Equal Justice Means Dignity for Elders and People with Disabilities
Get HelpIn the API community and in general, elder abuse continues to be underreported and misunderstood. Barriers to reporting can linguistic isolation, familial relationship to the abuser, and cultural values that encourage endurance of suffering in favor of group stability.
API Legal Outreach works to both to prevent abuse towards elders and people with disabilities and to assist survivors of abuse. We work closely with senior centers, churches, and senior meal sites to keep our services accessible.
Legal
Services
We provide legal services in a variety of areas to assist elders and individuals with disabilities to receive public benefits and live a life free from abuse.
Elder Abuse Prevention
In 2000, we founded the Elder Abuse Task Force in conjunction with other community organizations and city agencies to address this underreported issue.
Training & Technical Support
Our staff provide training and technical support to help others spot and prevent the abuse of elders and adults with disabilities.
“My caretaker’s abuse started with using my medications to control my movement and alertness.”
– Client

legal Services
Since its founding, API Legal Outreach has prioritized services for seniors and individuals with disabilities that are responsive to their language and culture. Our legal services in this area include:
- Public benefits maintenance and appeals
- Abuse prevention and intervention
- Wills and trusts
- Estate planning
- Consumer fraud
- Conservatorships
- Planning for long-term care
- Tax controversies
“In my culture, when the parents get older, their children are supposed to take care of them.”
– Client

Elder Abuse Task Force
The Elder Abuse Task Force holds quarterly meetings with community- and faith-based organizations as well as government agencies to strengthen services available to elders and those with disabilities and hold trainings on how to prevent abuse.

“API Legal Outreach helped me file credit card fraud reports and take care of the problem”
– Client

Training & Technical Support
API Legal Outreach provides training and technical assistance to a variety of community and government agencies. With our organization’s history of serving API seniors and individuals with disabilities, our staff are able to provide helpful insights towards abuse in Asian and Pacific Islander communities.