Victims of elder abuse in the City or County of Los Angeles can now receive psychotherapy sessions under a new project of WISE & Healthy Aging, thanks to a $90,000 grant from the Archstone Foundation.
Victims will be referred to the program through the county’s Adult Protective Services, law enforcement officials, the Los Angeles Elder Abuse Forensic Center and WISE and Healthy Aging’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program.
“In addition to assisting current victims of elder abuse, the Archstone Foundation grant supports our effort to change the way the mental health community views and cares for elder abuse survivors by increasing awareness among professionals and integrating mental health services into the elder abuse intervention network,” said Molly Davies, MSW, vice president of Elder Abuse Prevention and Ombudsman Services at WISE & Healthy Aging.
She said the project is designed to accomplish three major goals: help elder abuse survivors process their feelings and deal with the trauma they have experienced; help victims protect themselves from becoming re-victimized; and share the project design and client treatment outcomes with other professionals.
Jennifer Levine, PsyD, clinical director of Mental Health Services at WISE & Healthy Aging, said the project will make individual psychotherapy available to victims of any type of elder abuse, including physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, and financial abuse, as well as neglect and self-neglect.
“To make this service as convenient as possible for victims of elder abuse, a client may be seen in their own home in the community, in a nursing home, or at a place of their choosing, such as a senior center, church or at the WISE & Healthy Aging clinic in Santa Monica,” Levine said.
The Archstone Foundation is a private grant-making organization whose mission is to contribute toward the preparation of society in meeting the needs of an aging population. Its leadership in the field of aging is the result of two decades of operation and awarding over 800 grants, representing more than $73 million; surpassing its initial endowment.
The agency’s Mental Health Services employs highly qualified mental health staff, psychiatrists, and clinical interns who provide psychotherapy, psychiatry, psychosocial assessment, several group programs, and mental health case management for adults 55 and older. For more information, please call 310.394.9871 ext. 465.
WISE & Healthy Aging, a social services organization, enhances the independence, dignity and quality of life of older adults through leadership, advocacy and innovative services. Visit www.wiseandhealthyaging.org.
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