| PRINTER'S NO. 4083 |
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. | 1014 | Session of 2014 |
INTRODUCED BY HARHAI, SAMUELSON, HENNESSEY, SONNEY, BISHOP, MIRABITO, CLAY, FRANKEL, BURNS, LONGIETTI, BOBACK, DAVIS, KOTIK, COHEN, GILLESPIE, SCHLOSSBERG, V. BROWN, O'BRIEN, KIRKLAND, READSHAW, BROWNLEE, KINSEY, LUCAS, WHITE, VEREB, KIM, ROSS, HARHART, MILLARD, DeLUCA, DiGIROLAMO, P. DALEY, ROCK, MURT, GOODMAN, MAJOR, DONATUCCI, CALTAGIRONE, MARSICO, D. COSTA, MATZIE, McNEILL, MAHONEY AND TOBASH, SEPTEMBER 16, 2014
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, SEPTEMBER 16, 2014
A RESOLUTION
1Designating October 2014 as "Senior Bully Awareness Month" in
2Pennsylvania.
3WHEREAS, October is National Bullying Prevention Month and
4this yearly campaign unites communities nationwide to educate
5and raise awareness of bullying prevention; and
6WHEREAS, It is generally believed that 4% to 6% of elderly
7persons are abused; and
8WHEREAS, Throughout the world, abuse and neglect of elderly
9persons is largely unrecognized; and
10WHEREAS, No state or municipality is immune from this costly
11public health and human rights crisis; and
12WHEREAS, Research indicates that public education events such
13as National Bullying Prevention Month are vital for raising
14community awareness of, and mobilizing community action against,
1elder abuse and neglect and financial exploitation of elderly
2persons; and
3WHEREAS, As the population ages and more Americans become
4senior citizens with life savings, they become greater targets
5for fraud and deception; and
6WHEREAS, The ease of access for criminals to contact seniors
7through the Internet and telephone increases as more creative
8schemes emerge; and
9WHEREAS, Senior fraud is a growing concern as millions have
10fallen victim to scams, including Medicare scams, sweepstakes
11and lottery scams, investment and work-at-home scams,
12bereavement scams, identity theft, charity scams, granny scams
13and home repair scams; and
14WHEREAS, Senior citizens average one scam-type letter and two
15telemarketing phone calls per week; and
16WHEREAS, There are about five million cases of financial
17exploitation of elderly persons in the United States each year
18and the financial loss by victims is more than $2.9 billion
19annually for reported cases; and
20WHEREAS, Approximately 1.6 to 2 million seniors become
21victims of abuse or neglect in domestic and institutional
22settings in the United States every year; and
23WHEREAS, The four most common forms of elder abuse are
24physical abuse, including sexual abuse, psychological and
25emotional abuse, financial/material abuse and neglect; and
26WHEREAS, Most elder abuse victims are dependent on their
27abusers for basic needs; and
28WHEREAS, At least one in nine Americans who are 60 years of
29age or older has experienced some form of elder abuse; and
30WHEREAS, Seniors who have been abused have a 300% higher risk
1of death when compared to those who have not been abused; and
2WHEREAS, In almost 90% of elder abuse and neglect incidents,
3the perpetrator is a family member, and two-thirds of
4perpetrators are adult children or spouses; and
5WHEREAS, Almost 50% of seniors with dementia experience some
6form of abuse; and
7WHEREAS, For every reported incident of elder abuse, five
8others go unreported; and
9WHEREAS, While 91% of Federal abuse prevention dollars are
10spent on child abuse, 7% are spent on domestic abuse and only 2%
11are allocated to protect elderly persons; therefore be it
12RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
13month of October 2014 as "Senior Bully Awareness Month" in
14Pennsylvania.