Tina Smith: “I rise in support of the Elder Justice Act. My job as a Senator is to help protect and defend the freedoms of all…”

“I rise in support of the Elder Justice Act. My job as a Senator is to help protect and defend the freedoms of all Americans. As the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee it is an expressed duty of mine to focus on one of our more vulnerable populations, older Americans. All too often we concentrate our efforts to stop crime on crimes that are reported or easy to identify. However, crimes against the elderly are often never reported or identified. Many older Americans find themselves reliant on a caregiver or close one who is taking advantage of them physically or monetarily and have no means to take action against this individual. This scary and sad scenario happens more often then we would like to admit. According to the best available estimates, between 1 and 2 million Americans age 65 or older have been injured, exploited, or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depended for care or protection. Too many older Americans suffer from the various forms of abuse and the legislation we are introducing today will take very important steps to stop the long ignored problem of elder abuse. The Elder Justice Act prevents and treats elder abuse by: Improving prevention and intervention through funding projects to make older Americans safer in their homes, facilities, and neighborhoods. The bill specifically enhances long-term care staffing. Creating forensic centers and targeting funding to develop expertise in the detection of signs of elder abuse.…”