Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Page S3293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 242--DESIGNATING JUNE 15, 2019, AS ``WORLD ELDER
ABUSE AWARENESS DAY''
Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Collins, Ms. Hassan,
Mr. Lankford, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 242
Whereas, as of 2016, there were approximately 52,400,000
individuals in the United States age 65 or older, according
to the Bureau of the Census;
Whereas the Bureau of the Census projects that, by 2030, 1
in every 5 individuals in the United States, or 20.6 percent
of the population of the United States, will be age 65 or
older;
Whereas the population of aging individuals in the United
States has steadily increased over the past century;
Whereas elder abuse can come in many different forms, often
manifesting as physical, sexual, or psychological abuse,
financial exploitation, neglect, and social media abuse;
Whereas the Federal Government estimates that more than 1
in 10 individuals in the United States (approximately
5,000,000 people) over the age of 60 experience abuse each
year, and many of them experience abuse in multiple forms,
according to the American Journal of Public Health;
Whereas elderly individuals in the United States who
experience cognitive impairment, physical disabilities, and
isolation are 4 to 10 times more likely to become the victims
of abuse than those without disabilities, according to
geriatric medical research at Rush University Medical Center
in Chicago, Illinois;
Whereas close to 50 percent of elderly individuals
suffering from dementia will experience abuse during their
lifetime, according to the Department of Justice;
Whereas abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults in
the United States are unidentified and unreported because of
an inability to report or a fear of reporting;
Whereas only 1 in 23.5 cases of elder abuse are reported to
the authorities, including 1 in 44 cases of financial abuse
and 1 in 57 cases of neglect, according to Weill Cornell
Medical Center;
Whereas at least $2,900,000,000 is taken from older adults
each year due to financial abuse and exploitation, according
to the Government Accountability Office;
Whereas elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation have no
boundaries and cross all racial, social, class, gender, and
geographic lines;
Whereas approximately 1 in 3 people in the United States
cared for an elderly parent, spouse, or loved one between
2011 and 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control;
Whereas older adults who are abused are 3 times more likely
to die before older adults of the same age who are not
abused, according to the Surgeon General;
Whereas there is evidence of an increase in elder abuse,
neglect, and financial exploitation linked to individuals
with opioid addiction, according to the Administration for
Community Living, the Elder Justice Coalition, the Center for
Gerontology at Virginia Tech, and the National Adult
Protective Services Association;
Whereas the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act (34
U.S.C. 21701 et seq.) was signed into law on October 18,
2017, but there is still more that can be done to stop elder
abuse;
Whereas financial abuse of older adults has consistently
been 1 of the top 10 complaints made each year to the fraud
hotline of the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate;
Whereas public awareness has the potential to increase the
identification and reporting of elder abuse by the public,
professionals, and victims, and can act as a catalyst to
promote issue-based education and long-term prevention;
Whereas private individuals and public agencies must work
together on the Federal, State, and local levels to combat
increasing occurrences of abuse, neglect, exploitation,
crime, and violence against vulnerable adults, including
vulnerable older adults, particularly in light of limited
resources for vital protective services; and
Whereas 2019 is the 14th anniversary of World Elder Abuse
Awareness Day: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates June 15, 2019, as ``World Elder Abuse
Awareness Day'';
(2) recognizes those individuals who originated World Elder
Abuse Awareness Day, which brings much needed attention
around the globe to the issue of elder abuse;
(3) recognizes judges, lawyers, adult protective services
professionals, law enforcement officers, long-term care
ombudsmen, social workers, health care providers, advocates
for victims, and other professionals and agencies for their
efforts to advance awareness of elder abuse; and
(4) encourages members of the public and professionals who
work with older adults to act as catalysts to promote
awareness and long-term prevention of elder abuse--
(A) by reaching out to local adult protective services
agencies, long-term care ombudsman programs, and the National
Center on Elder Abuse; and
(B) by learning to recognize, detect, report, and respond
to elder abuse.
____________________
