Mission:	Address the needs of abused elders and those elderly vulnerable to abuse.
Goal:	Increase awareness of elder abuse dynamics through outreach, advocacy I education public awareness, prosecution. Increase coordination across agencies, senior groups, law enforcement Increase/Improve successful handling of elder abuse cases.

Who Are We? Stanislaus Elder Abuse Prevention Alliance (SEAPA) in an effort to enhance prevention and facilitate intervention of elder abuse. SEAPA was founded in December 1997 by a group of concerned agencies and citizens coming together for a common cause. SEAPA realized the need to improve the current system of services which protect and preserve the rights of vulnerable seniors. It is our goal to coordinate advocacy efforts between organizations, agencies and programs to access the current state of unmet needs and to act as a catalyst in assuring domestic and institutional abuse will be acknowledged and become part of the consciences of the community. Based on our experience, we have become acutely aware of the need for an elder abuse prevention project that will protect our seniors and raise the community's level of awareness on how the system of detection, prevention, reporting and prosecution can be improved. Elder abuse and neglect, referred to more broadly as elder mistreatment, is a serious and potentially lifethreatening problem in the community in nursing homes and in residential care facilities. What We Do. Generally, a combination of psychological, social and economic factors along with the mental and physical conditions of the victim and the perpetrator contribute to the occurrence of elder mistreatment. Let's say you're old. Now imagine someone insulting you? calling you ugly names, making treats. Imagine someone taking advantage of you, illegally using your cash or credit cards. Imagine someone physically abusing you with their fists, open hands or through forcible restraint. Picture someone neglecting you, not caring for you, withholding food, medicine, or even love and compassion. These situations happen to many older people everyday. The development of this project has been the result of an identified need to improve the current system of advocacy services which protect and preserve the rights of frail, vulnerable, at risk elders. There are a multitude of federal, state and local programs which affect older persons in Stanislaus county, and these programs have resulted in a complex network of social services. While domestic and institutional elder abuse is recognized and in some cases reported, no overall entity has attempted to identify elder rights issues, coordinate advocacy efforts between organizations, agencies and programs to assess the current state of elder rights and of unmet needs. We want to (1) encourage the autonomy and empowerment of seniors through education, advocacy, community awareness and problem solving, and (2) form constructive partnerships with those who share a common interest in protecting the health, safety, property and civil liberties of the elderly. Domestic as well as institutional abuse will receive critical attention. Elder abuse is one of the most underregcognized and underreported social problems in the country - Why does it happen? Stress of the caregivers, impairment of elders, cycle of violence in the family, personal problems of abusers, isolation. There are three basic categories of elder abuse: (1) domestic elder abuse; (2) institutional elder abuse; and (3) self-abuse or neglect. For the most part, physical abuse, neglect, intimidation, cruel punishment, sexual assault, abandonment, fiduciary abuse or a other treatment which results in physical harm or pain or mental suffering, or the deprivation by a care custodian of goods or services which are necessary to avoid physical harm or mental suffering remains a "hidden crime" There are many ardent campaigns n our society to prevent activities such as child abuse, and mistreatment of animals. It is NOW time to do something about elder abuse! Plan of Action: The Ombudsman Program has formed a three-tiered multi-disciplinary partnership with the goal of education and advocacy for the senior population with the objective of detection, prevention and solution of elder abuse. We view this 3 tiered partnership with those in the core group taking on a "hands on" role in training, the second tier a serious but lesser role and the third tier a need "need to know" overall activity. Steps include: (1) Training of representatives in each tier of the partnership to -- Identify what constitutes abuse Know where to report abuse Know what services are available in the community Develop abuse prevention measures (2) Representatives in each tier of the partnership will then be responsible for providing education and training for their employers and employees about how to identify and refer at-risk seniors to the aging services network. (3) Representatives will provide community in-service training to banking institutions, hospitals, senior centers, civic groups, churches, home health agencies and nursing homes, residential care facilities and community care providers who serve the senior population. (4) A resource directory will be developed and distributed to -- All members of the partnership Be used for in-service training Community-at-large through the partner agencies (5) A quarterly newsletter will be published with information on senior issues, community resources, elder rights, scams, etc. It will be distributed to partners to copy for their businesses, offices and agencies and to: Seniors centers Nutrition Sites Churches Others (6) A dedicated phone line will be installed to provide information, direction and referral to: The partnership members Community-at-large No other agency in Stanislaus County has attempted to raise the level of awareness of the problem of elder abuse through such a partnership. PSA 30 will challenge and support each "tier" to work on defining, detecting, reporting and preventing elder abuse. We expect major outcomes to be: Increased public awareness The education and empowerment of seniors Further identification of community services.  Accumulation of county-wide statistical data on elder abuse Through a collaborative approach with county agencies, civic groups, law enforcement, fire department, retail, banking, AARP, long term care staff, residents, families and others we have established committed partnerships. A advocacy, training and problem solving. Recognizing elder abuse is a serious and potentially life threatening problem which transcends social, ethic and economic boundaries, Catholic Charities Ombudsman Program provides the Administrative direction and support to strengthen SEAPA and for the protection, well-being and safety of seniors.