The Center for At-Risk Elders (CARE) serves as a public interest law firm dedicated to meeting the legal needs of Indiana elders who are victims of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, or who are presently at-risk for becoming so.  It is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

CARE is funded through a combination of revenue streams including grants, donations, and fees paid by clients based upon their ability to pay.

Indiana’s Adult Protective Services (APS) program, which is mandated by federal law, is the only state program in America that is structured as a criminal justice function.   Unlike Indiana’s APS program, CARE’s focus is on providing civil remedies to redress, and protect against, elder abuse, neglect and exploitation. 

CARE’s civil justice focus centers on providing legal services to establish adult guardianships where appropriate. These services uniquely focus on offering emergency guardianship intervention services.  These services are designed to offer protection for elders who are actively being exploited financially, abused, or neglected, and for those at imminent risk of being so.  This includes situations of self-neglect.  It also includes circumstances of exploitation, abuse or neglect at the hands of relatives or others.

CARE provides “legal horsepower” to Indiana non-profit groups that provide volunteer guardianship programs.  CARE also provides assistance to private attorneys capable of representing private guardians, but perhaps ill equipped to handle emergency guardianship interventions.

CARE is also available to serve as a resource for Indiana courts in need of guardian at litem services, or other investigatory services to aid in the disposition of certain difficult adult guardianship matters.

In addition to these program services, CARE serves as a resource to professionals and the general public on issues relating to the challenge of providing care to elders in crisis or in need of protection.