Lisa Nerenberg MSW MPH has been a leader in the field of elder abuse prevention for over 30 years. She is Executive Director of the California Elder Justice Coalition and an instructor at City College of San Francisco, where she teaches classes in gerontology, elder abuse, and ageism. She has presented at hundreds of professional forums, testified before Congressional committees, served on governmental advisory board, and written extensively about elder abuse and related topics. Her newly released Elder Justice, Ageism and Elder Abuse (Springer, 2019) offers a roadmap for promoting individual rights and social justice in aging policy and programs. Her earlier Elder Abuse Prevention: Emerging Trends and Promising Strategies (Springer, 2008) describes what the public, government, agencies, and advocates can do to prevent abuse, treat its effects, and ensure justice.

On elder justice

Achieving equity and fairness for older people is core to elder justice. It requires recognizing and combating health disparities across the life span and addressing their repercussion in old age. That includes countering discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender identity, disability, and other factors. 

Inter-generational equity requires that we reject "generations at war" narratives. We can't pursue fairness for older people at the expense of others, but rather,  must support "across the life span"  access to resources for those of all ages and needs. It requires advocates to work together and support each other's efforts. Inter-generational equity must be two directional, countering ageism while conveying that the prosperity of the young, especially younger minorities, is vital to the old.