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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 13, 2022 01:33 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Maria Collett and Sen. Judy Ward |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Recognizing June 15, 2022 as Elder Abuse Awareness Day in Pennsylvania |
| In the near future, we will be introducing a resolution to designate June 15, 2022, as Elder Abuse Awareness Day in Pennsylvania. According to the Department of Aging’s Older Adult Protective Services 2020-21 Report, there were 39,820 statewide reports of elder abuse. This illustrates a 63% increase in reports over the past five years. Because many cases of elder abuse go unreported in the Commonwealth, we can assume that the actual number of abuse incidences is much higher every year. Signs of elder abuse may be missed by professionals working with older Americans because of lack of awareness and adequate training on detecting abuse. Elder abuse comes in many different forms, including physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, abandonment, and financial exploitation. Our older Pennsylvanians deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, not worrying about the possibility of someone taking advantage of them. The Department of Aging works hard to protect our older Pennsylvanians by providing protective services, educating the public on those services, and safeguarding older people’s rights while providing the help and assistance that is needed. We hope you will join us in cosponsoring this important resolution and we urge you to add the Statewide Elder Abuse hotline to your constituent outreach. The number is 1-800-490-8505 and can be accessed 24 hours a day. |