III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 774 

Designating June 15, 2024, as ‘‘World Elder Abuse Awareness Day’’ and 

the month of June 2024 as ‘‘Elder Abuse Awareness Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 25, 2024 

Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself and Mr. BLUMENTHAL) submitted the following 

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating June 15, 2024, as ‘‘World Elder Abuse Awareness Day’’ and the month of June 2024 as ‘‘Elder Abuse 

Awareness Month’’. 

Whereas, in 2021, approximately 55,000,000 residents of the 

United States, or about 1 in every 6 individuals, had attained the age of 65, and by 2060, nearly 95,000,000 individuals in the United States, or about 1 in every 4 individuals, will be over the age of 65, according to estimates 

by the Bureau of the Census; 

Whereas, in 2029, it is anticipated that older adults will outnumber children for the first time, according to the Bureau of the Census; 

Whereas elder abuse remains a challenging problem and can 

come in many different forms, often manifesting as physVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Jul 26, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR774.ATS SR774

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ical, sexual, or psychological abuse, financial exploitation, 

neglect, and social media abuse; 

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 about 1 in 10 adults over the age of 60 are subjected to abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation each 

year, according to the National Institute on Aging; 

Whereas the annual loss by victims of financial abuse is estimated to be at least $36,500,000,000, according to the 

National Council on Aging; 

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, or isolation are more likely to become the 

victims of abuse than those who do not experience cognitive impairment, physical disabilities, or isolation; 

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 or neglect during their 

lifetime, according to the Department of Justice; 


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Whereas only 1 in 24 cases of elder abuse is reported, according the New York State Office of Children and Family 

Services; 

Whereas, on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, the United 

States mourns the loss of elderly individuals who perished 

in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities during the COVID–19 pandemic; 

Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic has led to the emergence 

of new scams against older adults, including those related 

to vaccines; 

Whereas, during the last 4 years, Congress passed and the 

President signed 2 measures that make nearly 

$400,000,000 available for implementation of the initiatives under the Elder Justice Act of 2009 (subtitle H of 

title VI of Public Law 111–148; 124 Stat. 783), the largest funding stream related to such initiatives in the history of the Act; and 

Whereas Congress, in passing the Elder Justice Act of 2009 

(subtitle H of title VI of Public Law 111–148; 124 Stat. 

783), the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 

et seq.), the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act 

(34 U.S.C. 21701 et seq.), the American Rescue Plan 

Act of 2021 (Public Law 117–2; 135 Stat. 4), and the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116– 

260; 134 Stat. 1182), recognized the importance of protecting older people of the United States against abuse 

and exploitation: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates June 15, 2024, as ‘‘World Elder 

3 Abuse Awareness Day’’ and the month of June 2024 

4 as ‘‘Elder Abuse Awareness Month’’; 


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1 (2) recognizes— 

2 (A) judges, lawyers, adult protective serv3 ices professionals, law enforcement officers, so4 cial workers, health care providers, advocates 

5 for victims, and other professionals and agen6 cies for their efforts to advance awareness of 

7 elder abuse; 

8 (B) the important work of the Elder Jus9 tice Coordinating Council, which has continued 

10 through the previous 2 Presidential administra11 tions and involves 15 different Federal agen12 cies; 

13 (C) the essential work done by adult pro14 tective services personnel, who regularly come 

15 to the assistance of victims, investigate reports 

16 of abuse, and actively prevent future victimiza17 tion of older people in the United States, espe18 cially during the COVID–19 pandemic as the 

19 social isolation of elderly individuals, due to 

20 stay-at-home orders, only increased the risk of 

21 abuse and neglect; and 

22 (D) the importance of supporting State 

23 long-term care ombudsman programs, which 

24 help prevent elder abuse and neglect in nursing 

25 homes and other long-term care facilities, where 


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1 infection prevention and control deficiencies 

2 pose persistent challenges; 

3 (3) applauds the work of the Elder Justice Coa4 lition and its members, whose efforts to increase 

5 public awareness of elder abuse have the potential to 

6 increase the identification and reporting of this 

7 crime by the public, professionals, and victims, and 

8 can act as a catalyst to promote issue-based edu9 cation and long-term prevention; and 

10 (4) encourages— 

11 (A) members of the public and profes12 sionals who work with older adults to act as 

13 catalysts to promote awareness and long-term 

14 prevention of elder abuse— 

15 (i) by reaching out to local adult pro16 tective services agencies, State long-term 

17 care ombudsman programs, and the Na18 tional Center on Elder Abuse; and 

19 (ii) by learning to recognize, detect, 

20 report, and respond to elder abuse; 

21 (B) private individuals and public agencies 

22 in the United States to continue work together 

23 at the Federal, State, and local levels to combat 

24 abuse, neglect, exploitation, crime, and violence 

25 against vulnerable adults, including vulnerable 


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1 older adults, particularly in light of limited re2 sources for vital protective services; and 

3 (C) those Federal agencies with responsi4 bility for preventing elder abuse to fully exercise 

5 such responsibilities to protect older adults, 

6 whether such older adults are living in the com7 munity or in long-term care facilities. 

Æ 


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