Online clearinghouse to help courts, judges cope with aging population

New website will provide courts with information, resources and training

Williamsburg, Va. (June 15, 2010) — The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) will launch a new website to provide the nation’s courts with resources, information, and training related to aging, probate issues, and elder abuse on June 15, which is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The new site, www.eldersandcourts.org, is an initiative of NCSC’s Center for Elders and the Courts (CEC), which serves as the primary resource for the judiciary on issues impacting the elderly.  The CEC was established by the National Center in 2008 and is funded by a grant from the Retirement Research Foundation.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of people older than 65 will more than double between 2000 and 2050, while the number of people older than 85 will quadruple. As Americans age, courts must educate staff on aging-related issues, develop innovative strategies to address elder abuse, and reform guardianship policies and practices. The CEC aims to increase judicial awareness of issues related to aging, provide training tools and resources to improve court response to elder abuse and oversight of adult guardianships, and develop a collaborative community of judges, court staff, and aging experts.

The new website will serve as an online clearinghouse of information on aging issues as well as an online community where judges and court personnel can exchange information. The site also will feature the following resources:

• an interactive map that allows users to access information on specific state laws related to elder abuse and adult guardianships as well as links to state resources on aging
• a database of “promising practices,” such as court technologies and administration procedures that have been successfully implemented by courts
• ten training videos that cover topics such as creating an elder justice center, creating an elder protection court, and working with adult protective services
• an elder abuse curriculum designed for presentation by state judicial educators

The site also will feature the Elder Abuse Toolkit for the Courts, which includes an interagency coordination guide, model practices, a data collection guide, and performance standards. The toolkit, which was funded by a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, is scheduled to be available in the winter of 2010.

Based in Chicago, the Retirement Research Foundation is devoted exclusively to improving quality of life for our nation's older population. It is especially committed to improving conditions for those who are vulnerable due to frailty associated with advanced age, those who are economically disadvantaged and at greatest risk of falling through the safety net, and those who experience disparities related to race and ethnicity.