Report Spurred New Effort to Track and Treat Elder Abuse and Neglect (NY, USA)

After 34,000 Cases of Elder Abuse New Effort to Track & Treat Problem

Mary's son wanted to dump her in a "depressing, terrible" place to live. He wouldn't listen to what Mary wanted.

Fortunately, she found shelter from the abuse.

And "Herbie" - not his real name - , 64, incapacitated and unable to work since a serious car accident at 23, had his life savings drained by a younger wife. He, too, found shelter from the abuse.

Calling elder abuse "the silent epidemic among us," state Sen. Jeffrey Klein (D-Bronx-Westchester) released a report citing more than 34,000 cases of abuse in New York State in 2008.

At the same time, Klein called on the Assembly to pass his elder abuse tracking and reporting bill, which passed the Senate 56 to 0 in July.

Although the term has been in use for several years now, there is no clear definition of elder abuse, and no clear consensus on at what age people become "elderly."

The abuse itself, according to Klein's report, can take the form of physical, sexual, and financial exploitation, as in Herbie's case; emotional abuse, as in Mary's, or neglect and abandonment.

Currently, there are seven agencies in New York that track elder abuse in some manner. Klein's bill would have all tracking go through the state Office of Children and Family Services, which umbrellas the city's Adult Protective Services Program.

Abridged

SOURCE: Voiz Neias. Com

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