed a significant problem to society; and
3. the problem required additional outside resources in order to advance the field.
Based on these criteria, the Foundation's board selected the following three strategic initiatives: falls prevention in older adults; the prevention of elder abuse and neglect; and end-of-life issues (Giles et al., 2010a).
The Elder Abuse and Neglect Initiative
The Foundation launched the Elder Abuse and Neglect Initiative with a statewide call for proposals in March 2005. The Initiative's goal was to improve the quality and coordination of elder abuse and neglect services in the State of California, and it was the first significant investment in California to strategically advance elder abuse and neglect services. More than 140 organizations responded to the initial request for proposals. From 2006 through 2012, the Archstone Foundation awarded more than $10...