III 

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; 


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•SRES 242 IS 

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 


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•SRES 242 IS 

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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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•SRES 242 IS 

1 (1) designates June 15, 2019, as ‘‘World Elder 

2 Abuse Awareness Day’’; 

3 (2) recognizes those individuals who originated 

4 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which brings 

5 much needed attention around the globe to the issue 

6 of elder abuse; 

7 (3) recognizes judges, lawyers, adult protective 

8 services professionals, law enforcement officers, long9 term care ombudsmen, social workers, health care 

10 providers, advocates for victims, and other profes11 sionals and agencies for their efforts to advance 

12 awareness of elder abuse; and 

13 (4) encourages members of the public and pro14 fessionals who work with older adults to act as cata15 lysts to promote awareness and long-term prevention 

16 of elder abuse— 

17 (A) by reaching out to local adult protec18 tive services agencies, long-term care ombuds19 man programs, and the National Center on 

20 Elder Abuse; and 

21 (B) by learning to recognize, detect, re22 port, and respond to elder abuse. 

Æ 


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