Kate Klunk |
According to the National Council on
Aging, one in 10 Americans aged 60 or older has been the victim of some
form of elder abuse. Some estimate that as many as 5 million senior
citizens are abused each year. Another study estimated that only one in
14 cases of abuse are reported to authorities.
Chances are great you are related to or know someone who is a victim of this despicable crime.
To
further combat elder abuse, I have teamed up with three colleagues to
draft a package of legislation. We have circulated the co-sponsorship
memos for these important bills and anticipate introducing them shortly.
My bill will address using social media to share images of elderly
patients.
Over the years, there has been numerous
reports of care providers posting inappropriate images of elderly
patients online. In one report, a nursing assistant recorded video of a
93-year-old Alzheimer’s patient in nothing but her bra. This video was
then uploaded to social media – an undignified post for anyone to see.
As
the granddaughter of a dementia patient, I take great offense to these
actions as that woman could have been my dear “Mamaw.” That woman could
have been your mother, grandmother or great grandmother.
In
another case, humiliating images of an elderly patient covered in feces
were taken and posted to social media by a care provider in Iowa. In
that case, the law, unfortunately, hadn’t kept up with technology. The
care provider wasn’t criminally charged because the images didn’t meet
the definition of sexual exploitation because none of the photos
actually showed restricted content, such as the patient’s genitals.
This
case is exactly why we need to update our laws so those who post these
horrific images are dealt with appropriately. Our seniors deserve better
and deserve to be protected by the law.
My bill
would make it a misdemeanor for employees of care providers to post
pictures of care dependent individuals without their permission.
The
additional bills in the package would amend the Health Care Facilities
Act to allow residents or representatives of residents to place
electronic monitoring devices, such as cameras, in rooms with
appropriate notices and consent of the facility and other residents.
Another bill would add a definition of financial exploitation to the
Older Adult Protective Act. It would also establish a private right of
action for certain financial crimes and add a $100 fee to those
proceedings to create a Senior Trust Fund at the state Department of
Aging.
Finally, the fourth bill would allow for
concurrent jurisdiction for the Attorney General during financial
exploitation investigations of care dependent individuals.
Elder
abuse has increased over the past few years. Though I am working in the
state House to combat elder abuse, there are some steps that can be
taken to prevent the abuse from happening and it all begins with
education. With June being Elder Abuse Awareness Month, I want to share
information about elder abuse.
Elder abuse includes
physical, emotional and sexual abuse, as well as exploitation, neglect,
and abandonment. Perpetrators range from a victim’s children and
spouses to staff at nursing homes, assisted living, and other
facilities. Scammers who prey on the elderly are also perpetrators of
elder abuse.
Signs of abuse are isolation, weight
loss, bruises or broken bones, increased confusion, unusual withdrawals
from bank accounts and signing over a home to another person.
My
office regularly partners with the York County District Attorney’s
Office at outreach events where we provide seniors and their family
members with fraud and abuse prevention tips. Some tips I want to share
with you include; staying active in the community and with friends, as
this will decrease social isolation; take care of your health; do not
give out personal information over the phone; review your will and bank
accounts periodically; open your own mail; and seek independent advice
from someone you trust before updating or signing legal documents.
If
you are the victim of elder abuse, or if you suspect someone you know
is a victim, please don’t hesitate to report it. Report incidents to
your local police department by calling 911 or call the 24-hour abuse
hotline at 1-800-490-8505.
Full Article & Source:
Bills would help combat elder abuse
1 comment:
This makes no sense to me. 1 in 10 is a victim yet they say elder abuse mostly goes unreported. So, how did they come up with the 1 in 10 figure?
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