your path: Home > Press Room >

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2010

For Further Information:
Jillian Lubarsky
jlubarsky@americangeriatrics.org
(212) 308-1414

American Geriatrics Society's Foundation for Health in Aging Offers Information, Advice to Address and Stop Elder Abuse and Mistreatment as Struggle for Funding for Abuse Prevention Spotlights This Growing Problem

New York, NY - After advocating for years for legislation to combat elder abuse and neglect, supporters of greater safeguards for seniors finally convinced Congress to include provisions protecting elders in the new health reform law. They're now fighting for funding to enact these provisions in an effort that's shedding light on how pervasive and devastating elder abuse and neglect are.

To help raise awareness of the problem, and how to recognize and stop it, the American Geriatrics Society's Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) has published a comprehensive, easily understood "tip sheet" -- "Preventing Elder Abuse and Neglect in Older Adults".

"Elder abuse and neglect often go unreported," says Lisa Gibbs, MD, of the UC Irvine Program in Geriatrics in Orange, California and Chair of the American Geriatrics Society's Elder Abuse Special Interest Group. An estimated 5 million seniors are abused or neglected each year, she notes, and this number is rising.

"Victims may hesitate to come forward and report abuse because they are often being abused by a family member or trusted caregiver and feel ashamed,' Dr. Gibbs explains. "Older adults also rely on their caregivers for their daily care and they may fear that there will be no one else to care for them. It becomes even more important then, for others to know the signs of elder abuse and report abuse to keep older adults in our communities safe."

The new FHA tip sheet explains that elder mistreatment takes many forms, including physical, verbal, emotional and sexual abuse, financial exploitation, and neglect. It offers detailed advice on recognizing signs of these different types of abuse and neglect. It explains how to get help for an older adult when you suspect mistreatment. And it offers reassurances that, when contacted, trained professionals will carefully investigate, while protecting seniors who may be at risk and those who have notified authorities.

ABOUT THE FHA
In 1999, the American Geriatrics Society reached beyond its traditional role as a professional medical society and launched the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA). The FHA aims to build a bridge between geriatrics health care professionals and the public, and advocate on behalf of older adults and their special needs: wellness and preventive care, self-responsibility and independence, and connections to family and community. The FHA champions initiatives in public education, clinical research, and public policy that advance the principles and practice of geriatrics medicine; educate policy makers and the public on the health care needs and concerns of older adults; support aging research that reduces disability and frailty, and improves quality of life and health outcomes; encourage older adults to be effective advocates for their own health care; and help family members and caregivers take better care of their older loved ones and themselves.

ABOUT THE AGS
Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (www.americangeriatrics.org) is a non-profit organization of more than 6,400 healthcare professionals whose shared mission is to improve the health, independence and quality of life of older people. Our vision for the future is that all older adults will have access to quality healthcare that meets their unique needs. To achieve this, the Society focuses on: advancing eldercare research; enhancing clinical practice in eldercare; raising public awareness of the healthcare needs of older people; and advocating for public policy that ensures older adults access to quality, appropriate, cost-effective care. The Society is a pivotal force in shaping practices, policies and perspectives in the field.