Elder Abuse Called Shameful National Epidemic

MediaNews editorial

Editorial: Congress should pass Elder Justice Act

CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS going back 30 years have documented that elder abuse is a shameful national epidemic. In recent years, the problem has only gotten worse.
Three times now, the Elder Justice Act, which would adopt much-needed new measures to protect exploited seniors, has died in Congress.

Seniors can no longer afford to wait. It's time now for action.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., have reintroduced their original bill once again. It currently awaits action in the Senate Finance Committee.
The Elder Justice Act is a smart, comprehensive plan for preventing and detecting elder abuse across the U.S.

First and foremost, it would make combating elder abuse a national priority. That would help to bring the problem, which has largely been a hidden epidemic, into the public spotlight.

The Elder Justice Act would do a number of things.

Most importantly, it would create a stream of dedicated funding through block grants to Adult Protective Services Agencies around the country. These agencies are on the front lines for detecting elder abuse and protecting exploited seniors.

Yet many local adult protective services agencies currently operate on such shoestring budgets their caseloads are off the charts. They're only able to intervene in the most extreme cases of abuse, leaving many at-risk seniors to suffer.

We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the abuse of our elders.
It is high time that Congress took the lead in fighting this national scourge.

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