Ombudsman's Call to Action Results in Surge of Interested Volunteer Advocates

The OOIE Volunteer Advocate Program received close to 150 calls in June after several newspapers published a letter to the editor by Ombudsman James W. McCracken. He urged individuals to get involved in the fight against elder abuse by becoming a volunteer advocate.

(L to R) Regional Coordinators Beth Manè, Sue Rosenkranz, 
Clara Krever, Janet Khanlian, and Volunteer Advocate Program 
State Coordinator Deirdre Mraw 

VAP Trainees participate in cognitive impairment activities. Taped gloves are used to reduce tactile 
sensitivity and manual dexterity.

In response to these inquiries, Regional Coordinator Janet Khanlian put together a revamped group training for interested volunteers at OOIE headquarters in Trenton. Most of the advocate trainees were from the southern New Jersey area, where Khanlian recently became Regional Volunteer Coordinator.  These volunteers were joined by some volunteers from the central and central coastal counties managed by Regional Coordinator Beth Mane, who also contributed to the training.