Commissioner Sosa has been a leading force in working towards prevention of elder abuse and neglect.  In 2006, the commissioner sponsored a resolution authorizing the County Manager to form what would become the Elder Abuse Task Force to make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners on issues addressing the detection and prevention of elder abuse and/or neglect in Assisted Living Facilities, nursing homes, convalescent homes, or other facilities that house or care for the elderly in Miami-Dade County.  Representatives from state and local governing bodies, as well as the private sector were invited to participate as Elder Abuse Task Force members.  The Task Force met a total of ten times and formulated a series of recommendations which were presented to the Community Outreach Safety and Healthcare Administration Committee.  Miami-Dade County seeks to determine the feasibility of the recommendations and implement the applicable recommendations by coordinating with the various state agencies and County departments.

Less than 2 percent of federal funds spent on abuse prevention are for elder abuse prevention. The 2004 Survey of Adult Protective Services found an increase of 15.6 percent from 2000 to 2004 in the number of substantiated cases of elder abuse and neglect. 

The Elder Justice Act would:

• Create a federal funding stream for states' Adult Protective Services (APS)
• Assure that the Department of Health and Human Services identifies an office to provide coordination and technical assistance for APS systems.
• Establish an Elder Justice Coordinating Council throughout the federal government and an expert advisory board.
• Provide demonstration grants for training, detection and prevention of financial exploitation.
• Define and report on guardianship and other fiduciary concerns.

The resolution directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the members of the Florida Congressional Delegation.  It instructs the County's State lobbyists to advocate for the passage of the legislation.  The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs has also been directed to include this item in the 2008 and 2009 Federal Legislative Package.