"Enough is Enough" - Chair of Senate Aging Committee Backs New Bill to Stop Elder Abuse

Kohl joins Sen. Lincoln, Sen. Hatch to introduce Elder Justice Act

March 30, 2007 - U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, today hailed the introduction the Elder Justice Act of 2007, introduced by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR). Chairman Kohl, an original co-sponsor of the legislation, said, "We are finally saying enough is enough - elder abuse is unacceptable and we are going to act to stop it."

In a 2004 Survey of State Adult Protective Services, NCEA said findings show a 19.7 percent increase in the combined total of reports of elder and vulnerable adult abuse and neglect and a 15.6 percent increase in substantiated cases in the four years since the last survey was conducted in 2000.

The study, which analyzed the latest data from the states, found that in 2003, APS agencies received 565,747 reports of suspected elder and vulnerable adult abuse, as compared with 482,913 reports four years prior.

“Our nation has for far too long turned its back on the shame of elder abuse," said Kohl. "Congress has held hearings on the devastating effects of elder abuse for a quarter of a century."

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