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City rolls out elder-abuse training for front-line staff; task force seeks Senior Justice Assessment Center funding and legislation
Summary
San Antonio presented a training rollout for staff to help identify and report elder abuse, neglect and exploitation, in partnership with Adult Protective Services. The task force is pursuing a Senior Justice Assessment Center (SJAC) grant and state legislation to strengthen responses.
City officials and members of an elder-abuse task force told the council on March 19 that the city has launched training for front-line staff to identify and report elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation, and that the task force is pursuing federal and state steps to expand local capacity.
Jessica (city staff) briefed council on the initiative and said the city launched training in February in coordination with Adult Protective Services (APS). She told the council that APS "estimates that only, 1 to 1 in 24 cases are reported," underscoring the gap between incidents and reports. Jessica said about 25% of the employees in the initial cohort of ten departments had completed the online training and staff aims to have the cohort complete training by early May. The recommendation to council was to expand the training citywide, maintain annual refresher training and continue coordination with APS for targeted follow-up where staff identify possible exploitation.
Judge Veronica Vasquez and Anne Cortes of APS spoke in support of the city’s rollout. Judge Vasquez described the work of the task force and the need for a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach. Anne Cortes, APS district director, said she was "proud" of the partnership and that APS would continue to provide training and direct-service support.
Task force priorities and next steps
- The task force is supporting grant applications by Bexar County to establish a Senior Justice Assessment Center (SJAC) modeled on a center in Harris County; staff said awards are expected to be announced beginning in September.
- Senator Menendez has filed legislation to require senior-justice assistance centers in large counties and to require elder-abuse training for judges; the task force is promoting these efforts.
- Staff proposed making the APS training available to all city employees, providing annual refreshers, and distributing resource guides (in English and Spanish) listing city and community supports for older adults and caregivers.
Council discussion
Councilmembers praised the initiative, cited constituent cases (identity theft scams, solar scams and other exploitation) and asked for the training to be made available to council staff and partner organizations. Councilmember Cabello Haverda, who brought the original City Council request to study elder-abuse reporting, said she was "proud to see the work that's started moving forward." Councilmembers asked for more town halls and public-facing outreach so older adults, caregivers and neighborhood groups know how to report suspected abuse and where to get help.
No formal council vote was recorded; staff described ongoing implementation and requested continued coordination and resources from partner agencies and council offices.
