Canton, Ohio Judge Dixie Park has served in the Stark County Probate Court since 2004. Supportive of projects that benefit the elderly and disabled, Judge Dixie Park worked collaboratively on a toolkit for the Ohio Supreme Court for use by judicial officers to help senior adults at risk of abuse.
Senior adults are people aged 60 or older who can not take adequate care of themselves because of age-related incapacity or mental illness. The adult protective services toolkit is meant for use by judicial officers and can be used to train them on handling cases of elder abuse and neglect. However, it could also be used to train partners in elderly care, including state and local agencies, law enforcement, and community partners, on the various legal options available to prevent elder abuse and exploitation. In fact, one of the toolkit’s notable features is a bench card with all the laws about adult protective services, some sample court orders, and helpful state and local resources.
Senior adults are people aged 60 or older who can not take adequate care of themselves because of age-related incapacity or mental illness. The adult protective services toolkit is meant for use by judicial officers and can be used to train them on handling cases of elder abuse and neglect. However, it could also be used to train partners in elderly care, including state and local agencies, law enforcement, and community partners, on the various legal options available to prevent elder abuse and exploitation. In fact, one of the toolkit’s notable features is a bench card with all the laws about adult protective services, some sample court orders, and helpful state and local resources.
As Ohio’s elderly population rises, the complex issues of neglect, abuse, and exploitation also grow. With the new tool kit, judicial officers together with their collaborative partners, have a foundation from which they can understand the law around these issues and then create working frameworks to prevent and address these elder abuse issues.
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