Tuesday Talks: An Introduction to Elder Abuse

Did you know that approximately 1 in 10 seniors is abused each year, or that abuse is dramatically underreported, with only about 1 in every 23 cases being reported to Adult Protective Services? Senior Corps grantees can – and often already do – play an important role in helping change these statistics by helping prevent elder abuse and protect the vulnerable older Americans they serve. In this webinar, Maria Shumar, Victim Specialist Consultant at the Elder Justice Initiative of the U.S. Department of Justice joined us to offer an overview of elder abuse, including the different types of elder abuse, how to spot warning signs and what you can do to prevent or stop elder abuse in your community. Shannon Gadd also joined us from ElderServe, in Louisville, Kentucky. ElderServe has integrated protection and victim support into its Senior Companion Program. Shannon spoke to us about why they made that choice, how it works practically and the feedback they have received from the community. This is the first in a series of three webinars conducted in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice. **Shannon also shared some of ElderServe's resources with Senior Corps, which we've included in the Additional References section. Take a look!