HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2843        FILED ON: 1/21/2011

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1965

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Paul Brodeur

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying resolve:

Resolve providing for an investigation and study by a special commission relative to elder protective services.

_______________

PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2843        FILED ON: 1/21/2011

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1965

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Eleven

_______________

Resolve providing for an investigation and study by a special commission relative to elder protective services.

Resolved, That a special commission is hereby established to make an investigation and study of elder protective services and making recommendations to enhance said services where appropriate and necessary.  The special commission shall consist of the House chair of the committee on elder affairs or her designee; the Senate chair of the committee on elder affairs or her designee; the secretary of elder affairs or her designee; the commissioner of public health or his designee; the attorney general or her designee; a district attorney as designated by the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association; the president of the Massachusetts chiefs of police association or his designee; the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Home Care Programs or his designee; the head of the elderly unit of Greater Boston Legal Services, Inc. or her designee; the state director of AARP Massachusetts or her designee;  the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging Inc. and Senior Center directors; the executive director of Jane Doe, Inc. or her designee; the executive director of the Massachusetts office of victim assistance or her designee and 4 members appointed by the governor, 1 of whom shall be a member of the Massachusetts bar who practices in the area of elder law, 1 of whom shall be an expert in financial services, 1 of whom shall be a representative of a visiting nurse association, 1 of whom shall be an expert in geriatric mental health.

The commission created shall examine strategies to increase public awareness of elder abuse and mechanisms for reporting said abuse.  The commission shall assess the funding and programming needed to enhance elder protective services to the growing elder population and examine best practices for the prevention and detection of elder abuse.  The commission shall also examine methods for addressing the high cost of financial exploitation investigations and expanding the availability of affordable legal services and financial advisory services for elders.  The commission shall also examine the development of elder abuse multidisciplinary teams to provide consultation on protective services cases and perform critical incident case reviews.

The commission, in formulating its recommendations, shall take account of the best policies and practices in other states and jurisdictions, particularly, but not limited to those relating to elder abuse prevention strategies.  The commission shall be empowered to hold regular public meetings, fact-finding hearings and other public forums as it considers necessary.

The commission shall file its recommendations, together with recommendations for legislation, if any, with the house and senate clerks who shall forward the same to the general court no later than June 30, 2012.