By Kim Lamb Gregory
March 27, 2009
Financial abuse of seniors is moving to the forefront in the fight against elder abuse in Ventura County.
“We received over 2,000 referrals in 2008,” said Marcy Snider, program coordinator of Ventura County Adult Protective Services. “That’s up about 10 percent (from 2007). The No. 1 type of abuse reported was financial abuse.”
Snider spoke Friday at a forum of about 10 different Ventura County organizations that serve seniors and caregivers. Representatives from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office were also present.
The forum, held at the Ventura County Community Foundation office in Camarillo, was organized by the Congress of California Seniors, a nonprofit state organization.
The group’s president, Hank Lacayo, called the summit so organization leaders could brainstorm ways to raise awareness about elder abuse in Ventura County.
He specifically wants to make the public aware of the organization’s campaign called Commitment to End Abuse of Seniors and Elders, or CEASE.
“The state organization is using Ventura County as a pilot to show we can collaborate,” Lacayo said.
Among the ideas discussed at Friday’s forum was the possibility of including an easy-to-read information page about elder abuse that would be delivered along with meals to homebound seniors. Snider also recommended that home-repair people be educated about elder neglect or abuse so they know what to look for and how to report a homebound senior in trouble.
“They see self-neglect but are not mandated to report it,” Snider said.
There are also plans to build a CEASE Web page and hold an elder abuse awareness workshop in June.
1 comment:
Meals on Wheels is a very successful program in Canada.
I believe that training everyone to identify seniors in trouble is a good idea. An empty refrige is a huge sign that a senior cannot manage ADLs.
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