NAAPSA Holds Annual Conference, Elects Officers

The National Association of Adult Protective Services Administrators (NAAPSA) elected new officers, met with Senate Special Committee on Aging staffers about the Elder Justice Act, heard from key officials with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), debuted six new elder abuse videos, and much more at its annual meeting on October 2-4, 2002.

Eighty state and local APS administrators attended the 13th annual conference, which was held in Scottsdale, Arizona. The conference agenda included:

• A discussion by William F. Benson, Senior Policy Advisor for NAAPSA, on the Elder Justice Act (S. 2933);
• A discussion of the Social Services Block Grant by Katherine Dyjak of APHSA;
• Presentations from nine APS or Area Agency on Aging programs and one researcher about innovative programs;
• Discussion of “best practices” related to APS intake and public information;
• Pilot-testing of a new game designed to help professionals develop realistic safety plans;
• Discussion of the pros and cons of making domestic violence workers mandatory reporters;
• A presentation on abuse of people with disabilities;
• A presentation on fatality review teams;
• Regional meetings; and
• A mental health services round table that included Eileen Elias, Special Expert at SAMHSA.

New Officers Elected, Awards Given

At its annual award luncheon and business meeting on October 4, NAAPSA membership unanimously elected the following officers to two-year positions:

President: Ricker Hamilton, Maine
President-Elect: Bettye Mitchell, Texas
Past President: Eva Kutas, Oregon
Secretary: Carmen Madden, Minnesota
Treasurer: Art Mason, New York
Regional Representatives:
Northeast: Lynn Koontz, New Hampshire
Susan Somers, New York
Southeast: Mary Martha Rugg, Georgia
Marilyn Whalen, Tennessee
Central: Sandi Koll, Iowa
Mountain: Jan Stiles, Wyoming
Southwest: Ray Vining, Arkansas
West Coast: Bruce McAnnany, Nevada
Larry Pickard, California

NAAPSA committee chairs were also announced:

Communication: Mary Martha Rugg, Georgia
Conference: Joe Snyder, Pennsylvania
Education: Susan Castano, New Jersey
Fundraising: Art Mason, New York
Nominations/Personnel: Eva Kutas, Oregon
Public Policy: Kathleen Quinn, Illinois
Research: Paula Mixson, Texas

The second annual Rosalie S. Wolf, Ph.D., Award was given to Paula Mixson of Texas. Outgoing President Eva Kutas pointed out that Paula has many of the same traits as the late elder abuse researcher and pioneer, including being quiet and thoughtful, having a quick mind and thinking ahead, working to link researchers with practitioners, and being “incredibly generous” with her knowledge and expertise. Paula was also honored for her dedication to documenting NAAPSA’s history.

The President’s Award went to NAAPSA past-president Kathleen Quinn of Illinois for her many years of dedication to the elder abuse field.

Elder Justice Act Center Stage

Not surprisingly, the Elder Justice Act, S. 2933, introduced in September, was a key focus of the conference. At its pre-conference meeting, the NAAPSA Board held a teleconference with staff of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. The Senate staff and NAAPSA Board discussed various aspects of the proposed Act, including funding amounts and potential formulas for APS, as well as information that may be useful to the Committee in strengthening the bill in the next Congress. The board also offered suggestions as to how additional support for the bill can be generated to lead to its eventual passage. The NAAPSA Board promised, among other things, to survey its membership about what changes they would like to see in the bill, which was to be revised in early November for re-introduction into the new Congress next January.

APS Foundation Announced

Another highlight of the conference was the announcement that the National Adult Protective Services Foundation (NAPSF) had received its 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service, enabling NAPSF to begin soliciting donations and writing funding proposals on behalf of the field. More than $4,000 in donations and pledges was raised at the conference to seed the fund, and NAPSF President Bettye Mitchell set a goal of raising a million dollars within a year. Although some gasps were heard when she announced the figure, the general buzz was that if anyone could raise that amount that quickly, it was Bettye.

At conference end, next year’s site and date were announced. The fourteenth annual NAAPSA conference will be held in Chicago on October 8-10, 2003