2025 EAS Event Program - Flipping Book

Breakout Session 2: 11:20 AM – 12:15 PM A United Front Against Unlicensed Facilities

Presenter

Unlicensed care facilities operate outside the oversight of the California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, creating significant risks for elderly and dependent adults. This presentation, led by Icela Estrada, Assistant Branch Chief of the Adult and Senior Care Program will examine the enforcement challenges and regulatory gaps under Health & Safety Code. Attendees will gain insight into how unlicensed facilities evade state inspectors, the health and safety hazards they pose, and the financial exploitation often suffered by vulnerable residents. The session will cover identifying unlicensed operations, enforcement mechanisms, and inter-agency collaboration, including task force efforts to combat elder and dependent adult abuse. Through case studies and real-world enforcement strategies, participants will learn about successful legal pathways for prosecution, and best practices for safeguarding at-risk individuals. This presentation is essential for legal professionals, law enforcement, social workers, adult protective services and community advocates working to protect residents and strengthen oversight of unlicensed facilities in California.

Icela Estrada Assistant Branch Chief California Department Social Services Community Care Licensing Division

Sweepstakes Scams: Mechanisms, Impact, and Prevention

Breakout Session 3: 1:55 PM – 2:50 PM

Presenters

This workshop will explore trends in sweepstakes scams, particularly those targeting older adults. These scams can take various forms, including letters, phone calls, and even some reports of in person visits. They often involve impersonation, where scammers pose as legitimate organizations like Publishers Clearing House. Sweepstakes scams continue to be one of the most prevalent types of fraud affecting the population, especially those aged 80 and older. For example, data from the FTC Consumer Sentinel Network indicates that the total reported losses from these scams in the first three quarters of 2024 reached $245.9 million, with a median loss of $950 per victim. During the workshop, we will discuss the factors that increase vulnerability to sweepstakes scams, the effects these scams have on victims, strategies to reduce victimization, and the psychological impacts associated with these scams.

Stacey Wood, PhD, ABPP Professor Scripps College

Hannah Peeples, BA Research Associate Scripps College

19 2025 Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Symposium