Increased State Support for Justice in Aging Project Areas

Cheryl Steinberg, director of the NHLA Justice in Aging Project, speaks during the New Hampshire Long Term Care Summit.

The NH Department of Justice recently announced additional resources for the Elder Abuse and Exploitation unit. According to New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella, requests for help responding to abuse and financial exploitation of people over 60 increased 71 percent in the past five years.

The unit will use the additional funding to investigate and prosecute more crimes and expand community outreach events educating people over 60 and caregivers about the dangers posed by scammers.

“We commend the Legislature and Governor Sununu for the significant additional resources to combat elder abuse and exploitation,” said Cheryl Steinberg, who directs NHLA’s Justice in Aging Project. “NHLA receives many applications for services from aging and disabled Granite Staters. To see the state step up its efforts to protecting our senior citizens and vulnerable adults is welcome news.”

Cheryl was also featured as a speaker at the New Hampshire Long Term Care Summit in Portsmouth on Monday to discuss addressing the challenges that come with New Hampshire’s aging population. Some estimates predict one-third of New Hampshire’s population will be over 65 by the year 2030. Meanwhile, staff shortages at long-term care facilities continue to be a major problem to getting aging adults the proper care they need.

In June, as part of the state budget, lawmakers passed legislation to lay the groundwork for a more coordinated, comprehensive “system of care” for older adults. NHLA was an active participant at the State House making sure these critical measures were approved.

Areas of concern include expanding and improving the state’s ServiceLink program, providing more funding for New Hampshire Medicaid’s Choices for Independence program, devising ways to reduce the financial paperwork required for Medicaid, and helping providers with workforce development.

“The goal of this system of care is to ensure that older people and people with disabilities have a full range of care options in a setting of their choosing,” Cheryl said. “For most people, that means being in their home, in their local community. We at NHLA look forward to collaborating further with state officials and other organizations as they implement these programs.”