Communities Against Senior Exploitation (CASE)
Contra Costa County CASE provides workshops for seniors about preventing financial abuse and exploitation. CASE recruits and trains senior volunteers through a speakers' bureau to make local presentations at senior venues, including senior centers and churches. Trained seniors educate other seniors about the prevention of elder financial abuse and how to avoid it. This is the best way we can help seniors to help themselves. Educating and empowering seniors to be their own leaders will provide the most success.
CASE improves communication and cooperation among member agencies and increases responsiveness to elder abuse cases, improves access to a wider range of services, and improves the quality of life for elders. In addition, CASE raises public awareness through community outreach and education. Furthermore, CASE outreaches with other partners serving the elderly population, work on local and statewide projects protecting the elderly, and anticipate issues that will affect that growing population for the future. 

Our mission
To empower seniors to act as their own advocates through education and information that will prevent them from being victimized by financial exploitation.

Contra Costa County CASE team
Sydney Anderson, Stoneman Village
Ruth Atkin, Contra Costa County Adult Protective Services 
Jenefer Duane, Elder Financial Protection Network
Virginia M. George, John F. Kennedy University School of Law—Elder Law Clinic
Shirley Krohn, Contra Costa County Advisory Council on Aging
Joaquin Murphy, California Department of Consumer Affairs
Jason R. Peck, Office of the Contra Costa County District Attorney
Barbara Smith, Contra Costa for Every Generation
Eli Williams, City of Richmond Commission on Aging

Contra Costa County facts
According to the US Census, almost 11% of the 36 million residents in California are 65 or older. Its most recent estimate is that Contra Costa County residents over age 54 constitute 11.5% of the county's population, or about 118,000 individuals.
The fastest growing segment of the population in Contra Costa County is the 85+ age group. Over the next 10 years, this group is predicted to skyrocket by 55%. The 65+ age group is expected to increase by 37%.
During the fiscal years 2006-2008, more than 3500 reports of elder abuse in all forms were reported to Contra Costa County’s Adult Protective Services, a division of Contra Costa County Health and Human Services. Of the reports made in 2006-2007, 486 dealt with elder financial abuse. The number increased to 528 in 2007-2008, an increase of 9.2%.

Volunteer opportunities
Volunteer recruitment is open. For more information, please call 415-956-5556.