Ohio Focuses On Elder Abuse in Ann Arbor

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced a new Elder Justice Initiative within the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to increase the investigation and prosecution of elder abuse cases and improve victims’ access to services. The office’s Crime Victim Services Section will spearhead the initiative, which will also draw on the expertise and services of the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Consumer Protection, Health Care Fraud, and Special Prosecutions sections.

Elder abuse can be in the form of physical, sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse; it can be neglect or abandonment; and it can also be financial exploitation, including exerting undue influence.

In a recent wmfd.com article titled "Ohio Attorney General Launches Elder Justice Initiative," reference is made to a Justice Department study within the past few years which estimated that about one in nine people 60+ suffers abuse each year. For every one case reported to authorities, it is believed five more go unreported. A study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2009 found victims of elder abuse have a 300% higher risk of death than individuals not subject to abuse.

Ohio’s population of adults age 60 or older, like most other states, is expected to grow significantly in coming years. This means there is the very real potential for a big increase in elder abuse cases in the years ahead. Ohio's Attorney General’s Office is getting ready by conducting intense elder abuse training for law enforcement and victim advocates; consumer awareness efforts; investigation and prosecution of patient abuse and neglect in care facilities; and investigation and prosecution of those who perpetrate scams and fraud.

Elder abuse and exploitation can happen anywhere, not just Ohio. Talk to an elder law attorney or proper law enforcement authorities if you suspect or see the signs of elder abuse.

Reference: wmfd.com (May 6, 2014) "Ohio Attorney General Launches Elder Justice Initiative"