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[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 242 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 242

   Designating June 15, 2019, as ``World Elder Abuse Awareness Day''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 10, 2019

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Designating June 15, 2019, as ``World Elder Abuse Awareness Day''.

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.
                                 <all>
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