This is the recording of the "Safer Together: Deep Dive into Elder/Animal Abuse, Cross-Reporting for Humane and Human Services" webinar presented on September 23, 2024. The webinar was hosted by Crisis Center North and the Keystone Link Coalition, and sponsored by the Richard King Mellon Foundation.
Presenters:
Dr. Janet Hoy-Gerlach, PhD, is a licensed clinical social worker, researcher, author, and the Director of Veterinary Social Work at Open Door Veterinary Collective (ODVC) a national non-profit that works to increase access to veterinary care and related supports needed by people with pets.
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Rauktis, PhD, is a Research Associate Faculty Member in the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh, and has authored the guide Aging with a Pet.
Dr. Jessica Bibbo, PhD, is a Research Scientist in the Center for Research and Education at Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, where she works on research and evaluation studies to better serve older adults and their caregivers. Dr. Bibbo’s research focuses on aging, caregiving and human-animal interaction. Their work investigates the impact of pet ownership and the human-animal bond on the lives of older adults and their families.
Why This Webinar?
An increasing number of states are requiring child and adult protective services caseworkers, social workers, counselors, and veterinarians to report suspected animal abuse, and humane and animal control officers to report suspected abuse of children and older adults. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania lags far behind the national movement recognizing that animal cruelty and other forms of family violence are linked, and that preventing one can prevent the others. This workshop is important because it will introduce you to compelling evidence linking animal cruelty and neglect to elder abuse. Hear from keynote speakers Dr. Janet Hoy-Gerlach, with Open Door Veterinary Collective, who will lay the foundation on both the benefit of aging with a pet and the link between animal and elder abuse; Dr. Mary Raukis, with the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh, who will present her Aging with a Pet Guide; and Dr. Jessica Bibbo, Research Scientist with the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, who will present her research on aging, caregiving and the human-animal interaction.
Animal abuse frequently is an indicator and predictor of interpersonal, family, and community violence, particularly in domestic violence and elder abuse scenarios. Significant numbers of women report that threats to their companion animals prevent them from leaving abusive relationships. Cross-training and cross-reporting among human services and animal protection agencies are necessary to create more effective species-spanning community collaboratives that prevent and prosecute these interlocking forms of family violence.
The Crisis Center North and the Keystone Link Coalition will host this virtual workshop to take a deep dive into elder/animal abuse and its implications for human and humane services, family welfare agencies, prosecutors, law enforcement, and human and veterinary medicine. It will describe new strategies, public policy, research, and programs to prevent elder and animal abuse and to respond to its elder and animal victims. Our goal is to encourage policy and program opportunities and action to establish and enhance cross-training and cross-reporting processes at the local level.