Advocating for
Older Adults
Protect older citizens in Wisconsin from abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Wisconsin's Elder Justice Coalition collaborates with leading state agencies, statewide organizations and non-governmental agencies to bridge gaps in coordination of needed services, to raise public awareness and to advocate for elder justice in Wisconsin.
What is Elder Abuse?
According to the World Health Organization, elder abuse is “a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person.” Elder abuse can be verbal, physical, emotional, sexual or financial. It can also be intentional or unintentional neglect. Unfortunately, elder abuse is a growing problem in Wisconsin.
Report elder abuse. Please don't wait to act.
Protect yourself or someone you love from any form of elder abuse.
Our Mission
The coalition has four primary objectives:
- Support statewide elder justice initiatives through the Wisconsin Elder Justice Coalition resulting in greater coordinated abuse prevention and victim support of older adults.
- Support existing County and Regional Financial Abuse Specialist Teams (FASTs), the Statewide FAST, and County and Regional Elder Death Review Teams (EDRTs) through technical support and continue to recruit, develop, and support additional teams throughout Wisconsin.
- Develop, promote, and support education on elder justice issues to key groups as determined by the coalition throughout Wisconsin.
- Collaborate with key partners to provide elder justice education to state and local government leaders.
Connect with Support
Safeguarding older adults begins with knowledge and access to vital resources.
Use the following downloads and links to engage with elder justice education.
Wisconsin Elder Justice Resources
Report Elder Abuse WI Resources
For help and information on Elder Abuse in Wisconsin, please learn more from the resources available through the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
Wisconsin EDRT Toolkit
This Toolkit is designed for the development, evolution and sustainability of Elder Death Review Teams (EDRTs) in Wisconsin. It offers resources and tools to support existing and new EDRTs in collaboratively examining the life and circumstances of older adults who have died, aiming to understand the risk factors, vulnerabilities and systems involved before, during and after a fatal incident.
Start with the Toolkit. It provides essential guidance on how and when to use the accompanying resources found in the folders within the zip file. Reviewing the Toolkit first ensures the materials are used effectively and in context.
Wisconsin FAST Toolkit
This Toolkit is to be used for the development, evolution, and sustainability of Financial Abuse Specialist Teams (FASTs) in Wisconsin. It offers resources and tools to support existing and new FASTs in reviewing cases and supporting clients of financial exploitation and abuse of older adults.
Start with the Toolkit. It provides essential guidance on how and when to use the accompanying resources found in the folders within the zip file. Reviewing the Toolkit first ensures the materials are used effectively and in context.
Free Educational Trainings
Help us protect older adults by engaging in our free education on important topics.
General Elder Justice Resources
Scam SINGO
Scam SINGO is a tool to train community members on common finance scams. This fun game of bingo played with songs will increase dialog and understanding by using songs of the golden oldies to teach scam recognition. Included are the SINGO/bingo cards, a facilitator packet and a marketing flyer.
Compressed files will download as a zipped folder. Unzip the folder to extract the files inside. Both Windows and Mac OSX can unzip files without additional software. After the folder is unzipped, save the files on your computer for easy personalization.
Need Guidance
If you need guidance, please contact Debra Leis, Program Specialist, Elder Justice Coalition, at elderjustice@uwgb.edu and (920) 465-2469.