05/10/07 Department of Elderly Affairs Awards Agency $113,00 Grant   The state Department of Elderly Affairs (DEA) has announced it has awarded a one-year grant of $113,000 to Family Service of Rhode Island (FSRI) to operate the “After Hours Emergency Response Program for Elders in Crisis”. "This is a significant step in assuring that our senior citizens have support in times of need, which we all understand does not necessarily occur during typical business hours,” Governor Donald Carcieri said. “I am very pleased that as of May 14 there will be protective services available twenty four hours a day. This is the latest move in my administration’s four year effort to protect our seniors’ homes, health and security.” The “After Hours Emergency Response Program for Elders in Crisis” program was established in 2006 to address the need for a comprehensive response to elders in crisis at night and on holidays and weekends. “This new program is the culmination of a coordinated effort by the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Department to ensure that the appropriate resources are available to protect our seniors twenty-four hours a day,” said Corinne Calise Russo, DEA director. The program will be in operation Monday through Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. and on weekends and holidays. The telephone number for the “After Hours Emergency Response Program for Elders in Crisis” is the number for the DEA Protective Services reporting line: 462-0555. The DEA Protective Services Unit staffs this line Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on normal business days. When a call is made, a licensed clinician will make an initial assessment to determine the appropriate action to be taken immediately. The clinician will advise public safety personnel on the scene and, if necessary, will coordinate a referral of the elder for emergency placement in an assisted living facility, nursing home or for the delivery of emergency home care services. In addition, the clinician will dispatch multi-lingual staff to the scene if such services are needed. The clinician may also deem it necessary to report to the scene to evaluate the elder and to assist public safety personnel with crisis intervention and stabilization. The clinician will be trained in the specific and unique needs of elders. Additional training will include the FSRI core competencies such as: critical incident stress management; diagnostic standards; and nonviolent conflict; as well as trainings specific to emergency services such as: stress and coping techniques; managing post traumatic stress disorder; and psychological trauma and recovery.  “We are very pleased to work with DEA on this very important initiative,” said Margaret Holland McDuff, CEO for FSRI. “The valuable experience of FSRI and the extensive network of FSRI contacts in the social and health services community will ensure that the specific needs of an elder in crisis are addressed immediately and effectively,” she said. The “After Hours Emergency Response Program for Elders in Crisis” team will provide a detailed report of all program activity to the DEA Protective Services Unit on the next business day. The team will also take routine reports, such as allegations of financial exploitation or reports of elder self-neglect, and will forward those reports to DEA on the next business day.   DEA will be responsible for the investigation of all reported cases of alleged elder abuse and will also be responsible for intervention in cases of self-neglect in collaboration with the Department’s contracted case management agencies. The DEA Protective Services Unit is mandated by statute to investigate complaints of abuse of Rhode Islanders aged 60 and older. Abuse may be physical, emotional, or sexual; it may involve neglect, financial exploitation or abandonment.  Rhode Island law requires any person who has reasonable cause to believe that an elderly person has been abused to report it to DEA.  Failure to report the suspected abuse of a person 60 years old and older can result in a fine of up to $1,000. The DEA Protective Services Unit collaborates with regional case management agencies in order to coordinate needed services for vulnerable elders such as: home delivered meals; health care services in the home; emergency response systems, and many other types of services designed to allow elders to remain in their homes.   (end)