SERINO MAKES ELDER ABUSE PREVENTION A PRIORITY

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY—Senator Sue Serino (R, C, I—Hyde Park), Chair of the NYS Senate Aging Committee, hosted a successful ‘Elder Abuse Prevention Roundtable’ in Poughkeepsie on Wednesday, December 2, 2015.

“The health and safety of New York’s seniors is one of my highest priorities,” said Senator Serino. “Elder abuse is one of—if not the most—egregious threats to our seniors’ ability to age independently and with dignity. The Roundtable brought individuals together from around the state—aging advocates, members of law enforcement, representatives of financial institutions and the like—to provide input on what we can be doing better at the State level to protect our seniors.”

The definition of elder abuse is broad in nature and includes financial abuse and exploitation, physical or sexual abuse, emotional abuse, active or passive neglect as well as self-neglect.  

According to the National Council on Aging, up to five million cases of elder abuse occur each year across the country and researchers estimate that up to 85% of those incidents go unreported.
 
It is commonly accepted that financial abuse is the most prevalent form of elder abuse. According to the 2010 Investor Protection Trust Elder Fraud Survey, twenty percent of Americans over the age of 64, reported being taken advantage of financially. It has been estimated that financial fraud costs U.S. seniors billions of dollars each year.

The goal of the event was to explore best practices in combating elder abuse and to determine the ways in which the State can work to better protect the physical and financial safety of its seniors.
 
“Elder abuse is a particularly heinous crime, given the vital role our seniors play in our community. We have a responsibility to ensure that they have the opportunity to enjoy their Golden years free from harm and safe from abuse.” Serino continued. “ While it was eye-opening to hear from advocates about the prevalence of abuse, it was encouraging to hear about the work being done in our local community and beyond to protect our seniors. It’s clear that immediate action needs to be taken to combat elder abuse and I will work tirelessly to find innovative solutions that work to protect the safety of our seniors.”
 
Senator Serino concluded the Roundtable noting that it is the first of multiple meetings that will be held on the topic.

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