The FAST serves as a model for communities fighting elder abuse across the nation. It leverages community resources to better serve victims and potential victims of elder abuse.

FAST – Financial Abuse Specialist Team

In 1993, WISE Senior Services broke new ground by initiating the Los Angeles County Area Agency on Aging Financial Abuse Specialist Team (FAST) to combat the rising tide of elder financial abuse.

The team draws on the expertise of professionals from diverse disciplines including:
  • Attorneys, including experts in estate planning
  • Members of the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office and the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office
  • Physicians
  • Psychologists
  • Gerontologists
  • Law enforcement personnel
  • Bankers
  • Financial planners
  • Securities and investment brokers
  • Realtors
  • Insurance brokers

The Role of the FAST

FAST Consultants share their expertise and advise Fiduciary Abuse Specialists. The Fiduciary Abuse Specialists are employed by Adult Protective Services, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, the Office of the Public Guardian and care managers from local and service agencies.

Each member of the FAST makes a commitment to attend the meetings and signs a formal agreement that outlines the obligations of membership. Service on FAST is by invitation only.

Consultation is provided at team meetings and individually by telephone on a limited basis. Cases that are reviewed often involve:
  • Elder abuse that involves a family member
  • Elder abuse that involves a care taker such as a home health worker or board-and-care owner
  • Elder abuse that involves an institution or professional such as loan brokers, mortgage foreclosure consultants, notaries or home improvement contractors
  • Elder abuse involving the misuse of Powers of Attorney or other legal documents

Funding for FAST

The FAST is funded by the Los Angeles County Area Agency on Aging through Title VII-B of the Older American Act of 1965 (as amended). It receives matching funds from WISE & Healthy Aging, which coordinates the FAST.

The Benefits of FAST

FAST brings many benefits both to the individuals victimized by elder abuse and to the community at large, including:
  • Recovery of victim's assets, prevention of further losses and improvement of the victim's quality of life whenever possible
  • Strengthens the community's ability to serve victims of financial abuse
  • Allows the honing of intervention strategies used in cases with similar circumstances
  • Focuses the expertise and perspectives of multiple professions to create a wider range of alternative solutions
  • Leverages community resources and fosters collaborative working relationships between different organizations and professions involved in elder abuse prevention
  • Serves as a foundation or catalyst to identify or respond to legislative issues and loopholes
  • Educates team members and the general public about the complex issues of elder abuse