Thursday, April 25th, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. ET / 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PT
More Common Than You Think: Working with Older Adult Survivors of Sexual Assault
Free for members / $25 for non-members
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Webinar Overview
Sexual assault in later life is a widely misunderstood and underreported crime. Ageism, myths about sexual assault dynamics, and lack of appropriate resources for older adults inhibit society’s ability to respond effectively to these crimes. Incorporating video of three survivors of sexual assault in later life, this interactive session will help participants understand elder sexual assault dynamics, analyze what helped these survivors through their experiences, build on victim strengths and resilience, and recognize the critical role of a coordinated multidisciplinary response in addressing these and other cases of elder sexual abuse.
Objectives
By the end of this webinar, participants will be better able to:
Participants will be better able to describe challenges for professionals when working with a victim of elder sexual assault
Participants will identify means to assist a victim of elder sexual abuse through the court process in ways that enhance access to justice and allow the victim to fully participate in the justice process.
Participants will identify obstacles to interviewing an older victim of sexual assault and identify strategies to overcome those obstacles.
Participants will describe how a coordinated community response can assist a victim of elder sexual assault.
Presenter Bio
Ann Laatsch is the Justice System Coordinator for the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL), a project of End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin (End Abuse). Laatsch is responsible for nationwide leadership within the criminal justice system on enhancing safety and the quality of life of older victims and survivors of abuse. In this role, she also provides training and technical assistance on justice system issues, and creates training materials and curricula on justice system responses to abuse in later life. In her past work, she has provided legal representation to survivors of domestic and elder abuse, and people with disabilities. Laatsch has developed and presented trainings on a range of topics including domestic violence, housing law, public benefits, elder rights, and disability issues. Laatsch is a graduate of Carroll University. She received her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2005. She lives and works in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Victoria Ferguson-Young is the Victim Services Coordinator of the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL), a project of End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin (End Abuse). In this role, Ferguson-Young is responsible for nationwide leadership within the domestic violence and sexual assault movements on enhancing safety and the quality of life of older victims and survivors. She develops and facilitates training and technical assistance to Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Abuse in Later Life (ALL) Grant Program recipients and other entities in the abuse in later life field. Ferguson-Young has 15 years of extensive experience in the field of domestic violence through advocacy, prevention, community outreach, training, and education. In the past, her work has included direct victim services, justice system legal advocacy, improving offender accountability, faith community engagement and training, implementing community programming, and increasing services for abuse in later life victims. Ferguson-Young received her Bachelor of Arts from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and a Master of Divinity from the Morehouse School of Religion at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, GA. She currently lives and works in Atlanta, GA.
Questions? Contact Sierra Schnitzer.