[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 99 (Thursday, June 14, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S3955]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 549--DESIGNATING JUNE 15, 2018, AS ``WORLD ELDER 
                         ABUSE AWARENESS DAY''

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Casey, Mr. Murphy, and 
Mrs. McCaskill) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 549

       Whereas the Federal Government estimates that more than 1 
     in 10 persons over the age of 60 are victims of elder abuse 
     each year;
       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 14 cases of financial abuse of older 
     adults is reported;
       Whereas at least $2,900,000,000 is taken from older adults 
     each year due to financial abuse and exploitation;
       Whereas elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation have no 
     boundaries and cross all racial, social, class, gender, and 
     geographic lines;
       Whereas older adults who are abused are 3 times more likely 
     to die earlier than older adults of the same age who are not 
     abused;
       Whereas \1/2\ of all older adults with dementia will 
     experience abuse;
       Whereas providing unwanted medical treatment can be a form 
     of elder abuse and exploitation;
       Whereas there is evidence of an increase in elder abuse, 
     neglect, and financial exploitation linked to individuals 
     with opioid addiction;
       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 one 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 older adults and 
     vulnerable adults, particularly in light of limited resources 
     for vital protective services; and
       Whereas 2018 is the 13th anniversary of World Elder Abuse 
     Awareness Day: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates June 15, 2018, as ``World Elder Abuse 
     Awareness Day'';
       (2) recognizes judges, lawyers, adult protective services 
     professionals, law enforcement officers, long-term care 
     ombudsmen, social workers, health care providers, 
     professional guardians, advocates for victims, and other 
     professionals and agencies for efforts to advance awareness 
     of elder abuse; and
       (3) 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 by reaching 
     out to local adult protective services agencies, long-term 
     care ombudsman programs, and the National Center on Elder 
     Abuse, and by learning to recognize, detect, report, and 
     respond to elder abuse.

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