As Americans, we believe in justice for all. Yet, every year an estimated 5 million, or 1 in 10 older Americans experience elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation. That is why we celebrate World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15 and June is designated as Elder Abuse Awareness Month.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day serves as a call-to-action for individuals, organizations, and communities to raise awareness about elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The sad fact is that only 1 in 23 cases of elder abuse are reported so we all can have a role in stopping elder abuse.

The Nation Center on Elder Abuse says it’s up to everyone to stop elder abuse and here are twelve things that every person can do to stop this! 1) Educate yourself on the signs of abuse and neglect and share these with others in your circle. The more people know the more likely they are to prevent or report abuse. 2) Talk to Friends and family members about services available in the community to support people as they age. Not only does this prevent self-neglect but you can have more eyes on a situation for an elder, preventing isolation which makes people vulnerable to scams and financial exploitation. 3) Prevent isolation by visiting and checking on older adults in your family and neighborhood. 4) Send a letter to the paper to suggest they cover World Elder Abuse Awareness Day or tell them your experience with a scammer. Sharing that you have been scammed or an attempt to scam might help someone else feel more comfortable reporting. 5) Join Ageless Alliance, an organization that connects people of all ages who stand united for the dignity of older adults and for the elimination of elder abuse at www.agelessalliance.org. 6) Provide respite breaks for caregivers! There are many people we all know who are caring for a spouse or parent or disabled child. The best thing you can do to help is give them a break. Offer to sit with the person so the caregiver can go to the hairdresser, shopping, show or event, or to their own doctor’s appointments. Too often caregivers become isolated and so immersed in caregiving that they neglect their own physical and mental health and this can lead to abuse of the care receiver. 7) Encourage bank managers to train all bank staff on how to detect elder abuse. The Office for Aging Services (OFAS) is happy to connect any local banks to training and we have presented in-services to bank staff with the Center for Elder Law and Justice on the signs of financial exploitation. 8) Ask our doctors to ask all older patients about the possibility of family violence in their lives. 9) Contact Adult Protective Services for people living in the community or the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program for people living in a facility if you feel someone is being abused or neglected or even unable to care for themselves which is “self-neglect.” The number for our local adult protective services is (716) 753-4447. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is run by People Inc in Buffalo (716) 817-9222 but the ombudsmen are local volunteers who visit nursing homes and adult care facilities regularly. 10) Organize an “Aging with Dignity essay or poster contest at a local school. 11) Ask your pastor to give a talk about elder abuse at a service or put a message in the church bulletin about elder abuse and local resources. 12) Volunteer to be a friendly visitor to a nursing home resident or a homebound older person in the community. Call our NY Connects helpline to find out about volunteer opportunities.

In Chautauqua County, we are fortunate to have an Elder Abuse Council that works on raising awareness and making systemic changes to prevent elder abuse as well as a multi-disciplinary team working on difficult cases of abuse and financial exploitation. Often scams and financial abuse cases require more than one agency to solve or stop. The multi-disciplinary team (MDT team) includes Adult Protective Services, Office for Aging Services, Mental Hygiene, Law Enforcement, District Attorney, Banks, Forensic Accountants and others who meet to discuss and help solve the most difficult cases. These Elder Abuse Council and MDT team are coordinated by the Center for Elder Law and Justice through a special grant provided by the Administration for Community Living.

On June 15, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, members of the Chautauqua County Elder Abuse Council invite elected officials and concerned citizens to join us for a special press conference on the steps of Chautauqua County Court House at 3 North Erie Street in Mayville at 12 pm. Remember, its up to all of us to STOP ELDER ABUSE! For more information about anything in this article, please contact NY Connects at 716-753-4582.

Mary Ann Spanos is director of the county Office of the Aging.