Center marks abuse awareness day

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Wednesday, June 15 marked World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The Weinberg Center for Elder Abuse Prevention, located on the Riverdale campus of the Hebrew Home, is the nation’s first elder abuse shelter. It says since opening its doors in 2005, it has provided over 80,000 days of emergency shelter to victims of elder abuse.

Elder abuse is on the rise in this country, according to Hebrew Home experts. They say one in 10 adults over the age of 65 have experienced some form of elder abuse.

Other stats from the facility include:

 $2.9 billion dollars is taken from older adults every year nationwide. It happens to men and women from every community, every ethnicity, every socioeconomic level.  

Between 1 and 2 million Americans age 65 or older have been injured, exploited or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depended for care or protection

For every case of elder abuse that is reported, another 23 go unreported

Older adults with Alzheimer’s are at greater risk of elder abuse than those without. Close to half of all people over 85 have Alzheimer’s

A 2010 study found that 47 percent  of participants with dementia had been mistreated by their caregivers

51 percent of perpetrators of financial abuse are strangers; 34 percent are family, friends or neighbors

The occurrence of elder abuse among older men is on the rise

“World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is an opportunity to think about the well-being and dignity of older adults in many ways,” said Joy Solomon, director and managing attorney of the Weinberg Center for Elder Abuse Prevention at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, the nation’s first elder abuse shelter. 

“It asks us as individuals and as a world community to think about older family members, to check in on older adult friends and neighbors, and respect their rights to live with dignity and grace.”

A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the director and managing attorney of the Weinberg Center for Elder Abuse Prevention as Joyce Solomon.

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