🌈 June is Pride Month! A time to celebrate the resilience, strength, and joy of LGBTQ+ communities, including the older adults who have paved the way. At the Rhode Island Coalition for Elder Justice (RICEJ), we honor and uplift LGBTQ+ elders, many of whom have faced a lifetime of discrimination and continue to encounter unique barriers to safety, support, and inclusive services. We are committed to ensuring that all older adults, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, can age with dignity, respect, and justice.

This Pride Month, we invite you to deepen your allyship by exploring three powerful webinars from our Rhode to Elder Justice series:

Just released!

"LGBTQIA+ Progress: An Introduction to American Queer History"

Presented by Quinten Foster, Director of the Transgender Whole Healthcare at East Bay Community Action Program, this webinar explores key moments, movements, and milestones in American queer history. Through an intersectional lens, Quinten highlights the progress made by LGBTQIA+ communities, ongoing challenges, and the importance of inclusive advocacy in healthcare and beyond.

Watch now: click here!

“Working with LGBTQ+ Survivors”

Elizabeth Gallagher of the Women’s Resource Center highlights the challenges LGBTQ+ elders face and shares inclusive, trauma-informed strategies to support them.

Watch now: click here!

“Supporting LGBTQ+ Older Adults Experiencing Abuse”

Sarah DeCataldo, Volunteer with Pride in Aging RI, discusses the dynamics of abuse in LGBTQ+ communities and how we can advocate for and stand with our elders.

Watch now: click here!

These short, free webinars are packed with valuable insights. Let’s use Pride Month not only to celebrate, but also to learn, grow, and act.

Pushing for Progress:

RICEJ at the Table with Congressman Gabe Amo

We’re proud to share that our Coalition Director, Robin Covington, was recently invited to join Congressman Gabe Amo’s First District Senior Advisory Committee. This group of advocates and experts will help inform policy priorities that directly impact Rhode Island’s older adults.

A special thank you to Congressman Amo, who is working hard in the U.S. Congress to advance key legislation like the Elder Task Force Bill and the Social Security Fairness Act, critical efforts to ensure dignity, safety, and financial security for our aging population.

At RICEJ, our work aligns closely with these goals. From raising awareness to supporting systems change, we know that every step forward, no matter how small, is a step toward a more just and equitable future for older adults.

Have you taken the pledge?

Approximately one in ten older adults experiences abuse. Most often, this abuse is perpetrated by a family member or trusted individual and happens behind closed doors, where the person is isolated and afraid to speak up.

This is a call to action. Every Rhode Islander, especially those who work with older adults and adults with developmental disabilities, has a role to play in recognizing, reporting, and preventing abuse.

Take a stand today by signing the Elder Justice Pledge. Join us in raising awareness, advocating for change, and creating a community where all older adults are safe, supported, and valued.

Click here to take the pledge

A big thank you to WPRI 12 and The Rhode Show for having us! We were thrilled to visit the studio and film a segment highlighting the work of the RI Coalition for Elder Justice. Our Coalition Director, Robin Covington, did an incredible job representing our mission.

To watch the interview, please view the video below.

In addition to the segment, our general RICEJ advertisement is now airing on Channel 12 throughout the month of June in honor of World Elder Abuse Awareness month. Please see the video below and help us spread the word by sharing it widely.

On Tuesday, May 27th, Robin Covington, Coalition Director, and Melanie Monteiro, Haven Project Coordinator for the Saint Elizabeth Haven for Elder Justice, were interviewed by Deb Burton of RI Elder Info for Friday Friends. To listen to the interview, click the graphic on the right.

The Public Awareness Committee remains dedicated to promoting education and community engagement through the continued production and promotion of expert-led sessions in our Rhode to Elder Justice webinar series. Most recently, this committee coordinated with WPRI to re-air our elder abuse reporting commercial, reinforcing the importance of recognizing and reporting abuse. Looking ahead, the committee is thoughtfully developing a new commercial focused on fraud prevention, with the goal of raising awareness and empowering older adults and their families to take proactive steps toward financial safety.

The Guardianship Committee continues to grow its membership, intentionally bringing together diverse and knowledgeable stakeholders to inform efforts aimed at strengthening the guardianship system. Most recently, the committee was proud to have its Co-Chair, Steven Bagian—Supervising Attorney at Rhode Island Legal Services—serve as the keynote speaker at our first conference, where he offered valuable insights into guardianship reform.

