Dozens of Ohio judges recently talked about ways to enhance the safety and well-being of the state’s aging population by discussing the most significant challenges facing today’s probate courts.

More than 70 participants from 25 counties participated in the Ohio Summit on Aging follow-up event in Aurora to discuss issues of financial exploitation as related to elder abuse and adult guardianship.

The first Summit on Aging was in 2010, when judges were asked to convene interdisciplinary teams to develop a coordinated action plan for enhancing the safety and well-being of older Ohioans, and in 2011 the teams shared their successes and challenges identified in those plans.

One of the biggest challenges county teams said they faced was financial exploitation. They said it presented a variety of challenging cross-system issues and dilemmas.

“The Summit on Aging was a wonderful opportunity to learn what the I-teams in other counties are doing and to hear different perspectives on common issues.  I was able to inquire about practices to potentially implement in our county,” said Stark County Probate Court Judge Dixie Park.

The participants heard from federal and local experts on the resources available and approaches being used to address the financial exploitation of older adults. Teams also participated in a case study and talked about the criminal, civil and service remedies that might be applied to help resolve the problem.