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Solano Mulls Team to Review Elder Deaths
By Sarah Arnquist, Daily Republic
July 20, 2005
FAIRFIELD - Local advocates contend more elderly people die from suspicious causes than get reported and so they want to form an elder death review team to prevent future unwarranted deaths.
Representatives from the Area Agency on Aging and various Solano County agencies including the district attorney's office, sheriff's department, coroner and Adult Protective Services met Wednesday to discuss creating an elder death review team.
People assume death is inevitable and natural so they don't look too hard at what caused it, said Linda Watts, director of Solano County Adult Protective Services. But far too many cases go unreported and uninvestigated, she said.
"People need to be aware of the fine line between neglect that hastens death and natural death," Watts said.
Five counties in California have elder death review teams. These teams bring together experts from several disciplines that review suspected cases of elder abuse and then spread that information to prevent future deaths.
The Solano County coroner's office now heads a child death review team. These reviews lead to prevention strategies, said Carolyn Thomas-Wold, director of the Solano County Office of Family Violence and Prevention. A similar model for elders could possibly become a deterrent for future neglect and abuse, she said.
"We have really dropped the ball on paying attention to elder abuse," Thomas-Wold said.
Teri Restelli-Deits of the Area Agency on Aging organized an elder death review team training in Napa County June 30. Elder abuse prevention is one of the agency's top priorities, Restelli-Deits said. Death review teams can raise awareness, improve system responses and increase communication among providers. Vacaville has an elder forensic investigation team that the county could model, she said.
Solano County had an Elder Abuse Prevention Council until two years ago when funding and participation trailed off. Some local leaders are brainstorming ideas to create a countywide senior consortium which could co-exist with an elder death review team, Thomas-Wold said.
"My hope is that a senior consortium can take the good information that comes out of an elder death review team and move that forward," she said.
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