Whether it occurred recently or decades ago, trauma can influence the interactions that elder justice professionals, including law enforcement, have when working with older victims. In this webinar, attendees will learn how trauma affects behaviors and emotions and the signs and symptoms of trauma observed in older adults. Attendees will learn how understanding trauma can improve engagement with older victims and create more positive outcomes for law enforcement investigations. A detective with the Cambridge Police Department will discuss how and why the entire department adopted trauma-informed practices.

Consent is a frequent defense in financial crimes, sexual assaults, and caregiver neglect cases involving older adults; however, a victim’s diminished decision-making capacity may undermine what appears to be consent, triggering a violation of the law. In this webinar, Dr. LoFaso, a geriatrician, will discuss the concept of decision-making capacity and how it is assessed. Then, Page Ulrey, a prosecutor, will discuss how a victim’s diminished decision-making capacity is used in making charging decisions, how to access professional evaluators, and how evidence of diminished decision-making capacity is used and defended at trial.