The Protocols Committee remains focused on educating professionals and advancing the implementation of effective protocols for identifying and responding to elder abuse. In addition, the committee continues to promote training opportunities offered through Saint Elizabeth’s Haven for Elder Justice, helping to strengthen the capacity of those on the front lines of elder care and protection.

The Home Care Committee is in the process of finalizing a letter to policymakers outlining key recommendations to improve the recruitment and retention of Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). This effort aims to support and strengthen the home care workforce across the state.

The Nominating Committee is excited to welcome two new members to the Rhode Island Coalition for Elder Justice. Janice Carello brings nearly 30 years of experience in adult protective services, with deep expertise in supporting at-risk older adults and navigating complex systems—an invaluable asset to the Coalition’s mission. Isabel Ramsay, the new victim advocate at Saint Elizabeth’s Haven for Elder Justice, joins with a strong background in senior services and case management. The Committee is thrilled to welcome both Janice and Isabel to the Coalition.

National Center on Elder Abuse: Ageism, Research Short

The National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) released a short brief on ageism, showing that most adults over 50 have experienced it in everyday life. Ageism can lead to serious issues like poor health, isolation, and even elder abuse. The NCEA encourages raising awareness and creating more age-friendly communities.

To read the full report, please click here.

In this newsletter edition, we’re proud to feature Michelle Machado, a Family Support Specialist at RIPIN and Chair of the Home Care Committee. Michelle is a dedicated advocate who brings compassion, leadership, and lived experience to her work supporting families and improving home-based care across Rhode Island.

Q: What inspired you to take on a leadership role within your committee, and what drives your passion for elder justice?

A: The Home Care Committee is devoted to bridging the gaps leading to CNA retention and livable wages. This is an issue that is near and dear to my heart, as a person living with a disability, I understand the importance of these services and the impact they have on an individuals life and family-dynamic as a whole. Furthermore, experience has shown us that individuals live longer and healthier lives, when aging in place surrounded by family and friends.

Q: What are the primary goals your committee is focusing on for the upcoming year?

A: RI is continuing to invest in the state's home and community-based workforce. Despite our efforts our state is still experiencing a gap in services. Our goals for this upcoming year is to build partnerships with community organizations and stakeholders to educate them about the shortage of healthcare workers in the field. Continued community engagement will better enable us to work together to address service delivery in our home and community based programs, so that elders and individuals with disabilities can receive the care that they deserve, in addition to strengthening institutionalized care for those who need it most.

Q: What resources or partnerships have been most valuable in advancing your committee's mission?

A: The RI Coalition for Elder Justice has created a platform of partnerships amongst senior service agencies, community groups, advocacy groups, law enforcement, and state and federal agencies. It has also provided necessary trainings to direct service workers on how to respond to elders who are at-risk of or experiencing abuse. Comprised of members from Federal agencies, local organizations and community groups, the Home Care Committee is a passionate and diverse group with various skill sets. These have enabled us to get informed, share ideas, make community connections, provide education to schools, communities and dissimilate information. Our partnerships are vital to the mission and continuing to forge a path towards equity for all.

Q: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing elder justice right now, and how is your committee addressing them?

A: There are a lot of challenges facing Elder Justice at the moment including, access to adequate housing and service delivery of home care services. We have spoken to students who are enrolled and interested in the health care field, developed resources on the CNA licensing process and reached out to local home care agencies to discuss the successes and barriers faced by CNA's in the field. This groundwork has better enabled us to educate community partners and work towards a solution to address CNA retention in our state. Addressing these issues will help elders and individuals with disabilities to receive the care that they deserve, reduce housing displacement and hospital admission.

Q: What's one key message or takeaway you'd like to share with our readers about your committee's efforts?

A: Older adults and individuals with disabilities are experiencing significant delays, often exceeding three months, in accessing home care services, particularly in Newport and South County. RI based nursing homes are seeing the effects too, facing notable challenges with recruiting the nursing staff needed to provide resident-centered quality care. By 2030, it is estimated that one in four Rhode Islanders will be 65 or older, while adults living with disabilities in Rhode Island account for 13 percent of the total state population. It is time for Rhode Islanders to provide substantial funding for healthcare workers so that elders and people with disabilities can receive care with dignity.