[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 295 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 295

 Designating June 15, 2021, as ``World Elder Abuse Awareness Day'' and 
         the month of June as ``Elder Abuse Awareness Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 24, 2021

 Mr. Grassley (for himself and Mr. Blumenthal) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Designating June 15, 2021, as ``World Elder Abuse Awareness Day'' and 
         the month of June as ``Elder Abuse Awareness Month''.

Whereas, in 2021, approximately 55,000,000 residents of the United States, or 
        about 1 in every 6 individuals, have attained the age of 65;
Whereas elder abuse remains a challenging problem and can come in many different 
        forms, often manifesting as physical, sexual, or psychological abuse, 
        financial exploitation, neglect, and social media abuse;
Whereas elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation have no boundaries and cross all 
        racial, social, class, gender, and geographic lines, according to the 
        Elder Justice Coalition;
Whereas more than 1 in 10 individuals in the United States over the age of 60 
        have been subjected to abuse each year, with many such victims enduring 
        abuse in multiple forms, according to the American Journal of Public 
        Health;
Whereas most reported cases of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults 
        take place within private homes, and approximately 90 percent of the 
        perpetrators in elder financial exploitation cases are family members or 
        other trusted individuals, according to the National Adult Protective 
        Services Association;
Whereas research suggests that elderly individuals in the United States who 
        experience cognitive impairment, physical disabilities, or isolation are 
        more likely to become the victims of abuse than those who do not 
        experience cognitive impairment, physical disabilities, or isolation;
Whereas other risk factors for elder abuse can include low social support, poor 
        physical health, and experience of previous traumatic events, according 
        to the National Center on Elder Abuse;
Whereas close to half of elderly individuals who suffer from dementia will 
        experience abuse during their lifetime, according to the Department of 
        Justice;
Whereas only a small fraction of elder abuse cases are reported to the 
        authorities;
Whereas, on June 15, 2021, which was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, the United 
        States mourned the loss of a disturbing number of older people in the 
        United States, who perished in nursing homes and other long-term care 
        facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas, the COVID-19 pandemic also has led to the emergence of new scams 
        against older adults, including those related to vaccines;
Whereas, there has been an increase in hate crimes committed against older, 
        Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas, Congress recently passed and the President signed 2 measures that make 
        nearly $400,000,000 available for implementation of Elder Justice Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 1395i-3a et seq.) initiatives, the largest funding stream 
        related to such initiatives in the history of the Act; and
Whereas Congress, in passing the Elder Justice Act of 2009 (42 U.S.C. 1395i-3a 
        et seq.), the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.), the 
        Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act (34 U.S.C. 21701 et seq.), 
        the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2), and the 
        Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260), recognized 
        the importance of protecting older people of the United States against 
        abuse and exploitation: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates June 15, 2021, as ``World Elder Abuse 
        Awareness Day'' and the month of June as ``Elder Abuse 
        Awareness Month'';
            (2) recognizes--
                    (A) judges, lawyers, adult protective services 
                professionals, law enforcement officers, social 
                workers, health care providers, advocates for victims, 
                and other professionals and agencies for their efforts 
                to advance awareness of elder abuse;
                    (B) the important work of the Elder Justice 
                Coordinating Council, which has continued through the 
                previous 2 Administrations and involves 14 different 
                Federal agencies;
                    (C) the essential work done by adult protective 
                services personnel, who regularly came to the 
                assistance of victims, investigated reports of abuse, 
                and actively prevented future victimization of older 
                people in the United States, especially during the 
                ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as the social isolation of 
                elderly individuals due to stay-at-home orders only 
                increased the risk of abuse and neglect; and
                    (D) the importance of supporting State long-term 
                care ombudsman programs, which help prevent elder abuse 
                and neglect in nursing homes and other long-term care 
                facilities, where infection prevention and control 
                deficiencies pose persistent challenges;
            (3) applauds the work of the Elder Justice Coalition, and 
        its members, whose efforts to increase public awareness of 
        elder abuse have the potential to increase the identification 
        and reporting of this crime by the public, professionals, and 
        victims, and can act as a catalyst to promote issue-based 
        education and long-term prevention; and
            (4) encourages--
                    (A) 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--
                            (i) by reaching out to local adult 
                        protective services agencies, State long-term 
                        care ombudsman programs, and the National 
                        Center on Elder Abuse; and
                            (ii) by learning to recognize, detect, 
                        report, and respond to elder abuse;
                    (B) private individuals and public agencies in the 
                United States to continue work together at the Federal, 
                State, and local levels to combat abuse, neglect, 
                exploitation, crime, and violence against vulnerable 
                adults, including vulnerable older adults, particularly 
                in light of limited resources for vital protective 
                services; and
                    (C) those Federal agencies with responsibility for 
                preventing elder abuse to fully exercise such 
                responsibilities to protect older adults, whether 
                living in the community or in long-term care 
                facilities.
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