TITLE
Title
NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL STATUTE 108A-118 - ESTABLISHMENT OF LOCAL ADULT PROTECTION MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM
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SPONSOR
Sponsor
Sharon Barlow (HHS-DSS)/Sonya Desai (FJC)
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BACKGROUND
Background
The General Assembly found that it is public policy of the State of North Carolina to prevent the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of disabled adults and older adults, and therefore promote the establishment of local adult protection multidisciplinary teams. Professionals from disparate disciplines have expertise that can promote the safety and well-being of disabled and older adults and prevent re-victimization. Multidisciplinary reviews of selected cases can lead to a greater understanding of the causes of the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of disabled and older adults.
A multidisciplinary team (MDT) is a group of professionals in a geographic region who commit to working together toward a common goal. An adult protection MDT works to find ways to prevent and respond to abuse (including physical, emotional & sexual), neglect (including self-neglect and caretaker neglect), and exploitation (including financial) of disabled and older adults. According to University of North Carolina School of Government's Adult Protection Network, over 80 counties in NC currently have or are in the process of forming adult protection MDT's. The need continues to grow as per the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services, 34% of adults aged 65 and older report living with a disability. Guilford County will look to utilize the MDT's through systemic reviews to aide this population and combat the growing statistic that reported cases of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older and disabled adults across NC have risen 64% over the last ten years. A systemic review MDT may include such activities as: (1) disseminating information about new services, legislation, and policy changes to members of the MDT; (2) increasing community awareness by offering trainings...
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