Elder Death Interdisciplinary Review Team Formation Committee

In July 1999, Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully and Director of Health and Human Services Jim Hunt entered into a collaboration to address elder and dependent adult abuse. The concept of an Elder Death Interdisciplinary Review Team (EDIRT) is an outgrowth of that collaboration. The primary role of the EDIRT is to serve as a multidisciplinary case-investigating committee providing in-depth analysis of the possible contribution of abuse and neglect to the deaths of elders in Sacramento County. There are successful Child Death Review Teams (CDRT's) and Domestic Violence Review Teams (DVDRT's) successfully operating throughout the state. We in Sacramento County are on the cutting edge of a large movement around the country to establish Elder Death Interdisciplinary Review Teams. We recognize that the responsibility for responding to and preventing fatalities arising from elder abuse and neglect lies within the community and not with any single agency or entity. We further recognize that a careful examination of the fatalities provides the opportunity to develop education, prevention and, if necessary, prosecution strategies that will lead to improved coordination of services for families and our elder population.