(gentle music) - [Narrator] This project was supported by award number 2018-V2-GX-0024 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice through the Tennessee office of Criminal Justice Programs.

- It's estimated that one in 10 adults over the age of 60 have experienced some form of elder abuse in the last year, but few of those cases are ever reported that needs to change.

The good news is there's a network that can help in your community.

when abuse occurs.

With the implementation of legislation in 2017, Tennessee strengthened the system that responds to elder abuse across the state.

Nashville Public Television is highlighting that system and sharing the resources that exist to support older adult victims of crime in a series of short videos in the following conversation.

All of which will be available at our website wnpt.org/aging matters.

Today, we have representatives from some of the organizations that respond to reports of elder abuse.

First Renee Bouchillon, Program Director for Adult Protective Services in Tennessee, also Brittani Flatt, Assistant District Attorney for the 20th judicial district here in Davidson county, Angela Foster, CREVAA Program Coordinator at the Aging Commission of the Mid-South in Shelby county.

Detective Nina Hummel from the Knox county Sheriff's Office, Family Crimes Unit.

And finally Ashley Hunter Program Director for Victory Over Crime operated by FiftyForward in middle Tennessee.

Thank you all for joining us.

I want to start by looking at what has changed back in 2016, NPT focused on abuse and exploitation of older adults in our Aging Matters series.

Shortly after that program premiered new legislation created some important resources for older adults that have brought all of you together in new ways, namely the creation of VAPIT or Vulnerable Adult Protective Investigative Teams across the state.

To help start our conversation.

Here's a look at what VAPIT teams are and what they do.

- I'm a District Attorney General in the 31st Judicial District.

In 2014, I was given an opportunity to be on the Elder Abuse Legislative Task Force.

And during the course of that my eyes were completely opened up with some of the issues we have and some of the shortcomings.

In 2017 is when the rural difference started to happen.

We passed several laws to protect our seniors.

- One piece of legislation that was so important was the creation of the VAPIT team which is the Vulnerable Adult Protective Investigative Team.

And what that team consists of is the District Attorney's Office, adult protective services, local law enforcement agencies, a representative from CREEVA other agencies that assist with vulnerable and elder adults.

The goal of VAPIT team is to coordinate investigations and to obtain information about these reports that come from APS that are generated from APS involving financial exploitation, abuse, neglect sexual exploitation of vulnerable or elder adults.

- We just look at every single case to make sure that we're doing everything we can to protect our seniors and vulnerable adults.

I know that a lot of people think that our District Attorney's office is all about prosecuting, putting people in jail but that's never been my objective.

My objective is to help our seniors who need it the most.

That's why we need CREEVA.

When you've been victimized, CREEVA is gonna there to step up and help fill those gaps.

If you don't have groceries in the cabinet because someone else took your check or took your medication that can help you get those back.

They are the resources there that are gonna make a difference.

And so that's why we all work as VAPIT sometimes we reach out and find those resources for you to help.

'Cause that's what we're here for.

We want to help you.

We wanna make a difference and hopefully restore you to some type of your life before you were victimized.

(indistinct chatter) - All right.

So let's start our conversation talking about like those Vulnerable Adult Protective Investigative Teams.

How much of a game changer was that?

What did it mean to bring all of you folks like yourselves into that room to lay eyes on all those reports that were coming from adult protective services?

- Well, for CREVAA when we're dealing with VAPIT it helps us to coordinate the efforts of the team.

First responders, investigators, VAPIT it helps us to be able to get the information to prosecute those perpetrators that are victimizing our seniors.

So it kind of helps us to navigate through the legal process.

Whereas otherwise we wouldn't be able to do that.

- I think the creation of the VAPIT or VAPIT team depending on where you're from has really brought about some transparency between certain agencies.

Whereas before it may be a situation where there was a report of neglect or a report of elder abuse, where that information might have been brought to the attention of the police department or some other law enforcement agency.

But it may actually become a situation where there is no criminal conduct that's involved but this person may need services may need alternative housing, somewhere to live groceries et cetera.

Things of that nature.

And by having all of these different entities involved there are different stakeholders to reach out to and to be able to obtain that assistance for each one of those victims, specialized assistance for whatever that they may need.

- So I think prior to VAPIT, APS, when we receive reports of a victim of a crime, we have always referred those over to local law enforcement, but it wasn't until the creation of VAPIT until we started forwarding those over to the District Attorney's Office.

I see, since VAPIT has been created, I'm seeing a lot more joint investigations.

I'm seeing more prosecutions.

I'm seeing these vulnerable victims get the justice that they deserve when they have been victimized.

- The DA's office is sort of putting together those VAPIT teams, right?

