Elder abuse: What the Attorney General's office and Cape advocates are doing to fight it
Cape Cod advocates for the elderly are welcoming Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell's call to create an Elder Justice Unit within her office to help protect seniors against abuse, fraud and scams.
“It has become clear that we have much more work to do when it comes to protecting and advocating for our elders. We owe our elders more than just our respect, we owe them an opportunity to live a long and healthy life in the communities,” Campbell told the Legislature's Joint Committee on Elder Affairs at the State House on Monday.
In her testimony, Campbell outlined her support for the passage and enactment of the bill, “An Act to improve quality and oversight of long-term care,” by state Reps. Thomas M. Stanley of Waltham and Kate Lipper-Garabedian of Melrose.
According to Campbell, the measure increases the maximum civil penalties for mistreating, abusing or neglecting elderly patients that leads to their injury or death. The bill also increases the time in which the office can bring a civil suit from two years to four years.
“There is so much of that going on around the Cape that we don't even know about and it's not always reported. Anything we can do to strengthen the provisions for the protection of residents is highly appreciated,” said Brenda Vazquez, director of the town of Dennis Council on Aging.
Presently, the maximum civil penalty for a nursing home, or caregiver who commits abuse or neglect leading to death is $50,000. The new bill would boost that to $250,000 as well as corresponding increases in penalties for other injuries.
“Our state can and should be the leader and the model for the rest of the country when it comes to the issue of elder justice, and ensuring that everyone can get access to high, quality critical care, for their aging family members,” Campbell told lawmakers.
The Attorney General's office is forming an Elder Justice Unit
Campbell along with state Rep. Ruth Balser (D-Newton) has been working on another bill to strengthen the civil enforcement tools used by the AG’s office to address abuse and neglect of elderly and disabled patients.
Filed in February 2023, the bill, “An Act strengthening the Attorney General’s tools to protect nursing home residents and other patients from abuse and neglect,” highlights Campbell's initiatives to protect elderly residents.
“My team is hard at work to form an elder justice unit which will be unique, new and will focus on directing and streamlining resources all across the office to promote the safety and security of older residents,” said Campbell.
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Age-based discrimination, elder neglect and abuse, scams and frauds have been growing problems
The Cape Cod Elder Abuse Prevention Coalition works with agencies from law enforcement to nonprofits to provide advocacy, forge policy and help victims of abuse.
Councils on Aging, law enforcement, and stakeholders are starting to raise awareness about frauds, scams and educating the general public about learning to recognize potential signs of abuse in neighbors.
The Cape has an over-60 population of more than 42%, which is almost half the population. Since the pandemic, scam and fraud cases have been on the rise, as scammers are most likely to prey on those who are lonely and isolated.
“We need constant awareness, it’s not enough to just spread the words once. We need billboards, we need proper messaging, education and communication about these issues,” said Vazquez, who is also a member of the Cape Cod Elder Abuse Prevention Coalition.
According to Vazquez, there are collaborative initiatives by community crisis intervention teams, town committees, social workers, law enforcement and health care workers to identify the victims of abuse and prevent these attacks. “Since the pandemic, there's a lot more collaborative work that I see happening around this in communities across the Cape,” said Vazquez.
According to Vazquez, any initiative the AG office is taking to address the problems is greatly appreciated.
The Elder Abuse Hotline 800-922-2275 is toll-free and available 24 hours.
Rasheek Tabassum Mujib writes about healthcare and education. Reach her at mujib@capecodonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod advocates support AG's efforts to protect elders
