III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 621 

Designating June 15, 2020, as ‘‘World Elder Abuse Awareness Day’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 15, 2020 

Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. WYDEN, 

Mr. TILLIS, Mr. CASEY, and Ms. ERNST) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Designating June 15, 2020, as ‘‘World Elder Abuse 

Awareness Day’’. 

Whereas, in 2006, the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse proclaimed June 15th of each year 

as ‘‘World Elder Abuse Awareness Day’’; 

Whereas approximately 55,000,000 residents of the United 

States, or about 1 in every 6 individuals, have attained 

the age of 65 on the 15th anniversary of World Elder 

Abuse Awareness Day in 2020; 

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 621 IS 

Whereas elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation have no 

boundaries and cross all racial, social, class, gender, and 

geographic lines, according to the Elder Justice Coalition; 

Whereas more than 1 in 10 individuals in the United States 

over the age of 60 have been subjected to abuse each 

year, with many such victims enduring abuse in multiple 

forms, according to the American Journal of Public 

Health; 

Whereas most reported cases of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults take place within private homes, 

and approximately 90 percent of the perpetrators in elder 

financial exploitation cases are family members or other 

trusted individuals, according to the National Adult Protective Services Association; 

Whereas research suggests that elderly individuals in the 

United States who experience cognitive impairment, physical disabilities, and isolation are more likely to become 

the victims of abuse than those without disabilities; 

Whereas other risk factors for elder abuse can include low social support, poor physical health, and experience of previous traumatic events, according to the National Center 

on Elder Abuse; 

Whereas close to half of elderly individuals who suffer from 

dementia will experience abuse during their lifetime, according to the Department of Justice; 

Whereas only a small fraction of elder abuse cases are reported to the authorities; 

Whereas there is a need to increase funding for adult protective services programs with the capacity to aid victims, 

investigate reports of abuse, and actively prevent future 

victimization, particularly during the ongoing COVID–19 


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•SRES 621 IS 

pandemic, as the social isolation of elderly individuals due 

to stay-at-home orders only increases the risk of abuse 

and neglect; 

Whereas the ongoing COVID–19 pandemic has fueled demand for programs such as State long-term care ombudsman programs, which help prevent elder abuse and neglect in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, 

where infection prevention and control deficiencies pose 

persistent challenges; 

Whereas 2020 marks the 10th anniversary of the passage of 

the Elder Justice Act (subtitle H of title VI of Public 

Law 111–148) and the 3rd anniversary of the passage of 

the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act (Public 

Law 115–70); 

Whereas public awareness of elder abuse has the potential to 

increase the identification and reporting of this crime by 

the public, professionals, and victims, and can act as a 

catalyst to promote issue-based education and long-term 

prevention; and 

Whereas private individuals and public agencies in the United 

States must work together at the Federal, State, and 

local levels to combat abuse, neglect, exploitation, crime, 

and violence against vulnerable adults, including vulnerable older adults, particularly in light of limited resources 

for vital protective services: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates June 15, 2020, as ‘‘World Elder 

3 Abuse Awareness Day’’; 

4 (2) recognizes judges, lawyers, adult protective 

5 services professionals, law enforcement officers, 


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•SRES 621 IS 

1 State long-term care ombudsmen, social workers, 

2 health care providers, advocates for victims, and 

3 other professionals and agencies for their efforts to 

4 advance awareness of elder abuse; 

5 (3) encourages members of the public and pro6 fessionals who work with older adults to act as cata7 lysts to promote awareness and long-term prevention 

8 of elder abuse— 

9 (A) by reaching out to local adult protec10 tive services agencies, State long-term care om11 budsman programs, and the National Center on 

12 Elder Abuse; and 

13 (B) by learning to recognize, detect, re14 port, and respond to elder abuse; and 

15 (4) encourages those Federal agencies with re16 sponsibility for preventing elder abuse to fully exer17 cise such responsibilities to protect older adults, 

18 whether living in the community or in long-term care 

19 facilities. 

Æ 


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