A coalition of city agencies and nonprofit senior service providers including Adult Protective Services, the Department of Human Services, the District Attorney's office, the Goldman Institute on Aging, the Municipal Fiscal Advisory Committee to the Mayor, the San Francisco Commission on the Aging, and the San Francisco Consortium for Elder Abuse Prevention has come together to sponsor an intensive citywide community awareness campaign to enhance public knowledge about this silent crime, and to encourage victims and witnesses to utilize the Adult Protective Services' 24-hour information line to report abuse.
Elder abuse is a growing problem, both in California and nationwide.
According to the San Francisco Commission on the Aging, a recent survey of San Franciscans over the age of 55, showed that 14,000 of those surveyed had experienced some form of abuse compared to 5,000 from a survey conducted in 1992. Studies show that elder abuse is significantly underreported because victims are often ashamed or unable to report or they are fearful of reprisals. Elder abuse is a problem we can no longer ignore-when one person in our community suffers, our entire community suffers.