Elder Abuse and A Very Dusty Bill

We were alerted to an article regarding the Elder Justice Act
'Bill to Combat Elder Abuse Dormant on Capitol Hill'
By William Neikirk, The Baltimore Sun
October 27, 2007

............the Elder Justice Act, designed to combat abuse, neglect and exploitation of older Americans, still gathers dust in Congress. It has been doing that for five years, odd for a bill with few visible opponents.
In the House, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), the main sponsor, said everyone seems to be for the bill and he hoped to get pieces of it included in other legislation.The lack of success is something of a mystery. The elderly -- defined in the bill as those 60 or older -- are one of the nation's most powerful voting blocs. Abuse, neglect and exploitation of older people are on the rise and by some estimates could affect 5 million people, though no one has a precise number. The Baby Boom generation is gaining senior status and already has demonstrated its political prowess.
But a dirty little secret, and perhaps one reason the legislation is not moving faster, is that many seniors are abused at home by family members."I think because of that, perhaps, there is not as much stir up here to do something," Lincoln said.
Kathleen Quinn, executive director of the National Adult Protective Services Association, said funding for protective services for seniors is insufficient and uneven across the country."It's an invisible population with an invisible social service system," she said. "One of the things the bill will do is raise the awareness of elder abuse."

Abridged Article from: SOURCE