An Evaluation of a Program of Volunteer Advocates for Elder Abuse Victims

The Elderly Abuse Support Project recruits, trains, and places volunteers with elderly victims of abuse. Volunteers provide assistance and advocacy to victims in the utilization of the criminal justice system as well as more general social support. The forty-two elder abuse cases handled by the Project in its first 18 months of operation are compared with a control group of cases investigated by the state's elder abuse unit but not referred to the Project. The findings indicate the the volunteer advocate program, in comparison with the conventional system, can lead to more ambitious goal-setting, greater achievement of goals and more extensive monitoring of cases.