Elder abuse prevention lawyer wins Genius Grant

The John D. and Katherine T. MacArthur Foundation awards $500,000 Fellowships each year to each of around 20 individuals who "show exceptional merit and promise for continued and enhanced creative work." Since they began in 1981 MacArthur Fellowships, commonly known as "Genius Awards," have been given to outstanding individuals working in a variety of fields including artists, scientists, philosophers, writers, historians, filmmakers, and a few civil rights and human rights lawyers.

This year for the first time an Elder Rights attorney has been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. Maria-Therese Connolly, a scholar, policy advocate, and lawyer, has worked tirelessly to address elderabuse and financial exploitation of older Americans throughout her career. She has worked for the US Department of Justice combatting fraud, headed up the Clinton administration's Elder Justice and Nursing Home Initiative, and architected the Elder Justice Act, the first federal legislation devoted to the prevention, detection, and prosecution of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

By choosing an advocate against elderabuse to win this prestigious award the MacArthur Foundation adds to the voices of aging advocates everywhere saying that freedom from elderabuse is a vital civil right.