Personal Injury Law

May 2010 Proclaimed Elder Abuse Prevention Month

By Beth Janicek

Governor Rick Perry has proclaimed May 2010 as Elder Abuse Prevention Month in Texas. In the proclamation he said,

'Elder abuse touches all racial, cultural, religious and socioeconomic groups. At this time, I encourage all Texans to begin at home – ensuring that we are taking the very best care of the seniors in our lives, reaching out to the elderly in communities across Texas and, again, reporting any suspicion of senior abuse to the proper authorities.'

The proclamation of May as Elder Abuse Prevention Month is a great step to bring awareness to elder abuse occurrences. With Texas's large aging population we have a responsibility to protect the elderly from abuse, neglect and exploitation. All Texans have an obligation to report suspicions of elderly abuse or neglect. This can be done by calling, toll-free, (800) 252-5400 or by using the secure web site http://www.txabusehotline.org.

I applaud Governor Perry recognizing the seriousness of elder abuse and encouraging citizens to report abuse to proper authorities. This is an important step in protecting the elderly. However, the state needs to crack down on chronically troubled nursing homes and investigations for abuse or neglect claims need to be done immediately. The state received nearly 16,200 reports of poor treatment last year in Texas, about four of the five were unsubstantiated by investigators from the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, who often do the investigation weeks after receiving the complaint. To prevent elder abuse, we need to work on reporting and investigating the claims.

Full post as published by San Antonio Personal Injury Lawyer on May 10, 2010 (boomark / email).