Thank you for your interest in Michigan’s Elder Abuse Task Force (EATF) – an alliance representing more than 55 different organizations in the public, private and non-profit sectors – all working together to reduce barriers facing our aging population.
Please take a few minutes to catch up on what the Task Force has been up to since our last issue in March 2026.
If you want this information sent regularly to your email inbox, it’s as easy as signing up using the link below.
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This month, we’re focused even more keenly on educating Michiganders on the issue of elder abuse in all its forms.
June has been observed as Elder Abuse Awareness Month since 2023 when Senators Chuck Grassley and Richard Blumenthal introduced their resolution. It designated June as the month to shine a light on the abuse of seniors.
Grassley said, “We should look up to, respect and protect our nation’s senior citizens. Yet America’s 55,000,000 seniors are often targets of scams, abuse and exploitation.”
Elder abuse takes many forms. It can be physical, emotional, sexual, or financial. Neglect is also a form of abuse. Our Elder Abuse page details these forms of abuse. It also explains how to report abuse. Take action anonymously to protect our seniors from harm.
The highlight of World Elder Abuse Awareness Month will be on June 15. That's the day of the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) 5K Walk.
Michigan has several other Elder Abuse Day events scheduled for June. Check with your county’s Commission on Aging for more information.
The 3rd Annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 5K Walk will take place June 15 at 11 a.m. The walk will start at the Grand Tower at 235 S. Grand Ave. in Lansing. It will end at the Capitol.
The walk will be hosted by the Michigan Adult Services Division. The purpose of the walk is to raise awareness about elder abuse.
Walk participants are encouraged to invite others to join them. Let’s let our collective feet do the walking. Let's walk to support Michigan’s older adults. Don’t forget to wear purple. And take lots of photos to post online using the #WEAAD2026 hashtag!
HBs 4418-4419
This package of bills awaits action by the full Senate. It has passed from the House of Representatives and the State Senate committee.
This package would:
Modeled after Michigan’s Domestic Violence and Anti-Stalking PPOs, this bill would:
SB 112 would amend Michigan's racketeering laws. The amendment would add embezzlement from a vulnerable adult to the list of offenses defined as racketeering.
Exploitation doesn’t always stop after death. SB 113 allows prosecution of financial abuse that occurs during a vulnerable adult’s lifetime.
Creates a statutory definition of multidisciplinary teams in Michigan
These teams would include experts from law enforcement, health care, and social services, all working together to keep vulnerable adults safe. The investigation meetings of these teams would be exempt from the Open Meetings Act and the Freedom of Information Act.
The Elder Abuse Task Force continues its work. The task force teaches Michigan residents how to spot elder abuse. It also teaches residents how to stop abuse.
We have recent training videos available on our website. The videos are from the 2025 Michigan Elder Justice Conference.
The subjects of the videos include:
The new videos include a presentation from Scott Teter. Teter is the head of the Elder Abuse Task Force. He discusses the task force’s successes with its first set of initiatives. He looks forward to the second set of initiatives. He also provides an update on the status of those initiatives.
Each video from the conference is approximately 1 hour in length.
The Elder Justice Initiative has released the report of its 2026 Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Needs Assessment Survey. The purpose of the survey was to evaluate elder abuse MDTs.
The report’s most encouraging findings were:
The report also brings up issues with MDTs. Many MDTs are underfunded. Lack of training and lack of formal infrastructure were also cited as obstacles. But MDTs can still function effectively within the system. Most people surveyed were convinced of the value of MDTs. They wanted to strengthen and sustain MDTs long-term. They want to ensure that funding, staffing, and support meet the growing demand.
The survey was conducted in December 2025. One hundred-sixteen professionals responded nationwide from a broad range of disciplines, roles, and locales.
Read more about the legislative bill package that includes MDTs above.
In May of this year, two experts presented a webinar incapacity in older adults. They discuss how and why incapacity is determined. They explained what it means for legal practice.
The presenters were Leslie Dubin, LMSW, ACSW and Kahli Zietlow, M.D. The seminar was sponsored by the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative. The other sponsor was the Elder Law and Disability Rights Section of the State Bar of Michigan.
Dubin and Zietlow shared the four pillars doctors use for judging a patient’s decision-making abilities. They ask whether the patient can:
Dubin and Zietlow said the ability to make decisions can change over time. Factors like illness, stress, or medication can cause this change. They also stressed that social workers, doctors, and lawyers should work together in their patients’ and clients’ best interests.
The webinar Zoom link can be accessed below using passcode ?&uEV8MH
Educate yourself and your group on the latest scams targeting seniors.
Phone scams, internet scams, romance scams and the emerging use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to target seniors.
In August 2025, we shared new Power of Attorney forms from the Kimble Center for Legal Drafting at Cooley Law School. These forms were prepared as a public service.
They are simple to use and help you choose a trusted person to make money or health‑care decisions if you can’t make them yourself. The Finances Power of Attorney and the Medical Power of Attorney can be downloaded directly and filled out at home.
