Injustice in Indian country: The need for a serious response to Native American elder abuse.

Source: (2012) Elder Law Journal. 19:415-448.

Traditionally, elders have held an important position filled with prestige and authority in Native American
culture. However, elder abuse is still a problem in this community. To combat this issue, a number of different
tactics have been employed. The success of various programs, however, has been highly contingent upon their
cultural sensitivity. Additionally, the attempts on various levels–tribal, state, and federal–have created another
level of confusion and have slowed progress.
Mr. Seigler offers a three-prong resolution to combat these issues. First, implementation of tribe-specific alternative
dispute resolution mechanisms should be increased and the tribal elder abuse codes should be reformed.
Second, jurisdictional issues between different levels of government should be resolved and the independence
of tribal court systems in dealing with these issues should be increased. Finally, Mr. Seigler suggests
increasing federal monetary appropriations under the Older Americans Act to attack the causes of elder abuse
and create programs to raise awareness and promote prevention. (author’s abstract)