Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill emphasizes commitment to combat elderly abuse.
- Elder Abuse Awareness Month events aim to educate the public about growing elder abuse issues.
- Gill stresses importance of community involvement and mandatory reporting in Utah.
SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill says his office is committed to fighting domestic violence.
"Our commitment is no family violence from cradle to grave," he said.
That means not only doing what he can to prevent child abuse, but also elder abuse.
June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month. On Wednesday, June 18, Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services will host lunchtime events at all of the county's senior centers to raise awareness about the growing problem of elder abuse and what can be done to prevent it.
"Elder abuse is a community effort," said Afton January, spokeswoman for the state's Adult and Aging Services.
"As family members, we all need to say, 'My parents are getting older. How are we going to care for them? What is the plan that we have?'" Gill added.
Gill and January spoke together on Thursday to announce the Elder Abuse Awareness events while also giving statistics about elder abuse in Utah.
"This is a growing problem because we're a growing population," Gill said, while noting that the number of people aged 60 and over worldwide is expected to reach 2 billion by 2050.
He said his office is striving to combat physical and sexual abuse of senior citizens as well as financial exploitation.
"I think our aging population is more vulnerable to financial scams that are coming out there. So, as a family, you need to talk about a plan. You don't wait until your parents become too frail," Gill said.
Gill's office has filed 37 felony abuse and exploitation charges of a vulnerable adult over the past two years, and 60 misdemeanor charges. But he fears those numbers are low because, many times, elder abuse goes unreported, in part because the abuse is being committed by an elderly resident's own family member. Gill said a study by the National Council on Aging estimates that just 1 in 24 cases of abuse are reported.
That's why both Gill and January are encouraging the public to check up on the elderly residents in their neighborhoods.
"Raising awareness is really the first step toward prevention. One of the most effective ways to prevent elder abuse is through community connection and combating social isolation through regular social engagement," January said. "If you know of an older adult who lives on your street who you haven't seen leave the house for 30 days, knock on the door. See if they're OK. Call for a welfare check. It may be they can't leave home and they have a perfectly viable caretaker. But without checking, we don't know."
She says red flags of possible physical abuse include unexplained bruises and fractures in different stages of healing, malnourishment, poor hygiene, having an unkempt appearance and not wearing the right clothing for certain weather conditions. Signs of possible financial exploitation include a loss of control of finances, suddenly changing a will and being unable to afford items such as clothing because the elderly person's finances have been depleted.
Gill also reminds residents that Utah is a mandatory reporting state, meaning if someone believes a vulnerable adult is being abused or neglected, it must be reported to authorities.
"The way we treat the elderly in our community says something about the values that we espouse. The world we live in today was built by those who are now some of the most vulnerable in our society. We owe it to them to offer respect, care and justice when they have been made victims of abuse, exploitation or neglect," Gill said.
Elderly neglect or abuse can be reported by calling 800-371-7897.
