State Summit Creates Agenda to Combat Elder Abuse. Experts from law enforcement, health care and social services issue 18 policy recommendations to combat growing problem of elder abuse
Albany, NY May 14, 2004 - New York State's first Summit on Elder Abuse ended today with the participants the issue of a list of recommendations to combat the problem, including calling on the legislature to the laws weak and vulnerable elderly protect change. At least half the one million older Americans are subjected to physical, psychological and financial abuse each year. Experts agree that the problem is under-reported and worse as the population, health care , ages. Most states require centralized reporting of elder abuse cases - New York is one of only five that do not. No State has an extensive program to coordinate prevention, treatment and prosecution of elder abuse. Key recommendations of the three-day summit in Albany, health care , include: 1. NYS to enact and reform laws to the elderly from abuse, neglect and financial exploitation to protect 2., health care , Develop training for first responders, health care , (ie EMT's) and community partners (banks) 3. Create a statewide resource center for best practice working with older people 4. Enter a statewide prevalence study to define the nature and extent of elder abuse 5. Enter a statewide campaign 6. Develop mandatory multidisciplinary, health care , training to help detect abuse The summit brought together 100 officials and experts on elder abuse a common definition of the problem to develop, identify service gaps, and explore innovative intervention approaches in law enforcement, health and social work . โ € Å“This top was a major step towards the protection of our elderly, โ € said Fran Weisberg,, health care , President / CEO of life, a non-profit organization which provides services to the elderly that the summit convened. โ € Å“We had a huge range of expert opinions and expertise, but we all agree that the need is urgent, the problem, health care , grows, and the time to act. โ € โ € Å“We urge our legislators to help us make New York a national model in the prevention, detection and prosecution of elder abuse, โ € Weisberg said. โ € Å“Government, law enforcement and human service agencies must work together to get to elder abuse. โ € Weisberg also announced the creation of a Statewide Elder Abuse Coalition, which will be charged with ensuring action on the recommendations that came from the top. โ € Å“The coalition will work with policymakers and keep elder abuse in the public interest, โ € Weisberg said. โ € Å“Lifespan will not, health care , stop working on this issue to any person on elder abuse, until everyone knows where to call to elder abuse and elder abuse report has recognized a real and urgent problem. โ € With Lifespan Psychology, three state agencies and two private health insurers sponsored the summit, which was partly funded by a federal grant obtained by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY). About Elder Abuse: Statistics from the National Center on Elder Abuse are alarming: - One in 14 adults over the age of 60 years was probably abused - Nine out of 10 times, families are responsible for the abuse - financial exploitation is one, health care , of the fastest growing forms of elder abuse - Only one in five cases of elder abuse is always reported to the authorities, the reverse of a population that lives longer โ € "thanks to modern medicine and, health care , health-conscious, health care , baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 โ €" the places the burden of aging on younger generations. United Nations population studies project that, health, health care , care , nearly 1 in 20 of those baby boomers may live to be 100 years old. About Lifetime: The 2004, health care ,, health care , New York State Elder Abuse Summit is convened and sponsored by Lifespan of Greater Rochester, Inc. Life is to provide services for older adults and their carers over 33 years, directly serving approximately 18,000 older adults last year. Lifetime, health care , elder, health care ,, health care , abuse provides services in 10 counties in the Finger Lakes region of New York. For more information please contact: Lifespan of Greater Rochester, Inc. 1900 S. Clinton Avenue Rochester, NY 14618 Tel: 585.244.8400 Fax: 585.244.9114 www.lifespan-roch.org
