Posted: | June 10, 2016 03:39 PM |
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From: | Senator Michele Brooks and Sen. Art Haywood |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Elder Abuse Awareness Day |
Next week, we will be introducing a resolution to designate June 15, 2016 as Elder Abuse Awareness Day in Pennsylvania. Approximately 24,500 reports were made to the Department of Aging in 2015. Many cases of elder abuse go unreported in the Commonwealth, so it is assumed that the amount of cases is actually much higher every year. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, between 1 and 2 million Americans age 65 and older have been injured, exploited, or otherwise mistreated by someone whom they depended on for care. Elder abuse comes in many different forms including, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, abandonment, and financial exploitation. Our older Pennsylvanians deserve to spend the rest of their lives with dignity and respect, not worrying about the possibility of someone taking advantage of them. The Department of Aging works hard to protect our older Pennsylvanians by providing protective services, educating the public on those services, and safeguarding older people’s rights while providing the help and assistance that is needed. We hope you will join us in cosponsoring this important resolution and we urge you to add the Statewide Elder Abuse hotline to your constituent outreach. The number is 1-800-490-8505 and can be accessed 24 hours a day. |
Introduced as SR392