Best Practice NOTES

 

Introduction

The Center for Social Gerontology has dedicated this entire issue of Best Practice Notes to the group of individuals whose job it is to develop and enhance legal advocacy/elder rights systems within the states -- the Legal Services Developers (LSDs). Over the years TCSG has provided support to LSDs individually and through the National Association of Legal Services Developers (NALSD); we firmly believe that LSDs are the key to strong, effective elder rights advocacy.

The impetus for focusing on LSDs at this time comes largely from recent Congressional attempts to reauthorize the OAA, several of which would have radically altered the LSDs duties, and a survey undertaken by Natalie Thomas, the Georgia LSD, demonstrating the lack of understanding actors in the Aging Network have of the LSD. For these reasons, as well as our own observations of the wide variation of the position from state to state, we feel it would be worthwhile to discuss the Legal Services Developer position and underscore the crucial role LSDs play in the Aging Network.