Rebecca Guider is an Orange County resident who retired after 31 years of service from the County’s Social Services Agency (SSA) as the Division Director of Adult Services and Assistance Programs.
Rebecca is a gerontologist with a Master of Science in Gerontology from the University of Southern California. With thirty years of increasing responsibility in social service and health care programs, she was responsible for the Adult Protective Services (APS) program and public assistance programs helping frail clients attain self-sufficiency in the community including; In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) and Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP), MediCal, Food Stamp and General Relief eligibility programs.
After the passage of legislation mandating an Adult Protective Services program, Rebecca worked extensively in the area of “elder mistreatment” as co-chair of the group of counties who worked with with California Department of Social Services staff, to create the statewide APS program. This included funding allocation formulas, regulations for the program, the development of adjunct or “clean-up” legislation, input on statewide staff training and media campaigns.
Locally, she worked with UCI Program in Geriatrics and the County to establish the
Elder Abuse Prevention Coalition with members from private and public sectors. Projects supported by the coalition in which she was instrumental include the establishment of the first national Elder Abuse Forensic Center and the Elder Abuse Death Review Team in Orange County.
She has taught courses including, “Working With Community Frail Elderly” California State University Fullerton, Gerontology Certificate Program and “Counseling Older Adults and Their Families”, UCI Continuing Education Program.