The District Attorney's office is the one tasked with sort of creating that team.

And those are in all of the judicial districts across the state.

So this is a statewide system.

You all represent organizations that might be included in that VAPIT team but there might be others that are involved, correct?

- Yes, absolutely.

And here in Davidson County, just to name a few of the stakeholders that are involved, obviously The District Attorney's Office, Metro Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has some representatives from agents that are involved.

And within the police department, the Fraud Department, Domestic Violence Unit, specifically here in Davidson county, the Metro Police Department they have assigned several detectives to a specific unit for elder abuse crimes and neglect, obviously individuals from CREEVA FiftyForward, such as Ashley Hunter.

We have individuals from the Office of Family Safety who are involved, the Office of Conservatorship Management, Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

So just to name a few specifically from our VAPIT team but I'm sure there are other teams within the state of Tennessee who have different members or different stakeholders involved.

- So like the existence of VAPIT teams is really a recognition that there are a lot of different agencies that have a part to play in responding to instances of elder abuse in Tennessee, correct?

Renee explain like adult protective services has specific criteria of the investigations you're supposed to engage in.

- Sure.

So when we get reports that regardless if it meets our criteria, or if it doesn't meet our criteria, we're gonna refer those out in hopes that there's someone else that can help the vulnerable victim.

Prior to the VAPIT, we do have a lot of resources as ADA Flatt had mentioned but I think that we tended to maybe work in silos.

I think what VAPIT did was brought together all the agencies that really have a part in helping us to protect our vulnerable adults and coordinated and collaborated that effort so that we can work together to serve our vulnerable victims in the best manner that we can.

- So in some cases it might be like a communication of, well this person might need access to this resource that can help them, correct?

- So from a law enforcement standpoint our elderly adults have rights.

We can't just take away their rights.

We can't take away their ability to give forth information on whether or not they're gonna be a victim or not.

If they say, no, this is not true.

Whoever is saying this lied to me, we can't just go in and force them to do something they don't want to.

For law enforcement, we have to watch out for their rights.

We might not be able to charge somebody criminally but they absolutely need the assistance of some other organization like CREVAA or APS who can make referrals to different programs the hear Knox county we've choices or a third-party payee, different things like that.

So if we can't technically help them out criminally and put somebody, make somebody pay for what they did we can at least help them navigate the rest of the years that they have.

- Yes, that's true.

And with CREVAA we do have to get their permission in order to be able to treat them and find out if they are a victim of crime before we can use any funds.

But we do provide a case management component where we kind of tap into address those other issues.

As far as housing maybe they need some help with personal care.

So we do have to get their permission and assist them with those needs.

And that helps keep them from being victimized as well.

If we can kind of a break down some of those barriers, due to the fact that they lack capacity or are unable to meet their daily living needs independently.

- So Angela Foster, your program coordinator for CREVAA we actually have a little bit of a video to describe what CREVAA is and what it does.

And of course that being another new resource that was my understanding implemented in 2018.

So let's check out a video about the CREVAA program in Tennessee.

(upbeat music) - At the aging commission, we provide a broad network of services to people who are older and vulnerable.

One particular program that we have is the CREVAA program.

CREVAA is a collaborative response to elder and vulnerable adult abuse.

We work to address the difficulties that seniors in vulnerable persons encounter when they become a victim of crime.

- I said, "You could have anything you want to.

"Just ask me, I gave you the shirt off my back.

"Just don't steal from me."

- Lately, but have you been doing overall?

I'm a program coordinator for CREVAA.

My personal goal is to first of all, build a relationship of trust with the client so that they will know I'm there to help them and not further victimize them.

- It's hard to trust very many people.

Angela came into my life and she went out and she bought me groceries and took care of my utility bill, my rent.

Thank you.

- We just wanna get in and help them with what they have lost providing them with emergency resources, for example housing, rental assistance, clothing, household supplies.

If they need deposits assistance with moving, case management services therapy we do all of that.

I want to be able to put those pieces back together for them to bring some normalcy back to their lives.

- If anybody has had anything similar to what I have experienced, call the aging commission don't be afraid.

It's nothing to be ashamed of to call and tell them that you have a problem.

They're willing to help.

- You've lived.

I learned a lot from you as well.

- All right.

So there, we've got two different programs that have started in Tennessee that have really sort of changed the way that Tennessee responds to instances of elder abuse.

We've got the Vulnerable Adult Protective Investigative Teams operated out of the DA's office, which brings all of these coordinated organizations together to respond to a case reports of elder abuse.

And then we've got CREVAA, this rich sort of set of resources that exists for older adult victims of crime and vulnerable adults as well.

Are these programs, do we know, are they unique?

Do other states have programs like CREVAA and VAPIT teams?

