Act Now for Elder Justice: WITNESS Takes a Stand
By Caroline Walker
January 12, 2010
America's children are protected under the Child Abuse Prevention Act 1974; women's rights are ensured under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. Why wouldn't our seniors have the same security? Now's the time to pass the Elder Justice Act. You can help.
Last week, news broke that residents at a California nursing home had been drugged to the point of oblivion — and death — by nurses who opted to mute their patients rather than address their needs. Flying under the radar since 2003, "caretakers" like nurse Gwen Hughes had been administering anti-psychotics to sedate those they had committed to protect.
This method of shutting patients down has been likened to physical restraints now outlawed or ruled unethical, but officials turned on their blinders until reports that elderly patients were literally overdosed with lethal amounts. Here's a case of out of sight out of mind — proof that denial and ignorance will continue to render the realities of elder abuse invisible until we force ourselves to see.
WITNESS is making sure we look. The powerful non-profit that partners with NGOs around the world to visually document human rights abuses has set its North American focus on the rights of elders in this country — and the grave physical, emotional and financial assaults that happen every single day. The organization teamed with the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to help spread the truth about what they call "America's silent crisis." By arming constituents with the tools and training to create video testimonials, NCOA and WITNESS are making sure that policy-makers see the faces and experience the stories that make ignoring impossible.
Consider these facts from the NCOA Elder Abuse Fact Sheet:
· At least 11% of Americans over 60 years of age have experienced elder abuse this past year.
· Researchers estimate that $2.6 billion are lost annually as a result of financial abuse toward elders.
· Five of six elder abuse cases go unreported.
· Not surprisingly, reported abuse cases are climbing every year as the elderly population grows.
Abridged
SOURCE: TONIC.COM
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