Linda Goodwin: In Choctaw Nation, our elders are the foundation of the tribe. They play a significant role in who we are, what it means to be Choctaw. We began to look at and realize that there was an issue with elder abuse in the Choctaw Nation as early as 1994. So we talked about what was needed for our elders. Since that time, we’ve continued to build those victim services. A lot of us have our own tribal court systems. But a lot of times these crimes are not committed on tribal property, so it falls within the state’s jurisdiction. And their approach a lot of times is just to go in and remove that elder.
We want to keep our elders in the community. We want to look at the entire family and provide services to all the family. So we looked at developing a relationship with Adult Protective Services. We were the first tribe to do that in the state. And basically, what it does is it gives us the right to receive referrals from them, go out and help them with those cases. And in addition, it gives them the authority to come on tribal property and make investigations as long as we are with them. Our elders are much more comfortable with a tribal person coming into their home.
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I think we’re seeing more success at that-- in working with the entire family. We have a good working relationship with the state. They want us involved in those cases now. We have a really good group of elder advocates. It’s not uncommon for me to get calls at eight o’clock at night where someone is still with one of the elders making sure they’re okay. Their goal is to make sure our elders are taken care of, and that’s what they’re going to do. We are family, and we treat each other as such. You will know we are Choctaw by our love.
