DAs’ conference focuses on elder abuse, exploitation

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH — The North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys hosted “Break the Silence: The Abuse and Exploitation of Older Adults,” a training conference held Feb. 6-8 at Wrightsville Beach.

The three-day meeting focused on creating and achieving a collaborative approach to justice for older adults, a new release says. It covered a broad range of topics focused on how to prevent the exploitation and abuse of older adults.

Prosecutors, law enforcement, administrative assistants, Adult Protective Services staffers and other allied professionals attended. Participants were left with a deeper knowledge of the signs of exploitation and abuse, the practical skills necessary to prosecute these types of cases, and the ability to help protect older adults from these types of crimes in the future.

Ben David, district attorney for Prosecutorial District 6, which includes New Hanover County, welcomed and praised the participants for devoting their careers to protecting older adults and other vulnerable populations, the release says. He noted the undeniable importance of this work given the aging population in many parts of North Carolina and the United States.

Also speaking was Jordan Ford, chief financial crimes resource prosecutor for the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, who shared his passion for protecting older adults and commitment to providing resources and training to address the abuse and exploitation of older adults in the future.

The North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys is a state agency established in 1983 “to assist in improving the administration of justice in North Carolina by coordinating the prosecution efforts of the various district attorneys, by assisting them in the administration of their offices.” Consisting of, and governed by, elected district attorneys, it has a staff in Raleigh to carry out the conference’s objectives, the release says.