Large numbers of America's elderly and disabled are being physically, psychologically, and financially abused. Therefore, statutory requirements and block grants for training of law enforcement officers and physicians to recognize and assist victims must be established, according to witnesses at the June 14, 2001 Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing titled "Saving Our Seniors: Preventing Elder Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation." Senator John Breaux, Committee Chairman from Louisiana, and Senator Larry E. Craig, Ranking Member from Idaho, co-chaired the hearing. Also in attendance were Senators Debbie Stabenow (MI), Herb Kohl (WI), and Conrad Burns (MT).

In the next 30 years the number of Americans over 65 will more than double to about 70 million. Currently, 7 million seniors need long term care and in 30 years that number, too, is projected to double. Sara Aravanis, the Director of the National Center on Elder Abuse, testified that it is believed that for every one case of elder abuse reported, four cases go unreported. Her organization conducted a study that found that 530,390 cases of abuse and neglect against victims 60 years and older were reported in the 48 contiguous states in 1996. Therefore, if there were another four cases for each one reported, then in 1996 there was a total of 2,651,950 abuse incidents in those 48 states. During the hearing, Senator Burns declared a need to get people to report abuse without fearing that complaints will go unresolved and might consequently further endanger victims.

Testimony at the hearing described both physical abuse as well as abuse of victims' finances.  Joanne Hopper, a victim of both physical and financial abuse, testified that her son obtained power of attorney and spent over $200,000 of her savings. Now, Ms. Hopper is penniless, and the state has informed her that the case against her son will probably result in only a misdemeanor! Meanwhile, Ms. Hopper fears her near future because she will likely enter a nursing home and be forced to rely on Medicaid. Senator Burns also shared a personal story of telemarketing fraud against his elderly aunt, who lost thousands of dollars before her family discovered that she was being manipulated. Paul Greenwood, Deputy District Attorney; Head of Elder Abuse Prosecution in San Diego, California, described a case where a senior was driven by a car service driver to her bank and convinced to hand over her savings of $92,000. In the hearing room there were large posters of color photos of seniors with captions of their stories of fraud and abuse.

Abuse against the elderly and disabled occurs in both nursing facilities and private homes. Suggestions for controlling this epidemic include efforts for increasing the number of reports of incidents. Senator Burns declared that awareness must be elevated among all people, not only victims and law enforcement. There was a consensus among many of the witnesses that funds should be utilized to educate physicians, police officers, paramedics, state prosecutors, judges, and bankers to detect abuse and to recognize and understand the issues that surround the elderly as well as the special needs of those who cannot clearly communicate their harms and fears, e.g. patients suffering from dementia who may become confused as to what has happened to them. Mr. Greenwood praised the San Diego DA's office for creating the Elder Abuse Protection Unit. He proposed that not only a unit of DAs but also judges should be specifically trained to handle elder abuse cases in every state.

Another unsettling issue raised at the hearing is the alarming number of nursing home employees who have criminal backgrounds, including histories of child molestation and abuse. According to the second panel, many nursing homes are not aware of their right to access FBI data on potential employees. Consequently, some nursing home incidents are caused by repeat offenders. These incidents support the proposition that information and awareness of the issues must be presented to those who work with and for the elderly and to the American public at large so as to enable all communities to respond to the needs of their elderly.

In the closing remarks Senator Craig reiterated that there should be block grants to Adult Protective Services for elder abuse prevention and advocacy. Those funds should then be applied to develop a greater outreach effort, more education, and more training.

Submitted testimonies can be found on the Senate Special Committee on Aging's website at http://www.senate.gov/comm/aging/general/.

Copyright © Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc. 01/08/2010