Center for Elders and Courts Re-launches Enhanced Website

The Center for Elders and Courts (CEC), a project of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), launched its revamped website on World Elder Abuse Day, June 15, 2012. This project was made possible through SJI support (SJI-11-N-177), and a grant from the Retirement Research Foundation.

In addition to an enhanced section on guardianship, the website now features a blog and Facebook page. The revamp of the website was accompanied by the CEC's release of two toolkits—one specifically for courts and one for prosecutors. The toolkits provide direction on how to effectively prosecute cases and improve court responses to cases involving abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of the elderly. The toolkits, which were funded through grants by the Department of Justice/Bureau of Justice Assistance, include a judicial bench card, interagency coordination guides, a prosecution guide, and proposed performance measures.

The CEC recently participated in a White House forum on elder abuse and financial exploitation. This event was convened to discuss how to prepare for the growing wave of people 65 or older expected to make up more than 20 percent of the population by 2030.

This high profile launch of the revamped CEC site, and subsequent attention to elder issues on World Elder Abuse Day, has already generated international interest in these resources, including inquiries from the Australian Supreme Court and downloads from courts in Portugal. CEC content remains focused on the unprecedented challenges faced by state courts in dealing with elder issues. Additional enhancements and features are planned for the website, and will be announced as soon as they are available.