June 13, 2008

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

Nassau County Departments of Health, Senior Citizen Affairs and Social Services remind residents that June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.  The theme of this year’s campaign is My World… Your World… Our World --- Free of Elder Abuse.  In Nassau County, more than 200,000 residents--approximately 15% of the population--are 65 or older.  As the number of older adults grows, so does the number of persons at risk for abuse or neglect, associated injuries, social isolation and diminished well being.

It has been estimated that as many as 10% of seniors are victimized by elder abuse. 

In many cases, the person who is abusing or taking care of the older person is a family member or someone they trust.  An abused older person may not report the crime out of fear. 

Elder abuse includes any form of mistreatment that results in harm or loss to an older person:  

• Physical abuse -- inflicting, or threatening to inflict, physical pain or injury on a vulnerable elder, or depriving them of a basic need.
• Sexual abuse -- the infliction of non-consensual sexual contact of any kind.
• Emotional or psychological abuse -- the infliction of mental or emotional anguish or distress on an elder person through verbal or nonverbal acts.
• Financial or material exploitation -- the illegal taking, misuse, or concealment of funds, property, or assets of a vulnerable elder.
• Neglect -- the refusal or failure by those responsible to provide food, shelter, health care, or protection for a vulnerable elder.
• Self-neglect -- characterized as the behavior of an elderly person that threatens his/her own health or safety.
• Abandonment -- the desertion of a vulnerable elder by anyone who has assumed the responsibility for care or custody of that person.

Nassau County Departments of Health, Senior Citizen Affairs and Social Services urges all residents to report concerns of elder abuse to Nassau County Department of Social Services Adult Protective Services Unit at (516)227-8395.