By Kate Birnbryer White
Victoria Bastion, a 92-year-old resident of San Francisco, is a kind and loving grandmother who allowed her grandson to live with her after his father died. Her grandson got involved with a gang and invited gang members to move in to her house. Drugs were used and sold in her home and prostitutes were using it as a base for their trade.
Victoria's niece took action after learning that her aunt had put a steel gate on her bedroom door to protect herself and her belongings. Adult protective services and law enforcement rid the house of the gang, stopped the abuse, and allowed Victoria to remain in her home.
Sadly, stories like this are starting to sprout up in northern Michigan. According to the best available estimates, between 1 and 2 million Americans aged 65 or older have been injured, exploited or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depended for care or protection.
Elder abuse refers to intentional or neglectful acts by a caregiver or "trusted" individual that lead to, or may lead to, harm of a vulnerable elder. In almost 90 percent of the elder abuse and neglect incidents with a known perpetrator, the perpetrator is a family member, and two-thirds of the perpetrators are adult children or spouses. It is estimated that for every one case of elder abuse, neglect, exploitation or self-neglect reported to authorities, at least five more go unreported.
In Michigan, we have seen efforts by state government to cut back drastically on those who are in the front lines in trying to help. At the same time, the federal government and our elected national leaders have not committed to dealing with what is often called the silent crisis.
Meanwhile, legislation that would address many of the problems faced by those at the grassroots level who are trying to advocate for, prevent or enforce a patchwork of state laws governing elder abuse, has been introduced in Congress.
The Elder Justice Act would provide federal resources and leadership to support state and community efforts to prevent, detect, treat, understand, intervene in and, where appropriate, prosecute elder abuse, neglect and exploitation. The Act or something like it has been under consideration by Congress since 2002; the first hearings on elder abuse were held more than 25 years ago.
Elder Law of Michigan has been working with the National Council on Aging, the Elder Justice Coalition and WITNESS to collect dozens of video stories from victims, their families, advocates and law enforcement officials that reinforce the need for a federal law. Stories from Michigan and more than 150 from all over the country can be found at www.elderjusticenow.org.
Unlike domestic violence or child abuse, there is no federal law covering elder abuse. It's time to change that. Join with us in urging our Congressional delegation to co-sponsor this legislation and vote for its passage when it is considered by the full Congress.
About the author: Kate Birnbryer White is executive director of Lansing-based Elder Law of Michigan, Inc. She serves on the Michigan Department of Community Health's Consumer Task Force, and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan's State Advisory Council.
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