Victim Services
Resources, webinars, training, and victims’ rights information.
Victim service providers work closely with prosecutors, law enforcement, and other staff members to ensure that elder abuse victims are treated with respect, know their rights, and understand their role within the criminal justice system. They help victims navigate the criminal justice system by providing support, assessing a victim’s needs, developing a safety plan, connecting victims to resources, and identifying gaps in services. They also ensure that staff are informed about elder abuse and the trauma that victims experience. Ultimately, a victim service provider wants the victim to experience justice, seek recovery and regain their sense of well-being. This section provides tools, training, and resources for victim service providers, as well as valuable information that can be shared with potential elder abuse victims.
Victims’ Rights and Reporting Obligations
Victims’ Rights
The Victims of Crime Act of 1984, the Victims’ Rights and Restitution Act of 1990, and the Crime Victims’ Rights Act of 2004 guarantee victims a central role in the criminal justice process. The Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance provide guidance on compliance with the victim rights laws and set forth Justice Department policy on working with victims and witnesses.
Victim assistance personnel in federal agencies can help ensure that elderly crime victims get services and rights mandated by law. The CVRA establishes the rights of crime victims in federal criminal cases. Victim assistance personnel should make their best efforts to ensure that older adults get services at each stage of the criminal justice process and should explain to victims their rights under the law.
As victim assistance personnel in federal agencies, it is important to make sure that the needs of our elderly victims are met, such as notification of proceedings, referrals to services, safety planning, the provision of special accommodations such as wheelchairs, hearing devices, travel arrangements, court support and more. The Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance sets forth policy and guidance on assisting our elderly victims and treating them with dignity and respect.
Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance
This law ensures that victims receive mandated services, including referrals to emergency medical and social services, reasonable protection from suspected offenders, notice of the status of the investigation to the extent it is appropriate and will not interfere with the investigation, and notice of court proceedings. Victims are entitled to receive these services from the detection of the crime throughout the case.
The Victims’ Rights and Restitution Act (VRRA), 34 U.S.C. §20141 (1990)
Reporting Obligations
There are many types of victims' service providers, and mandatory reporting requirements vary from state to state.
Please also see the new brief from National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) in collaboration with the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA), Mandated Reporting of Abuse of Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities. This brief focuses on mandated reporting of abuse of older adults and adults with disabilities to Adult Protective Services (APS). While most APS programs consider mandated reporting an essential tool for addressing harm to older adults and adults with disabilities, this brief explores the strengths of mandated reporting as well as the criticisms and questions raised by other professionals.
Mandated Reporting of Abuse of Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities
Learn More About Elder Abuse and Exploitation
Whether you are new to the field, or have experience in assisting with elder abuse cases, this section has everything from the basics to in depth training about all types of elder abuse.
Victim Services Programming and Program Planning
EJI supported ICF in conducting the first National Elder Abuse Victim Services Needs Assessment (released October 2025). ICF conducted national surveys and focus groups with elder justice professionals and individuals who have experienced elder abuse to explore (1) services available for individuals who have experienced elder abuse, (2) gaps in services, (3) barriers to providing and accessing services, and (4) the resources elder justice professionals need to better serve individuals who have experienced elder abuse. For additional information, please read: Supporting Older Adults Who Have Experienced Fraud: Findings from the National Elder Abuse Victim Services Needs Assessment, Gaps in Services, and Path Forward: Recommendations from the National Elder Abuse Victim Services Needs Assessment. These materials are useful to victim services program planning activities.
Released in October 2024, the report identified the highest-priority needs, including research to support evidence-based and holistic approaches, while also supporting the widespread adoption of effective programs to reach the greatest number of older adults who have been victimized.
NIJ Improving the Identification of and Responses to Victims of Elder Mistreatment
OVC website provides examples of VOCA-funded elder abuse programs across states and the state VOCA offices that funded them.
Lifespan of Greater Rochester developed a curriculum for training elder abuse advocates. The curriculum includes materials to offer this training in your community, as well as supplemental and evaluation materials.
A summary report that begins with a brief overview of elder abuse and abuse in later life. Subsequent sections describe seven key guiding principles and minimum guidelines and practice strategies for advocates to consider in their work with older survivors.
NCALL (OVW) Working with Older Survivors of Abuse: A Framework for Advocates
The National Census of Victim Service Providers (NCVSP) collection provides national data on all programs and organizations that served victims of crime or abuse within the year prior to the survey.
