Massachusetts Elder Abuse Commission Urges Elder Abuse Awareness Campaign

A group of lawmakers and advocates who work with the elderly think a public awareness campaign about elder abuse will help curb the growing problem, and made several recommendations to address the issue in a report. The Elder Protective Services Commission, created by state law in August 2012 to study and find ways to prevent elder abuse, suggests a campaign similar to awareness efforts about domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse would elevate the public’s attention to the issue. “A public awareness campaign would address some of the myths that surround elder abuse including the misperception that it is just a result of caregiver stress,” the commission stated in the 32-page report. “It means confronting the idea that families are capable of exploitation and that elder abuse might be occurring within the family, a notion that is difficult to accept.”

Source/more: Nashoba Publishing