AARP in the Virgin Islands is gearing up to put a focus on elder abuse.
The organization will host a three-part interactive workshop to prepare amendments to current V.I. law that will ensure better protection for the elderly as well as disabled residents.
“We are an aging population,” AARP Virgin Islands Director of Advocacy Pamela Toussaint told The Daily News recently. “We are aging and we have to put safeguards in place. It’s a daunting conversation to have, but it’s a necessary conversation to have.”
AARP has two areas of focus, she said.
Beside the “business side,” which deals with issues such as discounts and insurance, AARP also has a nonprofit segment that deals with advocacy to include working on legislation and changing policies to empower its age 50-plus constituents. Although technically called the American Association for Retired Persons, the policies AARP works on affect everyone, no matter the age, race or gender, helping the elderly, the disabled, caregivers and those who will eventually turn 50-plus live a better life.
AARP in the Virgin Islands is looking to amend the Elder and Dependent Adults Act passed in 2008. The law holds accountable those who commit elder abuse.
“It’s a great law but we recognized that we are in 2023 and the bad actors are a lot swifter than they were back then,” said Toussaint.
In 2020, AARP began working with then-Sen. Allison DeGazon, focusing on the financial exploitation of the bill and successfully raising the penalties from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Next, the organization turned its attention to other types of abuse to include sexual abuse, psychological abuse and domestic violence.
“A lot of people focus on the most obvious abuse, which is the financial, but the psychological is what a lot of folks don’t always recognize,” said Toussaint. “The person might take their food or withhold medication or say ‘if you love me, you’d do this for me, because I am your son or your daughter or your caregiver. It makes it very impossible for an elderly person to say how can I not give my son or daughter who is taking care of me that $500 or sign over my property?”
AARP took the lead in developing a task force last year with then-Sen. Steven Payne.
At the same time, Toussaint was asked to be part of a health care task force that includes the departments of Justice and Human Services, as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI among others. The task force meets quarterly to discuss abuse cases, particularly health care fraud and prevention. It was there Toussaint met Kimberly Cole, the elder abuse justice coordinator for the U.S. Department of Justice in the territory, and they decided to put together a three-part series on awareness of the abuse as well as justice, letting the community know corrective measures that can be taken as an individual who is being abused or as someone who knows someone who is being abused or if they are an abuser themselves.
“I’m very passionate about this,” said Toussiant. “I have two aging parents in their 80s. I have a disabled sister, so I have three people I am a caregiver for and I understand the frustrations of caregiving. A lot of things I’m putting together at AARP is to benefit me, but there are a lot of other people like me.”
The first in the series, to be held March 23, will focus on civil rights, looking at ageism, environmental justice and discrimination as it relates to sexual orientation and sexual harassment and labor laws that are in place to protect elders or single people.
The second in the series, on June 22, will look to define elder abuse and the Elder Justice Act passed on the federal level during the Obama administration and what could be added to that. A California attorney who has prosecuted those who abuse elders for more than 20 years will speak, as will local experts Kimberly Cole and U.S. Attorney Delia Smith.
The third session, to be held Nov. 9, will look at health care fraud, with speakers from the local Medicaid and Medicare offices, as well as from Puerto Rico.
“There are not a lot of statistics locally and that’s one of the things in the law we’re working on to get amended,” Toussaint said. “We want to add some sort of registry of individuals who have actually committed elder abuse, so that way, we have a registry just like the sex registry.”
AARP is also hoping to find funds for adult protective services. Currently, there are three social workers for the entire territory, according to Toussaint. Investigators are needed so when complaints are made, there is someone to actually go in the home and do a thorough investigation and find them suitable housing, if needed.
AARP also wants to hear from the community to find out what some of the gaps are in services that can be added to the legislation, which they are working on with Senator Angel Bolques Jr..
“As the end users of it, we need to make sure whatever language is in it, we have a say in it from the jump start. We’re hoping to get insight from the community to build this legislation, so when this amendment is done, it is a well-thought out, well-crafted law that works for everyone,” she said.
The workshops will be held on their respective dates from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the University of the Virgin Islands’ St. Croix campus as well as at the Department of Planning and Natural Resources conference center above Viya at Tutu Park Mall on St. Thomas. The Zoom meeting will be available later for those not in attendance. To register visit www.aarp-vi, call 877-926-8300 or visit the AARP Virgin Islands Facebook page.