MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Josh Kaul announced that the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), in partnership with the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life, will be holding its Abuse in Later Life training and program kick-off for frontline professionals, supervisors, and agency decision makers that work with older adults at the Wisconsin State Bar today.

“This program aims to improve coordination and to enhance the ability of communities to prevent and to respond to elder abuse,” said Attorney General Kaul.

The Abuse in Later Life Program, which partners with law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, victim services, culturally specific community programs, aging network professionals, faith-based programs, and adult protective services will provide training, funding for victim services, and establish a coordinated community response to elder abuse.

Today’s event will include more than 90 people who will take the day’s training and case review back to their communities for further program development through 2021. Over the next several years, trainings will be provided to law enforcement, victim services, adult protective services, prosecutors, aging services, and judges. Topics will include investigating elder abuse, interviewing older witnesses and victims, common dynamics prevalent in elder abuse cases, and aging.

The program will also include establishing and enhancing Coordinated Community Response Teams in pilot communities: Door County, City of Milwaukee, Outagamie County, and the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. Each of these communities will also hold the first of many trainings on elder abuse in September and October 2019. This program is funded through federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women.