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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12052006 - C.129 i TO: Contra Board of Supervisors FROM: Family and Human Services Committee 0 Costa DATE: December 5, 2006County Sra coli»'t'; ,! SUBJECT: Elder Abuse Program Update ` 2- SPECIFIC SPECIFIC REQUESTS)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION I( RECOMMENDATION: 1. ACCEPT the report presented by the Employment and Human Services Department Aging and Adult Services Bureau providing a status update on the delivery of Elder Abuse and Adult Protective Services, 2. SUPPORT Department efforts to maintain essential Adult Protective Services program components in spite of staffing reductions resulting from funding limitations. FISCAL IMPACT: None. BACKGROUND: ----On November 6, 2006, the Family and Human Services Committee heard the attached report providing an update on the status of the Adult Protective Services (APS) program. The Employment and Human Services Department (EHSD) provides elder abuse services under the APS program that offers casework intervention to protect elders and younger dependent adults from abuse, neglect, or exploitation. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT:_X—YES SIGNAURE��o: _ RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR / RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE � APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): (������(^^� G q / ACTION OF BOARD ON �LiVI:(�Cil�N' l J. G=_APPROVE AS RECOMMENDED V OT/ER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS / �Q I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE Y UNANIMOUS (ABSENT Y/ ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD AYES: NOES: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. 4`'/n�'� ABSENT: ABSTAIN: }��� �pQ�f v u-Ca , # ®IST7Lt" Tr ATTESTED d/t�- /� JOHN CULLEN,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Contact Person:Dorothy Sansoe,5-1009 CC: CAO EHSD BY:� ,DEPUTY J Subject: Elder Abuse Program Update APS is part of a continuum of programs provided by the Aging and Adult Services Bureau of EHSD which all seek to promote maximum independent functioning for elders and adults with disabilities, assisting clients to avoid unnecessary or inappropriate institutional care. APS works in close collaboration with these other programs, which include In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), temporary Conservatorship, Multipurpose Senior Services Program, Linkages case management, assistance to caregivers, Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, and a wide variety of Area Agency on Aging (AAA) programs. APS works closely with collocated Health Services Department (HSD) nursing and mental health staff who provide essential consultation and evaluation for APS clients and with various Health Services programs. The Long-Term Care Integration planning project jointly sponsored by EHSD and HSD is in the process of designing an action plan to redirect funding to expand availability of home and community services for elders and adults with disabilities to enhance collaboration between the two departments and community based organizations who serve the same clients. Fiscal challenges that have led to staffing reductions in the APS and IHSS programs and curtailment of some AAA community based programs, and the limited capacity of many Health Services programs with which APS collaborates, pose serious problems for the APS program. Also, the number of individuals who need protection from abuse, neglect or exploitation is steadily increasing due to the aging of the County's population and the attendant increase in elders with physical disabilities and/or dementia. The failure of funding resources to keep up with this population growth and the inability to expand APS and related home and community based services seriously compromise the County's capacity to provide the level of services needed to protect this vulnerable population. I