Elder Abuse Detection and Prevention
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: August 19, 2021
The statistics about elder abuse tell a troubling story. About five million seniors suffer from some form of abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation each year, and older Americans lose more than $2.6 billion annually because of these crimes, according to the Administration for Community Living.
In an effort to increase awareness of these threats to seniors and to help people identify and prevent cases of elder abuse, the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse launched the first World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in 2006. In 2011, the United Nations officially designated June 15 for this important public awareness event.
To recognize World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will host a Facebook Live broadcast on Wednesday, June 13, at 7 p.m. ET to discuss the detection and prevention of elder abuse. Jennifer Walker of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) at Social Security will discuss how the OIG detects and prevents cases of suspected elder abuse and financial exploitation, and she will explain how people can identify and report suspected elder abuse, as well as how people can protect themselves or seniors they know from mistreatment.
Raising awareness of elder abuse is very important to SSA and the OIG because many of SSA’s customers are seniors, and some of them depend on representative payees to receive and manage their Social Security benefits. The OIG investigates cases of representative payee fraud and misuse, which can deprive older Social Security beneficiaries of the funds and care that are essential to their welfare.
The OIG also tracks and alerts the public about various theft schemes, which often target seniors, aimed at stealing money or personal information from unknowing victims. The OIG maintains a Scam Awareness page on its website to educate the public on how to identify potential schemes and protect themselves from financial exploitation and identity theft. Jennifer Walker of the OIG will discuss all of this and more during the June 13 Facebook Live broadcast.
June is also World Elder Abuse Awareness Month. Throughout the month, government agencies, businesses, and organizations nationally sponsor events to unite communities, seniors, caregivers, governments, and the private sector to understand the importance of recognizing, understanding, and preventing mistreatment and violence against the elderly.
For more information on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, visit the National Center for Elder Abuse website. The Department of Justice also provides a wealth of information and resources online through its Elder Justice Initiative. If you suspect elder abuse, call 911 for an emergency. In a non-emergency situation, use the Eldercare Locator by calling 800-677-1116 to find your local reporting agency.
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Tags: Office of the Inspector General
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Andrew Cannarsa, OIG Communications Director
Andrew Cannarsa, OIG Communications Director
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OLATUNJI A.
It may be very difficult if not impossible to eradicate or even reduce the incidence of Elder Abuse without tackling the root cause of ABUSE generally in this country.
Elder Abuse is an abuse perpetrated only on the elderly persons. It is an extension of the culture of ABUSE that is being commonly leashed on some groups of people since they come to this . The only way to tackle Elder Abuse effectively is to deal with ABUSE generally so that it does not become a culture that every body knows it to be now a days. With a culture of abuse, majority of the people of this country do not consider it a bad thing as long as they are in a position to unleash it on other people or groups. One step of dealing with all types of abuse is to stop the unnecessary grouping of people into ethnicity. Immediately some people know your ethnicity, they are ready to deny you your entitlements knowing truly well that they are in position to ‘do and undo’, and you are incapable of altering what they did, knowing that the next level of authority is one of them who also admire and cherish abusive and discriminatory treatments and therefore you can’t do anything whatsoever. As a result of concentration of power in the hands of certain ethnic group, the incidence of ABUSE including Elder Abuse will continue to grow and will be difficult, if not impossible to solve.
However a trial is not bad. I wish you well in this journey.
Lesly F.
This morning i want to my hearing finally I’m feeling because i have opportunities to with the judge about mental illness why i can’t work from along years i am been suffering with major depression.now i am 64 years old soon I’ll be 65 years old.i hope i will get a better life.
OLATUNJI A.
Elder Abuse is, most of the time, an offspring of a kind of discrimination. The perpetrators know themselves and discuss their art with themselves. The most common type of Elder Abuse are from government officials who knowingly disobey the laws and rules of this nation, and fail woefully to toe the lines of sanity because of their hatred of those that they consider different from them. Unfortunately this attitude has been going on for so long that it has become the cancer warm of this nation. It appears that no amount of seminars or lectures or campaign can change the system because the group that perpetrates this heinous crime are at the head of the nation affairs. So if you advise them about the correct ways of doing things, you will find yourself in jeopardy because you’re considered an outsider. Elder Abuse is a common occurrence in this country, you like it or not and it’s not going anywhere as long as racism is being keenly worshiped everywhere.
Fred O.
Do you have an e-mail address I can send a concern to with a copy of a probable problem relating to social security. I want to forward the contact I received.
Thank you, Fred Otten
fbbotten@cs.com
R.F.
Hello Fred! To submit your comment, complaint or suggestion, you can write to us or send us an email message. Thanks.
Alice
Be careful when called by someone saying they have grant money you have been awarded and you don’t have to pay it back. I thought I could not get caught by these scam artists but I was. The took 850.00 from me. Later when I was thinking these people knew I was on social security, how do they get this list? These callers are from India with Indian accents they are still calling me and harassing me.
R.F.
Please visit the Federal Trade Commission – Consumer Information web page for important information on this topic. Thanks!
Andrzej M.
Informative article! Issue is very important to protect Elderly!
R.F.
Thank you! Your thoughts are important to us and we’re pleased when feedback is positive. We try hard to provide the best possible service to our customers and your satisfaction is our reward.
John A.
As a new member of My Social Security, I have noted my
e-mail address is incorrect ( first time noted today). If this is MOST important the correct address is jawarth132@gmail.com. Thank you.
R.F.
Hello John, for assistance with your “my Social Security” account, please call our dedicated my Social Security-Hotline. To reach this hotline, call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. At the voice prompt, say “helpdesk”. Or contact your local Social Security office directly. Thanks!
Frank t.
Can i get any of my scammed money back
Mike
For monetary elder abuse, I think the key is awareness when you still have a sound mind, combined with gaining a trust relationship early in the “older years”, with a sound mind, with someone who has a fiduciary responsibility for others’ assets (like a professional fiduciary) and gaining a covenant relationship with them to never act by yourself on financial decisions at the time of dementia, etc. set-in. I am single, no children, youngest sibling, a scenario which will leave me with no blood relations if it plays out normally. I recently educated myself on professional fiduciaries roles in one’s life, and for me, this seems like the best route for my retirement future in the years ahead.
Edward V.
That the st Lucia Macias. Clan of the sasquatchez. A ninja gang. That teaches ninja lesson to the locals. From the back room paper store. By former ap.and the animal control is having a hard time catching these alien apes sasquatchez. Of nj. Also some bigfoot ninja gangs in Wayne by Bradley. Could this be part of the klblisi plague.zombi apocolypse..