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Expand elder fraud prevention capabilities

After you establish a network, there are many resources your team can use to grow the network’s membership and increase its ability to fight elder financial exploitation in your community.

Watch the two-part recorded webinar on Promising practices from Elder Fraud Prevention Networks to learn about the work of pioneering networks.

Examples of activities for working groups

Educational outreach

Education and awareness are important both for network members and for the community that the network serves. We provide free educational materials and programs to train older adults, caregivers, and other individuals about elder financial exploitation.

Case reviews

Case reviews can help train network members to recognize and report elder financial exploitation to Adult Protective Services or law enforcement for intervention. We created a referral guide to help your network conduct effective case reviews. The U.S. Department of Justice has also created a case review guide.

Planning future network meetings

As your network establishes itself in the community, you can think about other types of meetings, trainings, and initiatives that you want to take on as a group. Consider reaching out to new stakeholders or creating additional working groups to help your team accomplish new goals.

Evaluate and measure network impact

Frequent evaluation can keep your network on track to meet goals and understand your impact on the elder community. We developed guidance to help you think about both subjective and objective ways to assess the network.

We recommend using a variety of qualitative and quantitative measurements so that you can demonstrate your work with numbers and statistics as well as with stories that demonstrate the network's impact in the community

Use our sample measurements and discussion questions to identify measures of success that make sense for your network.

  • What new collaborations have formed as a result of the network?
  • How have new collaborations affected older adults, caregivers, professionals, or other stakeholders?
  • How have community needs been addressed through network activities?
  • What progress has each working group made toward its goals?
  • Do network members feel they have increased their knowledge about elder financial exploitation, community resources, and other members’ roles?
  • How do members feel they have benefited from participation in the network?
  • Do participants feel their knowledge of elder financial exploitation prevention and response has increased as a result of the training?
  • Does the network have representation from diverse stakeholders?
  • Number of trainings provided to older adults; number of older adults trained
  • Number of trainings provided to professionals; number of professionals trained
  • Average ratings provided by training participants on training feedback forms
  • Whether average ratings for trainings have increased, remained the same, or decreased over time
  • Number of public outreach events, activities, or PSAs
  • Number of printed materials distributed
  • Number of cases reviewed by multidisciplinary case review team; number of inter-network case referrals made
  • Increase in reporting frequency for financial exploitation (to law enforcement or APS)
  • Frequency of network and/or working group meetings
  • Number of stakeholders who participate in network working groups
  • Number of active network members – increasing or decreasing?
  • Amount of network funding – increasing or decreasing?

Your network can evaluate and measure impact both at the network level and at the working group level. Consider providing each working group with these questions to help them examine their progress in reaching their goals:

  • What measurable progress have we made toward our goals?
  • What updates do we need to make to our goals?
  • What new strategies or activities could we try in order to reach our goals?
  • What metrics can we use to gauge progress?
  • What new goals can we set?
  • Are there better ways to achieve our goals?

Learn more about working groups

Secure network funding

Funding and grant programs can help your elder fraud prevention network generate awareness, provide community education programs, and support key network staff.

Finding funding for networks can be challenging, but you can draw them from a mix of traditional and non-traditional sources. We created a list of possible funding sources to help your network reach out.

Funding and grant programs can help your elder fraud prevention network generate awareness, provide community education programs, and support key network staff.

Finding funding for networks can be challenging, but you them from a mix of traditional and non-traditional sources. We created a list of possible funding sources to help your network reach out.

National Funding Sources:

Your community can be a great source for funding and fundraising. Consider local clubs, organizations and alternative ways of funding your network. Options may include:

  • Corporate sponsorship by local or national businesses
  • In-kind contributions such as printing, office supplies, food for meetings, or postage
  • Individual donors
  • Law enforcement agencies or other member organizations
  • Local or national charitable foundations
  • Local professional or trade associations such as a bankers association, credit union league, or medical association
  • Local service groups such as Kiwanis, Rotary Club, Lions Club, Jaycees, Optimists, or Junior League
  • Older adult social groups, such as senior golfers’ clubs, pickleball leagues, Red Hat Societies, travel groups, or bridge clubs

Conduct cross-training

Cross-training (trainings by or for network members or others in the community) can help members understand each others' disciplines and gain a greater understanding of how to work together to help victims.

Celebrate network milestones

We have suggestions to help you recognize outstanding members and share your network's community impact. Consider celebrating network successes by:

  • Writing stories in newsletters, blog posts, and social media that show how your network affected the community
  • Encouraging local news media to publicize larger successes via a news article or television segment
  • Holding an annual event that honors network stakeholders on a commemorative day

Relevant observances and key dates

Consider using these relevant observances and key dates to plan trainings, organize events, and share information on social media and in email blasts.

March

April

May

  • Older Americans Month

June

October

November

  • National Caregivers Month
  • National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month