Older adults in Indianapolis who no longer can remain in their own homes due to abuse now have a safe haven in a crisis.
Hooverwood Living, a Jewish senior living campus offering memory care and assisted living, skilled nursing and adult day services, opened the Shalom Sanctuary Center for Elder Abuse on June 15, National Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The community is providing space in its assisted living community, called Kraft Commons, or in its nursing home, for older adults who are the victims of physical, emotional, sexual or financial abuse or neglect and need temporary housing.
“The really special thing about this model is that it addresses both the need of providing care and shelter for folks, but also doing so in a way that is knowledgeable and is safe,” Shalom Sanctuary Center Director Han Meadway told the Indianapolis Star.
Hooverwood Executive Director Evan Lubline told the media outlet that he started the program after hearing about a similar shelter for older adults in New York. The New York shelter, which opened in 2005, receives referrals from police, adult protective services, hospitals and the district attorney’s office and serves 20 to 30 people annually.
According to Hooverwood Living, at least one in 10 older adults experience elder abuse. More than 5 million Americans aged more than 65 years experience elder abuse each year.
“Elder abuse is, unfortunately, a chronically underreported human rights violation,” Meadway said in a news release posted on the community’s Facebook page. “This is a community effort, where we are partnering with other organizations to recognize the signs of abuse and offer immediate care to these individuals.”
A typical shelter stay is between 30 and 120 days, and individuals will be provided access to medical care and social services, as well as help finding a living option, during their stays. The last shelter in Indianapolis operated from 1985 to 1993 and admitted eight individuals in that time.
“The Hooverwood Living family aims to be a full-service continuum of care in our community,” Lubine said. “Currently, the state has no other facility aimed at providing a safe environment for older adults who are victims of abuse, and filling that need was our top priority.”
He said that Hooverwood Living and Kraft Commons, the assisted living center, have the capacity to admit older adults without opening a new building or adding additional staff.
The Shalom Sanctuary was made possible by Sidney and Sharon Mishkin, in memory of Libby Lasky Bender, with the support of the Weinberg Center for Elder Justice at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale in New York.
