[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 96 (Monday, June 10, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S3293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 242--DESIGNATING JUNE 15, 2019, AS ``WORLD ELDER 
                         ABUSE AWARENESS DAY''

  Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Collins, Ms. Hassan, 
Mr. Lankford, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 242

       Whereas, as of 2016, there were approximately 52,400,000 
     individuals in the United States age 65 or older, according 
     to the Bureau of the Census;
       Whereas the Bureau of the Census projects that, by 2030, 1 
     in every 5 individuals in the United States, or 20.6 percent 
     of the population of the United States, will be age 65 or 
     older;
       Whereas the population of aging individuals in the United 
     States has steadily increased over the past century;
       Whereas elder abuse can come in many different forms, often 
     manifesting as physical, sexual, or psychological abuse, 
     financial exploitation, neglect, and social media abuse;
       Whereas the Federal Government estimates that more than 1 
     in 10 individuals in the United States (approximately 
     5,000,000 people) over the age of 60 experience abuse each 
     year, and many of them experience abuse in multiple forms, 
     according to the American Journal of Public Health;
       Whereas elderly individuals in the United States who 
     experience cognitive impairment, physical disabilities, and 
     isolation are 4 to 10 times more likely to become the victims 
     of abuse than those without disabilities, according to 
     geriatric medical research at Rush University Medical Center 
     in Chicago, Illinois;
       Whereas close to 50 percent of elderly individuals 
     suffering from dementia will experience abuse during their 
     lifetime, according to the Department of Justice;
       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 23.5 cases of elder abuse are reported to 
     the authorities, including 1 in 44 cases of financial abuse 
     and 1 in 57 cases of neglect, according to Weill Cornell 
     Medical Center;
       Whereas at least $2,900,000,000 is taken from older adults 
     each year due to financial abuse and exploitation, according 
     to the Government Accountability Office;
       Whereas elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation have no 
     boundaries and cross all racial, social, class, gender, and 
     geographic lines;
       Whereas approximately 1 in 3 people in the United States 
     cared for an elderly parent, spouse, or loved one between 
     2011 and 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control;
       Whereas older adults who are abused are 3 times more likely 
     to die before older adults of the same age who are not 
     abused, according to the Surgeon General;
       Whereas there is evidence of an increase in elder abuse, 
     neglect, and financial exploitation linked to individuals 
     with opioid addiction, according to the Administration for 
     Community Living, the Elder Justice Coalition, the Center for 
     Gerontology at Virginia Tech, and the National Adult 
     Protective Services Association;
       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 1 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 adults, including 
     vulnerable older adults, particularly in light of limited 
     resources for vital protective services; and
       Whereas 2019 is the 14th anniversary of World Elder Abuse 
     Awareness Day: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates June 15, 2019, as ``World Elder Abuse 
     Awareness Day'';
       (2) recognizes those individuals who originated World Elder 
     Abuse Awareness Day, which brings much needed attention 
     around the globe to the issue of elder abuse;
       (3) recognizes judges, lawyers, adult protective services 
     professionals, law enforcement officers, long-term care 
     ombudsmen, social workers, health care providers, advocates 
     for victims, and other professionals and agencies for their 
     efforts to advance awareness of elder abuse; and
       (4) 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--
       (A) by reaching out to local adult protective services 
     agencies, long-term care ombudsman programs, and the National 
     Center on Elder Abuse; and
       (B) by learning to recognize, detect, report, and respond 
     to elder abuse.

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