Funds Given To ElderServe, Which Could Be Model For National Program

A Louisville-based program that provides protective services for senior citizens could soon be the model for a nation-wide system for abuse prevention.The ElderServe program provides services such as legal assistance to senior citizens who have suffered from, or are at risk of, financial exploitation or physical abuse.On Friday, Congressman John Yarmuth presented ElderServe with $225 thousand obtained through a congressional earmark to continue to provide those services."There's a wide array of services that senior may need," says Yarmuth. "They may need a court order – a protective order. They may need legal assistance, they may need some temporary housing. And for a senior to go to six or seven places to get the services they need to protect them adequately is a very difficult thing."Yarmuth is also supporting legislation to extend ElderServe's services to other cities."This is a bill to expand this program that ElderServe originated across the country to establish pilot programs, I think six pilot programs across the country," he says.The bill has cleared the House and is currently in the Senate.