A resolution designating June 15, 2020, as "World Elder Abuse Awareness Day".

III 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 621 Designating June 15, 2020, as ‘‘World Elder Abuse Awareness Day’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 15, 2020 Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. CASEY, and Ms. ERNST) submitted the following resolu- tion; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary JUNE 23, 2020 Committee discharged; considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating June 15, 2020, as ‘‘World Elder Abuse Awareness Day’’. Whereas, in 2006, the International Network for the Preven- tion of Elder Abuse proclaimed June 15th of each year as ‘‘World Elder Abuse Awareness Day’’; Whereas approximately 55,000,000 residents of the United States, or about 1 in every 6 individuals, have attained the age of 65 on the 15th anniversary of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in 2020; Whereas elder abuse can come in many different forms, often manifesting as physical, sexual, or psychological abuse, fi- nancial exploitation, neglect, and social media abuse; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:40 Jun 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR621.ATS SR621 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 SRES 621 ATS Whereas elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation have no boundaries and cross all racial, social, class, gender, and geographic lines, according to the Elder Justice Coalition; Whereas more than 1 in 10 individuals in the United States over the age of 60 have been subjected to abuse each year, with many such victims enduring abuse in multiple forms, according to the American Journal of Public Health; Whereas most reported cases of abuse, neglect, and exploi- tation of older adults take place within private homes, and approximately 90 percent of the perpetrators in elder financial exploitation cases are family members or other trusted individuals, according to the National Adult Pro- tective Services Association; Whereas research suggests that elderly individuals in the United States who experience cognitive impairment, phys- ical disabilities, and isolation are more likely to become the victims of abuse than those without disabilities; Whereas other risk factors for elder abuse can include low so- cial support, poor physical health, and experience of pre- vious traumatic events, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse; Whereas close to half of elderly individuals who suffer from dementia will experience abuse during their lifetime, ac- cording to the Department of Justice; Whereas only a small fraction of elder abuse cases are re- ported to the authorities; Whereas there is a need to increase funding for adult protec- tive services programs with the capacity to aid victims, investigate reports of abuse, and actively prevent future victimization, particularly during the ongoing COVID–19 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:40 Jun 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR621.ATS SR621 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 SRES 621 ATS pandemic, as the social isolation of elderly individuals due to stay-at-home orders only increases the risk of abuse and neglect; Whereas the ongoing COVID–19 pandemic has fueled de- mand for programs such as State long-term care ombuds- man programs, which help prevent elder abuse and ne- glect in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, where infection prevention and control deficiencies pose persistent challenges; Whereas 2020 marks the 10th anniversary of the passage of the Elder Justice Act (subtitle H of title VI of Public Law 111–148) and the 3rd anniversary of the passage of the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act (Public Law 115–70); Whereas public awareness of elder abuse has the potential to increase the identification and reporting of this crime by the public, professionals, and victims, and can act as a catalyst to promote issue-based education and long-term prevention; and Whereas private individuals and public agencies in the United States must work together at the Federal, State, and local levels to combat abuse, neglect, exploitation, crime, and violence against vulnerable adults, including vulner- able older adults, particularly in light of limited resources for vital protective services: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) designates June 15, 2020, as ‘‘World Elder 2 Abuse Awareness Day’’; 3 (2) recognizes judges, lawyers, adult protective 4 services professionals, law enforcement officers, 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:40 Jun 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR621.ATS SR621 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 SRES 621 ATS State long-term care ombudsmen, social workers, 1 health care providers, advocates for victims, and 2 other professionals and agencies for their efforts to 3 advance awareness of elder abuse; 4 (3) encourages members of the public and pro- 5 fessionals who work with older adults to act as cata- 6 lysts to promote awareness and long-term prevention 7 of elder abuse— 8 (A) by reaching out to local adult protec- 9 tive services agencies, State long-term care om- 10 budsman programs, and the National Center on 11 Elder Abuse; and 12 (B) by learning to recognize, detect, re- 13 port, and respond to elder abuse; and 14 (4) encourages those Federal agencies with re- 15 sponsibility for preventing elder abuse to fully exer- 16 cise such responsibilities to protect older adults, 17 whether living in the community or in long-term care 18 facilities. 19 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:40 Jun 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR621.ATS SR621 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS