ATLANTA – Department of Human Services Commissioner Robyn A. Crittenden today announced a partnership with AARP that will enhance efforts to protect Georgians from financial exploitation.

Georgia is one of 12 states participating in a pilot program with AARP's Public Policy Institute that will help frontline employees at financial institutions recognize and report financial exploitation.

The grant was awarded as part of AARP’s BankSafe Initiative and provides recipients with $10,000 to help develop the training and enhance the state’s ongoing efforts to protect Georgians from financial exploitation.

Through the grant, the Department will work with AARP to develop an online training program and test it with financial institutions. Stanford University will then conduct a study of the effectiveness of the program’s techniques.

The grant will be administered through the Department’s Division of Aging Services.

“The Division of Aging Services is committed to enforcing Georgia’s Disabled Adults and Elder Persons Protection Act, and that commitment begins with making sure our partners in the field understand what exploitation looks like,” said Abby Cox, director of the Department’s Division of Aging Services. “We must do everything in our power to protect vulnerable Georgians from losing their hard-earned retirement savings through financial exploitation.”

About DAS Adult Protective Services and the Forensic Special Initiatives Unit
DAS is the division within the Department of Human Services charged with assisting and protecting Georgia’s older individuals, at-risk adults, persons with disabilities, their families and caregivers to achieve safe, healthy, independent and self-reliant lives.

As part of that mission, the Adult Protective Services unit is DAS’ centralized office for accepting reports and investigating all allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation of older individuals and disabled persons not residing in long-term care facilities.

The Forensic Special Initiatives Unit (FSIU) educates law enforcement, first responders, members of the legal community and others about ways to identify and respond to abuse, neglect and exploitation of at-risk adults. The FSIU also works with state agencies to coordinate the emergency relocation of abused and neglected adults.

If you are concerned that abuse or financial exploitation is occurring, report it confidentially at https://aging.georgia.gov/report-elder-abuse, or call 9-1-1 for immediate assistance.

About AARP’s BankSafe Initiative
BankSafe empowers financial institutions and the aging network to protect consumers from financial exploitation and keep retirement savings safe. Grants are made to nonprofit charitable organizations and government agencies for developing and testing a training program in conjunction with financial institutions.