Take Action
Urgent! Please Ask Your Representative to Pass the Elder Justice Act Now!
On Christmas eve, the U.S. Senate took a historic step toward protecting our elders from being beaten neglected or exploited – our Senators, for the first time, passed the full Elder Justice Act by including it in their health care bill.
It is critical that the House of Representatives hears from you today.
Please take two minutes and send your representatives an email by clicking here.
Please lets make this a priority. Our elders are our gift.
Anyone who abuses the elderly is at the bottom of the scale of humanity. The elderly are easy to prey on but there is absolutely NO excuse for taking advantage of them in any way. Please help the elderly and pass laws that give them more power and the help they need to protect themselves. Often they are clueless about how the world these days works. Put a comprehensible system in place that will come to their aid.
This could happen to someone you love dearly. Stop the abuse.
I take care of my elderly mother and this sort of thing boggles my mind.We must put an end to this madness once and for all!
It is unconscionable that Congress has held hearings on the horrors of elder abuse for over 30 years and has yet to pass a single comprehensive law to address it. This is in sharp contrast to the dozens of laws and $9 billion in funds addressing child abuse as well as the half billion provided to battered women’s and rape crisis services under the Violence Against Women Act – all of which are needed and well deserved. But while our seniors fought to protect our country and to build the prosperity we have long enjoyed, our national lawmakers have been content to ignore their suffering at the hands of their own family members, caregivers and others. As a result, one in nine older persons is abused (hit, punched, burned), neglected (left to lie in their own waste, not fed or given water) and financially exploited in the billions of dollars every year without a penny of designated funding from the federal government. Adult Protective Services (APS) are the “boots on the ground” in the fight against elder abuse, as they are the people who go into seniors’ homes to investigate the abuse and to offer protection. PASS THE ELDER JUSTICE ACT TO HELP WOEFULLY UNDERFUNDED STATE AND LOCAL APS PROGRAMS SO THEY CAN RESPOND TO AND PROTECT OUR ELDERS! Thank you! If justice delayed is justice denied, 30 years with no action is a grave injustice to the people we say we honor and respect.
It seems there are many groups tackling this issue. I think it would be better for all the groups to unite and then have one strong voice. There should be a national organization supported by members (individuals) so the politicians see our numbers. Just look at the National Rifle Association as an example. Right now, politicians see a patchwork of elder abuse groups and no membership to speak of. And regarding the Elder Justice Act, while it’s a step in the right direction, I want to see changes to how banks do business. When I study how my brother was able to steal $30K from my mother, I see holes that need to be plugged. I have a list of nine items which would have prevented the looting. So, I’d like someone to take charge and unite everyone and get a membership supported organization, with a lobbying group, that Washington will understand. It shouldn’t take 25-30 years for this to be solved.