Hug Your Local Coalition

As we all try to absorb the lessons of the election, I suggest that we in the elder justice world remind ourselves of the critical role that social and professional networks play in times of division and uncertainty. Partnerships, coalitions, and multidisciplinary teams are the bedrock of elder justice, and we can take pride that we’ve brought together law enforcement, health and social service providers, and advocates for diverse groups for over four decades. We’ve held firm through a once-in-a-century pandemic, racial reckonings, 9/11, periods of retrenchment and rebuilding, and administrations that have swung left and right. As Bob Blancato, national coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition, pointed out in a recent issue of Generations, elder abuse has historically been a bipartisan issue. While that may have changed in Congress, it hasn’t in our state and local networks.

Now more than ever, we need our coalitions and teams to serve as forums to educate ourselves about the rights of those we serve--including residents of long-term care facilities, people with cognitive impairments, those experiencing incarceration and homelessness, and immigrants--and get up to speed on what will be needed moving forward to defend those rights. A starting point might be bringing civil rights advocates and attorneys, including experts in immigration and anti-discrimination law, into our coalitions and on to our teams. We can also use these forums to create space for reconciliation, building empathy, countering misinformation, and reducing polarization.

I also believe that everyone who works directly with older people should see themselves as advocates, regardless of the setting or type of work they do. Here in California, the California Elder Justice Coalition has created a network of local multidisciplinary teams and an “A*TEAM” that’s devoted to responding to systemic barriers that they and their clients are confronting. We’re also part of the expanding National Network of State Elder Justice Coalitions, which was formed to address states’ needs and elevate them to the national level. As we await the new administration, there's a lot we can do to fortify our networks to prepare for what’s to come.