- I was going to say yes.

I certainly think that both VAPIT and CREVAA are unique to Tennessee.

I'm not sure that other states across the nation have such coordinated responses.

As we have set up here in Tennessee to protect our vulnerable adults.

- CREVAA is operated out of the AAADS across the state the Human Resource Agencies in the state.

Those are the area agencies on aging and disability.

And so you contact the CREVAA number if you wanted to contact, to access CREVAA you could reach out to the AAAD and we've got the phone number there for that.

If you are a victim of crime and want to find out more if you had to see if you're eligible for that program.

So CREVAA is available in all 95 counties across the state.

How much have you all relied on CREVAA to respond to the needs of older adult victims?

- For law enforcement I know that we, at least in my cases I could not effectively do my job without CREVAA, just building the trust with a victim to be able to follow through with prosecution.

I need to be able access resources getting them to and from court, getting them groceries, giving them a safe place to live and CREVAA helps me provide all of that for them and show them that law enforcement is willing to help them and help them by getting them in touch with people that are gonna be able to assist their needs and that builds trust for me.

- I know from my standpoint, working with CREVAA has been a wonderful experience.

Our program Victory Over Crime at FiftyForward is not as connected into that DA office or law enforcement system.

So having another person who's in sort of like a victim advocate role, who is more connected, helps with our collaboration.

And there's a lot of overlap.

I know with the CREVAA the advocates in Davidson County.

If there's a situation that maybe my program the person doesn't meet my program's criteria or vice versa we're constantly making referrals to each other, or just in general, if there's a particularly difficult situation we can bounce ideas off each other to kind of think through how to best respond to particular cases.

So we have loved working with CREEVA.

- And Ashley's exactly correct in that we have CREVAA and we have some other resources and they're so wonderful to work with back and forth because what I can't help provide through CREVAA and also help and Knox County through rise above crime at our office on aging.

- And even with CREVAA, we also reach out to other community resources sometime as well because sometimes the client may not technically qualify as being a victim of crime but they still need help.

So we do collaborate with other community resources with that case management component to meet their needs like Baptist, Maritain, we do reach out to other agencies in the community as well.

- Well, and I guess that would be one of the benefits of housing CREVAA at the AAAD the area agency on aging and disability, because they're connected to all kinds of resources for adults, older adults, vulnerable adults, regardless of if they've been victims of crime.

So, but if they have been victims, then you have that additional resources that you can apply to restore them.

We're talking about, added collaboration between organizations like yours.

How has that also benefited you in learning how to respond to two cases of elder abuse?

- Well for us with CREVAA sometimes it's difficult to get the victims to prosecute the perpetrators because they're their loved ones.

And they may be a victim of crime because they're not able to meet their needs the way they used to.

They have declined in health.

So it helps to be able to reach out to other resources like medical providers insurance companies, to meet those outside needs to keep them from being victimized.

That's really, really helpful for us.

- Just through the creation of the VAPIT meetings just the act of meeting regularly really helped me build some of those relationships with those key players.

Knowing who Brittani is, knowing who some of the detectives are the sergeants because that collaboration really ultimately benefits our clients, having a smoother experience and navigating what has happened to them.

So just that piece, that relationship peeps has been so helpful from my standpoint.

- Well, and detective Hummel , if you wanna talk a little bit about, how has it improved your skillset in gathering the information that you need to respond from a law enforcement perspective?

- It's helped in gaining resources, being able to walk into somebody's house and talk to them and absolutely see what they need, do I need electrical bills paid?

Do I need them to move them to a safe place?

Do I need to provide door locks?

Do I need to get them some meals, having that bit and having our organizations come together and putting those names to faces has really helped to be able to develop our relationship with our victims.

A lot of times the victim doesn't want to prosecute because their family member, their loved one and us in law enforcement, that's a domestic violence crime and we can prosecute without them if we need to and to get our resources to help them understand that is a lot easier.

- And also to piggyback off of what Nina said when we get the cases a lot of times they're in crisis and I know what adult protective services they have levels and the response time, sometimes there are greater needs to respond than others.

So to have law enforcement, fire department, hospitals and people that can provide emergency housing on board, it really helps to, get these clients stabilized much faster.

- Let's kind of back up and talk a little bit about the need to report instances of elder abuse because the reality is that, a report's not gonna make it to a VAPIT team.

It's not gonna make it to CREVAA unless someone calls to say something, Renee if you wanna talk about the requirements in Tennessee in order to report either older adult abuse, if you experience it if you witness it, if you suspect it, correct?

- That's correct at Tennessee is a mandatory reporting state meaning that anyone, whether you're a professional neighbor anyone suspects abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult they must report to our hotline from there.

