Town Hall meeting on elder abuse to be held Friday in Grand Rapids
by Morgan Jarema
The Grand Rapids Press
September 16, 2009
The time she spent caring for her dying grandmother served as career motivation for Tammy Perez.
"I saw how sad she was when she faced needing help," said Perez, of Grand Rapids. "My grandma took care of us. She nurtured us, loved us and made us who we are, so I just knew if I was ever in that position, I would want somebody to take care of me -- to treat me with respect.
After her grandmother died in 1996, Perez worked as an in-home caregiver for four years, and now is a client coordinator at Elders Helpers, a private Grand Rapids home-care agency.
She's since seen the not-so-respectful side of elderly care: relatives and guardians who neglect their duties in providing physical care, shopping and paying bills.
There have been times her agency has wanted to intervene but couldn't.
"If we had more ways to get involved, I know in some cases we would have been able to do more," Perez said. "I want to get something in place where it's protocol -- where if we truly feel like something's going on, we can get involved."
Perez will be a panelist at a town hall meeting on the issue Friday. Advocates For Senior Issues is hosting the event to bring to the forefront abuse of the elderly at home or in residential facilities.
Michigan's Adult Protective Services received more than 16,300 reports of adult mistreatment in 2008. The problem is expected to spread as the population ages.
Recent local cases of elder abuse include a four-month jail term meted out in June in Ottawa County to a Grand Rapids woman after her 87-year-old father in her care died after being removed from squalid living conditions.
A Muskegon man who prosecutors say left his 85-year-old mother to lie in her own waste was sentenced in July to 30 months of probation.
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