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Marcia Hall is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and resides on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. Since 2010, Marcia has served as the Elder Adult Protection Services worker addressing: elder abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, protection orders, guardianships, Indian Wills, Power of Attorneys, and 24-hour crisis calls. In 2012, the first annual “Taking a Stand Against Elder Abuse” half-day event was organized with the intent to educate elders in the community on senior services and reporting of abuse.
Since then, the annual event is 2 days covering a spectrum of topics: Alzheimer’s & dementia, elder scams, elder abuse, historical trauma, grandparents raising grandchildren, and drug information training for educational professionals (state and tribal). In 2023, the event had over 36 tribes in attendance from 13 states, including a group from Canada. On both days, there were over 400 participants, 16 informational vender booths on senior services (state/city/tribal), and 13 traditional arts venders. The 12th Annual event is scheduled for May 14-16, 2024, at the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Casino Hotel.
In 2018, the Multi-Disciplinary Elder Task Force was established to better serve the elder/vulnerable adult tribal/tribal descent members on/off the reservation addressing medical/emergency/welfare checks/neglect/reports of abuse. The committee consists of: Tribal Health Nursing, Diabetes Program, Area on Aging Adult Protection Services, Medical Social Worker, Fort Hall Housing, Fort Hall Police Department, Fort Hall Emergency Medical Services, Elderly Nutrition Kincare, and Fort Hall Business Council members.
In addition, the program also created a Community Board of Guardians to address adult guardianship for those that cannot make medical/financial decisions when family is unable to step into that role. In 2019, the program was awarded the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice CTAS 3 year-Grant. The grant was extended for an additional year, as it expires this September 2024.