New Agency in Indiana Created to Assist Elder Abuse Victims
In Allen County, IN, the medical professionals in charge of developing the Fort Wayne Sexual Assault Treatment Center have created a new agency dedicated to assisting elders. The Forensic Advocacy Center for Elders (FACE) was created as a way for victims to gain access to medical, legal, and social services assistance if they require it. The Fort Wayne.com news report states it is the first agency of this kind to be developed in the state of Indiana.
The FACE organization reportedly received $128,000 in grant funding from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. In addition to this organization, the Senate Aging Committee is trying to develop an Office of Elder Justice department within the U.S. Department of Justice to further assist elder abuse victims.
Given that this FACE organization is the first in the state of Indiana, it may take time before the organization functions at full capacity. However, the organization has taken major strides in the right direction ensuring that they provide education and training for workers involved in the organization. Providing a veritable one-stop center for elders to get the assistance they require; whether it is legal, medical or some other type of assistance, is an excellent idea and should have a dramatic effect on the current number of elder abuse and elder neglect cases throughout Indiana and throughout the United States as a whole. If the number of reported cases does not lag behind the rate at which elder care facilities and programs are being created, it could easily bring a halt to the number of cases of elder abuse and neglect that arise.