The National Survey of Victim Service Providers (NSVSP) provides national data on programs and organizations that served victims of crime or abuse within the year prior to the survey. The NSVSP collects detailed information about the victim services field, including the range of services being provided to victims, characteristics of victims who received services, characteristics of staff providing services to victims, and gaps in services.
General Elder Abuse Information
See our EJI library of webinars for elder abuse professionals including some tailored specifically for victim specialists. Learn about what other federal agencies are doing to help older adult victims.
Library of webinars on elder abuse and other issues and victim connect hotline.
Find resources for older veterans on financial exploitation.
FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) Securities Helpline for Seniors
844-574-3577
FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) BrokerCheck Hotline: 800-289-9999
Elder Abuse Training
Interactive elder abuse training and the Vicarious Trauma Toolkit for Victim Specialists. Sign up for the OVC TTAC mailing list and be the first to learn about the latest news and updates of interest to victim specialists.
National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) has conferences, webinars and Victim Assistance Academy classes for Victim Specialists.
Elder abuse curriculum including court guidelines, assessment resources, interagency coordination and more for abused elders.
Offers strategies for advocates to meet the needs of abused elders. See their report - Working with Older Survivors of Abuse: A Framework for Advocates and their Abuse in Later Life Education Series for Advocates
Join their list-serve, find elder abuse publications, intervention partners and more.
Elder Abuse Specialty Teams
Information on the role Elder Abuse plays in suspicious deaths of older adults.
Tools, resource materials, and individualized consultations for elder abuse case review multidisciplinary teams.
EJI Multidisciplinary Team Technical Assistance Center (MDT TAC)
Resources to Help Older Survivors
In this section find emergency services, government agencies, legal resources, hotlines and other help for your work with older adults.
Resources
- EJI's Elder Justice Resources and Referrals page
A comprehensive list of help for older adults - EJI Neighborhood Map
Find help anywhere in the U.S. - The EJI Elder Abuse Resource Roadmap
A step-by-step guide on what to do in financial exploitation cases - Rural and Tribal Elder Justice Resource Guide
A guide for professionals and resources for community outreach - ElderJustice.acl.gov
Serves as a gateway to seven ACL resource centers which disseminate information to professionals and the public - Tribal Resource Tool
A searchable directory of resources for American Indians and Alaskan Natives - LGBT Aging Center
A resource center with a variety of LGBT aging topics - Approaching Alzheimers
First responder Training Program (Alzheimers and Dementia caregivers Center) - Consumer Tools
Learn tips for survivors of elder abuse on how to avoid financial difficulties, exercise legal rights and find the tools you can use to help in these cases. - FBI: A Brief Description of the Federal Criminal Justice Process
This page from the FBI briefly describes the federal criminal justice system and common steps taken in the investigation and prosecution of a federal crime.
Hotlines and Legal Help
- U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Fraud Hotline
Committee devoted to issue concerning senior-report fraud directly to their hotline - Victim Connect Hotline
855-4-VICTIM
Call to speak directly to a specialist and get information, resources and assistance - American Bar Association
Find resources to learn about and respond to elder abuse - Victim Law/OJP
A comprehensive list of legal programs with descriptions - Senior Intervention Hotline for Crisis Support Services: Institute of Aging's Friendship Line
415-750-4111
A 24-hour accredited crisis line for adults aged 60 and older and adults with disabilities. They provide emotional, grief and elder abuse support and can make referrals.
Materials to Use in Elder Abuse Presentations
Find ready-to-go PowerPoint presentations, videos and toolkits for outreach to older adults or professionals.
For Outreach to the Public or to Professionals
- Get Involved, Get Safe
A series of presentations about elder abuse with guides and brochures to be used for community or professional presentations - A Mother Never Gives Up Hope
A video describing the stories of four women and their abusive sons - In Their Own Words: Domestic Abuse in Later Life
The video story of 98-year-old Miss Mary and her abusive grandson - An Age for Justice: Confronting Elder Abuse in America
A documentary on elder abuse, neglect and exploitation - The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: Money Smart for Older Adults
A ready-to-use, comprehensive financial education module. See also their new Identity Theft Protection Guide with steps to help protect personal information. - The STEAP Initiative- Supports + Tools for Elder Abuse Prevention
NCEA and N4a developed factsheets, brochures and a toolkit to be used for presentations.
For Professionals
- New York City State Office of Aging
A PowerPoint for professionals who work in the court system assisting elder crime victims. - NIEJ National Indigenous Elder Justice toolkits and videos
- TREA/USC
See their video library on elder abuse issues - Sexual Abuse Training Elder Sexual Abuse Instructor Led Training
Learn the complexity of this topic and prevention techniques