DESCRIPTION:

Do you want to learn more about shelter models as related to serving the emergency housing needs of APS clients? If so, please join us on August 15th to gain knowledge and perspective on the existing needs, opportunities and what is currently being offered around the country.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE WEBINAR:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87172462776?pwd=zngK03A4MugFuCBltWSnZsUAYrm7QW.1

PRESENTERS INCLUDE:

Deirdre Lok is the Director and Managing Attorney for The Weinberg Center for Elder Justice. She leads a multi-disciplinary team in the development of the national elder abuse shelter model, with services that include direct legal, clinical and medical support for older adults who have experienced harm. Within the field of elder justice, Ms. Lok focuses the Weinberg Center's work on training, education, thought leadership and policy initiatives. She has direct experience in Supreme Court, Housing, Family and Criminal Court. An Adjunct Professor at Brooklyn Law School for over ten years, Ms. Lok directs the law school’s HELP (Helping Elders through Litigation and Policy) Clinic. She is a frequent speaker on issues of elder abuse and the law, and has guest lectured and presented to national and international audiences across a multitude of fields. Ms. Lok was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to the Age-Friendly NYC Commission, is chair of the American Bar Association’s Senior Lawyer’s Division, Elder Justice Committee, served as Chair of the Policy and Procedure Subcommittee of the New York State Committee on Elder Justice.  She is the recipient of the New York Law Journal 2017 General Counsel Impact Award. Ms. Lok was recently appointed to a one-year term as special advisor of the Law and Aging Commission. Ms. Lok is a Certified Trauma Professional, Certified Dementia Practitioner, and Elder and Adult Family Mediator. Prior to joining The Weinberg Center, she was a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Oahu, Hawaii and an Assistant District Attorney in the Queens County District Attorney’s Office where she focused on domestic violence cases.

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Patricia Kimball, MS, MS, is the Executive Director of the Elder Abuse Institute of Maine whose mission is to design and implement interventions to serve those impacted by elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Patricia has been involved with the Institute since its founding in 2003, initially as a board member and eventually, its first Executive Director. She co-led the development of Martha’s Cottage, Maine’s first transitional housing for older victims of abuse; is a recipient of a Robert Wood Johnson research fellowship to study mandatory reporting of elder abuse; and helped pilot and expand the RISE Model, an innovative intervention for clients involved with Adult Protective Services. Patricia was also the founding Director of the Restorative Justice Institute of Maine, whose mission is to foster restorative practices and philosophy across the state. Patricia was recently awarded the Georgia Anetzberger Award at the 2024 Judith D. Tamkin Symposium on Elder Abuse for her innovative work in the field of elder maltreatment. Patricia holds an undergraduate degree in English and graduate degrees in Human Services Administration and Community Economic Development.

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Jeanne M. Gattegno For the past 8 years, Jeanne has served as the Program Director of the Saint Elizabeth Haven for Elder Justice. The Haven is a statewide program that provides shelter, intervention services, case management and advocacy services to abused elders and those at risk of abuse. The Haven operates the only shelter in the state dedicated to serve older adults age 60 and older, man and female in addition to an in-community programs that serves abuse victims not in shelter but in need of safety planning and case management. In addition to the Haven Program, Jeanne is currently coordinating the DOJ Grant Enhancing Training and Services to End Abuse in Later Life Project. Through this project, Jeanne has worked to build a capacity to train law enforcement, victim service providers, prosecutors and judges in the area of elder abuse. She has also worked to establish a statewide Elder Abuse Helpline, and to create a coalition of diverse professionals and community leaders to review elder abuse protocols across systems, identify gaps in services and work to develop a more effective approach to identifying, reporting and responding to elder abuse victims. Prior to the Haven, Jeanne worked in Community Action Program for 48 years, first in Providence as the Executive Director of the Joslin Community Development Corporation and then as President/CEO of Westbay Community Action in Kent County. Community Action Agencies assist low income, disadvantaged and elderly populations gain economic self-sufficiency through basic needs and support services, education and employment. Community Action serves individuals ranging from birth to end of life. Throughout her career, Jeanne has demonstrated strong administrative skills, managing program development and finances and working collaboratively with community stakeholders, professionals and state agencies.