So we take all the reports whether they meet our criteria or not.

We do try to assign reports that do meet our criteria but there are some calls that we get that just don't meet our criteria.

So we had a good process in place, not only with the VAPIT but with CREVAA, so that we can refer those type cases that don't meet our criteria over to someone who could help, prior to CREVAA victims when we restrained out a report, they may or may not receive the services that they needed because we didn't have such a collaborative response.

And we did notify local law enforcement.

But of course, they're looking at the criminal aspect not the social service aspect.

So CREVAA has really not only helped the vulnerable adults but our staff as well.

We don't have to make multiple calls to try to coordinate to get services together.

We make a call.

We work hand in hand with CREVAA on reports that our own investigations and to provide these victims.

And like I said, I just can't stress enough.

These victims are being served more timely inefficiently than they had in the past prior to CREVAA.

- The vast majority of instances of elder abuse involve someone that the victim knows or loves, correct?

Talk a little bit about some of the realities of elder abuse and how that kind of affects the way that you respond.

- As I mentioned, a lot of our instances are domestic violence related.

So we're having to respond in the capacity that they are family members.

We have to think about orders of protection and how we're gonna relate to prosecuting them as elder abuse, as opposed to domestic violence and the response we're gonna get from the victim, whether or not they're gonna come forward and say, yes, they did it or no, they didn't.

Or yes, I gave them permission to take that money out of my bank account or steal my debit card or use it.

It really changes the whole outcome of a case.

- And I think the reason, one of the reasons that victims are reluctant is that they're embarrassed.

They feel like, well, if they have been scammed or being taken advantage of, then somebody may take them and put them in a facility or take away their rights to control their money.

And that's not at all our goal, our goal is to protect that person.

But I think as we can get out there that anyone can be a victim, it's not just vulnerable adults in Tennessee, but anybody can be a victim of a scam.

- As kind of a final thought.

You are on the front lines of responding to reports of elder abuse.

What do you want victims to know?

- That they do have a voice and that they don't have to be afraid to report anything.

We're their side.

There is help out there for them and it will be okay.

- I think it's important to know that there are advocates and programs available that can support them that are providing services that are client focus, where they still have a right to make the best decision for them.

So they still have that self-determination so they can live the life that they feel most comfortable with.

They always gonna have that decision-making ability in their situation.

- APS.

While we do this, we feel that all adults should be treated with dignity and be free from abuse and neglect.

- One other factor and risk factor involved in cases of elder abuse.

A lot of times involves isolation.

And the reality is that even if folks feel maybe embarrassed or ashamed and it's a family matter, and they don't want to bring it up to someone, these are cases that you are very familiar with.

You understand the complexities of it, the nature of how difficult it is to deal with issues when they are family matters, when they are domestic violence matters when they involve family members and you know how to respond to that, correct?

They are not alone.

- Victims need to know that we're not just there to take somebody to jail.

We're there to truly connect the victim with the resources that they need and get them out of the situations that they're in, if need be, or make the situation they're in better by putting certain things into place.

We're not here to just throw somebody in jail to prosecute them for something.

We work with the DA's office.

We work with our victims and we listen to them.

We hear what they have to say.

And what's been going on.

- Just rolling off of what officer Hummel stated.

Not all cases are what we call right for prosecution.

Not all cases can be prosecuted.

And I think with the creation of the VAPIT team having all these different stakeholders and entities we can kind of find out what specific needs each individual has.

And then having each entity involved, make the determination as to what specific path that this person needs to go down.

Whether it's a service-based path.

Sometimes we have cases that the District Attorney's Office does prosecute.

We move forward with prosecution with the cooperation and help from the victims.

But we also have entities such as Victory Over Crime who is assisting that victim, maybe making phone calls to our office and kind of being the mediator, the middleman and assisting them because they've established such a great relationship with them.

So again, every single case is different but the bottom line is it's really about trying to help our elders and our vulnerable adults whether a case needs to be prosecuted or whether these individuals just need services, assistance, food, an alternative place to live, a safer place to live and just to feel comfortable in their daily lives.

- I want to thank you all for joining us in this conversation.

If you experience, witness or suspect elder abuse call Adult Protective Services, 24 hours a day seven days a week.

If someone is in imminent danger, call 911.

If you're age 60 and over and have been a victim of crime reach out to CREVAA at your area agency on aging and disability by calling +1 866-836-6678.

To learn more about the resources that exist in Tennessee to promote safety and justice for older adult and vulnerable adult victims of crime, visit our website.

wnpt.org/aging matters.

Thanks for watching.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] This project was supported by award number 2018-V2-GX-0024, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice through the Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs.

(upbeat music)