FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 6, 2009

Office on Aging collecting signatures
in support of elder abuse prevention bill

FREEHOLD – The Monmouth County Division on Aging, Disabilities and Veteran’s Interment Affairs is collecting signatures on a petition that urges Congress to act on the Elder Justice Act of 2009, which would provide a stream of funding to fight elder abuse and neglect.

Freeholder Amy A. Mallet, liaison to the Division on Aging, is encouraging residents to sign the petition. The petition can be found at the following link: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/call_to_action_weaad/index.html

“Elder abuse is shameful, and too often it happens out of sight,” Mallet said. “Support for this legislation is one way to show our elders that we respect them and will do everything we can to protect them from abuse and neglect.”
 
The Division is collaborating with the National Council on Aging (NCOA) the Elder Justice Coalition (EJC), the Elder Financial Protection Network and WITNESS, an advocacy group that uses video to document instances of abuse. The petition urges representatives in Washington to become co-sponsors of the Elder Justice Act and to take action on the bill this year.

The Elder Justice Act of 2009 would amend the Social Security Act to establish an Elder Justice Program and establish an Advisory Board on Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation and make grants available to support efforts to end elder abuse and neglect, a problem that affects as many as five million people and costs older Americans $2.6 billion. For the first time, it will establish a network at the federal level to address this ongoing problem.

“It is important to let Congress know that Monmouth County elders deserve and demand this protection,” said Thomas Pivinski, director of the Division on Aging, Disabilities and Veterans' Interment Affairs. “This is an unprecedented opportunity to give older people in America the security, dignity and equality they have earned and deserve.”

In Monmouth County, incidents of elder abuse and exploitation are on the rise. Family and Children's Services has a special Adult Protective Services unit that has a professional social worker on duty handling elder abuse and exploitation allegations. They can be reached at (732) 531-9191.

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