house resolution no.125

Reps. Elder, Kuppa, Paquette, Wozniak, Koleszar, Yancey, Hood, Garrett, Haadsma, Brixie, Bolden, Sneller, Stone, Anthony, Manoogian, Witwer and Jones offered the following resolution:

A resolution to declare June 15, 2019, as Elder Abuse Awareness Day in the state of Michigan.

Whereas, On June 15, 2006, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was launched by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations, among other international organizations; and

Whereas, Estimates show that more than 1 in 10 persons over age 60, or approximately 5,000,000 individuals, are victims of elder abuse each year; and

Whereas, The vast majority of the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults in the United States goes unidentified, as only 1 in 25 cases of financial abuse of older adults is reported; and

Whereas, Elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation have no boundaries and cross all racial, social, class, gender, and geographic lines; and

Whereas, Older adults who are abused are 2 times more likely to die earlier than older adults of the same age who are not abused; and

Whereas, Public awareness has the potential to increase the identification and reporting of elder abuse 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 must work together on the federal, state, and local levels to combat increasing occurrences of abuse, neglect, and exploitation crime and violence against vulnerable older adults and vulnerable adults, particularly in light of limited resources for vital protective services; and

Whereas, 2019 is the 13th celebration of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body declare June 15, 2019, as Elder Abuse Awareness Day in Michigan; and be it further

Resolved that the House of Representatives recognizes judges, lawyers, adult protective services professionals, law enforcement officers, long-term care ombudsmen, social workers, health care providers, professional guardians, advocates for victims, and other professionals and agencies for their efforts to advance awareness of elder abuse. We encourage members of the public and professionals who work with older adults to act as catalysts to promote awareness and long-term prevention of elder abuse by reaching out to local adult protective services agencies, long-term care ombudsman programs, and the National Center on Elder Abuse, and by learning to recognize, detect, report, and respond to elder abuse.