Agencies join forces to fight the abuse of the elderly
By LANCE BENZEL
2008-03-02 03:53:00 pm
For one elderly man in Colorado Springs, the problem wasn’t the beatings he occasionally suffered at the hands of his grown sons. It was the prospect they’d go to jail, and he’d end up in a nursing home. Crippled by poor health and financial hardship, he had no one else to look after him, no place to go and a powerful aversion to losing independence. In the end, he opted to stay home with his sons and endure the violence. “These are the kinds of dilemmas that we run into,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Doug Miles, who recounted the man’s case as an example of the challenges involved in stopping the abuse and exploitation of the elderly.
Now, with the help of a broad coalition of service groups and government agencies — and a $420,000 federal grant received in November — Colorado Springs police are redoubling efforts to prevent elder abuse.
-- For every case of elder abuse, neglect, exploitation or self-neglect, about five more go unreported.
Abridged Article
SOURCE: gazettecoloradoSprings
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