The U.S. Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative identifies fighting elder abuse as a “key priority” of the Department of Justice. Specifically, the Elder Justice Initiative seeks to protect senior citizens from six types of abuse, including:
- Physical abuse
- Caregiver neglect and abandonment
- Financial fraud
- Sexual abuse
- Scams and exploitation
- Psychological abuse
Kentucky Is One of Ten Regional Task Forces
As part of the elder law initiative, the Department of Justice has created ten regional Elder Justice Task Forces. One of those task forces includes the Eastern and Western District of Kentucky. Kentucky’s task force, like the other nine around the country, include representatives from:- U.S. Attorneys’ offices
- State Medicaid Fraud Control Units
- State and local prosecutors’ offices
- The federal Department of Health and Human Services
- State adult protective service agencies
- State long-term care ombudsman programs
- Law enforcement
- Agencies that provide services to the elderly