AG ENLISTS HELP TO TACKLE ELDER ABUSE AND FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION

April 22, 2004

APRIL 22, 2004

CHARLES DOW, DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS & LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS, 207-626-8577

 

           While an estimated 12,000 Maine seniors will suffer abuse this year, over 10,000 of them will suffer in silence.  That is because approximately 84% of all elder abuse cases go unreported.  With the third oldest population in the nation, Maine can not ignore the disturbing statistics, and no State official can change those statistics acting alone.

           That is why Maine’s Attorney General is enlisting help from law enforcement officers, elder advocates, social workers, direct care workers, facility administrators, medical professionals, and volunteers to understand and end elder abuse in Maine. 

           The Attorney General’s Office is reaching out in four ways:

1.      Assigning a full-time detective to investigate cases of elder abuse and financial exploitation;

2.      Providing Elder Service Officer (ESO) training to local police officers in Maine with the goal of having at least one ESO in each law enforcement agency;

3.      Holding a May 3, 2004, conference for over 400 people aimed at developing a community response to elder abuse; and

4.      Convening and participating in the Maine Elder Death and Abuse Review Team, which reviews elder abuse and death cases in an attempt to identify and rectify system failures.

 

Note: This is the third of four press releases related to National Victims’ Rights Week.  The schedule for the rest of the week is as follows:   4/23, Civil Rights Teams Project.

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