National Service News: Protecting America's Seniors from Fraud and Abuse

AmeriCorps sent this bulletin at 03/01/2019 01:39 PM EST

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Senior Corps volunteers are helping to protect their peers from fraud and abuse.

 

Protecting America's Seniors from Fraud and Abuse

Our nation's seniors deserve the opportunity to live their retirement with respect and comfort after years of hard work and sacrifice. Unfortunately, this large group of Americans are often targeted by bad actors who look for ways to take advantage of them and cause emotional, physical, and financial harm.

In February 2018, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) Senior Corps program announced a partnership with U.S. Department of Justice Elder Justice Initiative (EJI) to battle those who would defraud America’s seniors.

The DOJ initiative was designed to support and coordinate the department’s enforcement and programmatic efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect, and financial fraud and scams that target our nation’s seniors. Through the building of federal, state, and local capacity to fight elder abuse through training and resources for law enforcement professionals, judges, prosecutors, and others; promoting justice for older Americans; supporting research to improve elder abuse policy and practice; and helping the victims and their families, the EJI represents a coordinated effort to take on this problem on multiple fronts.

During a recent audit, CNCS identified 157 RSVP and Senior Companion projects that devote a portion of their grant-supported activities to the prevention and detection of financial scams and other elder abuses.

Senior Companion volunteers, who perform the most one-on-one visits, are specially trained to recognize the signs of elder abuse, but all Senior Corps volunteers learn how to engage in this oversight to identify concerns that may go undetected in their communities. Senior Corps volunteers also educate their peers and caregivers about how to recognize fraud and abuse as well as techniques to protect themselves from becoming victims of the various types of frauds and schemes.

Senior Corps Director Deborah Cox-Roush crafted a terrific article for a recent DOJ Bulletin that illuminated this issue -- and provided the background for this article -- that's worth reading. (Her article starts on Page 263.) We thank Deborah and all of our Senior Corps volunteers for highlighting this issue and helping to protect their peers from becoming victims of fraud. 

In service, 

Mike Cys 

Director, Office of External Affairs

P.S. AmeriCorps Week 2019 is almost here. Visit our AmeriCorps Week portal to find resources to help you promote the many ways national service is getting things done.

Editor's note: By clicking the links below, you may be connecting to websites created by parties other than the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). The CNCS Office of External Affairs provides links to these stories because they contain information that may be useful or interesting to the national service and volunteering community. These links are for reference only, and CNCS does not endorse the individuals or organizations associated with these links, and cannot attest to the accuracy of the information provided by websites outside of our control.

The Impact of National Service

Senior Corps Foster Grandparent Thomasina Brownlee, 63, hugs a child at the Asheville YWCA's Early Learning Program. (Matt Burkhartt/Citizen Times)


Foster Grandparents: Project Brings Together Kids, Elders with All the Love of Real Thing (Senior Corps)


It was the scariest day of Thomasina’s life, yet undoubtedly one of her proudest. It was 2009, and her son Curtis was graduating magna cum laude from North Carolina A&T University. She was in a white pantsuit on a beautiful June day. Then, she completely stopped breathing. She would spend the next week in the intensive care unit on life support. 

Thomasina Brownlee, 63, emerged from the ICU with a renewed sense of purpose and a second chance at life. She is one of 55 foster grandparents working with the federally funded Foster Grandparents program, offered by the Land of Sky Regional Council. For the past six years, she has worked five days a week at the Asheville YWCA’s Early Learning Program with children ages 2-4.

Read more and watch video

AmeriCorps NCCC Team Leader Pierce Curran (left) helps Joel Foster pull up English ivy in Overton Park. (Houston Cofield/Daily Memphian)

 

Old Forest, Shelby Forest Prepare for Spring with AmeriCorps Team


For the next month, a team of eight AmeriCorps service members will be pulling invasive plants from Overton Park and Meeman Shelby Forest State Park as both prepare for spring. In the 126-acre Old Forest area of Overton Park, the volunteers will concentrate on a 12-acre patch of English ivy. The team, from the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps based in Vicksburg, Mississippi, underwent training for each park. The group will spend two weeks in the forested environments. (You can also watch a news story about the team here.)

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Women work together to demonstrate their construction skills during Habitat for Humanity projects.


Asheville Habitat: Powered By Women (AmeriCorps)

 

The share of women working in construction is about 9 percent across the country. The stat is another example of how Asheville strives to be well above average, thanks to Asheville Area Habitat For Humanity. Women comprise more than 50 percent of the organization’s construction staff. The Construction Manager is a woman, and women work in diverse construction positions including new construction, home repair, volunteer coordination, and construction administration. The annual Women Build led by a team of volunteers affectionately known as the “WomBATs” (Women Build Advocacy Team) recruits hundreds of female volunteers to help build—and raises $55,000 to build a home. Construction will begin on Asheville Habitat’s 14th Women Build House on May 7.

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