Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day with proclamations coming out on all levels, including from President Obama.  It is the first time that elder abuse has received so much national, and international attention, and Cedar Village is proud to be a part of the effort to "break the silence" and address the issue of elder abuse in our society.  Did you know that one in ten older adults is the victim of abuse at some point in their lifetime? Did you know that the abuse occurs at the hands of a trusted caregiver, often a family member? Did you know that elder abuse can take many forms-physical, social, emotional, psychological, and financial?  Did you know that there are only six shelters for victims of elder abuse in this country-and that Cedar Village's Shalom Center for Elder Abuse Prevention is the only one in the Midwest?

Yesterday, we gathered more than 100 people in the Wilbur and Mary Jean Cohen Religious and Cultural Center for a symposium on Elder Abuse entitled from the Sounds of Silence to the Sanctity of Shelter. The audience of professionals, including social workers, law enforcement, county and private agencies, healthcare professionals and more, listened to the Director of the Ohio Department of Aging, Bonnie Kantor-Burman discuss the issue of elder abuse. That was followed with a panel of experts including folks from law enforcement, banking, pharmacy, the ombudsman's office, hospital social worker and our shelter.  There were great questions and some good discussion that followed.   It's another step on our road to helping educate the community on this vital topic.

As we hope you know, the Shalom Center for Elder Abuse Prevention opened at Cedar Village in January 2012.  It is a virtual shelter, which means that we can house a victim anywhere within our walls.   The core of shelter, after all, is a bed and we can always make a bed, and the services that to with it, available to someone in need. Shalom Center clients are integrated into our resident mix and receive all the normal services we provide including medical, nursing, dietary, rehabilitation if necessary, spiritual care, activities and more.  They also receive additional social work services, through our partnership with Jewish Family Service and legal services, offered by local attorneys who have volunteered to help these clients on a pro bono basis.

The Shalom Center was made possible with the help of many, and we need to specifically acknowledge the initial, and ongoing, inspiration, guidance and support of the country's first elder abuse shelter, the Weinberg Center at the Riverdale Hebrew Home in New York; a generous gift from the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati.  The Shalom Center's work goes well beyond Cedar Village and we have defined our service area as a four counties-Butler, Warren, Hamilton and Clermont.  Today we continue to spread the word about elder abuse with the help of our amazing Chesed Corps of resident volunteers. They've spent the day on one of our Cedar Village buses, distributing literature and talking about elder abuse to doctor's offices, banks, pharmacies and many other places.  The more we can get the word out-the better!

 All the best,  

carol@cedarvillage.org

    

 

WORLD ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY, 2012

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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Every American deserves the chance to live out the full measure of their days in health and security.  Yet, every year, millions of older Americans are denied that most basic opportunity due to abuse, neglect, or exploitation.  On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, we call attention to this global public health issue, and we rededicate ourselves to providing our elders the care and protection they deserve.

Victims of elder abuse are parents and grandparents, neighbors and friends.  Elder abuse cuts across race, gender, culture, and circumstance, and whether physical, emotional, or financial, it takes an unacceptable toll on individuals and families across our Nation.  Seniors who experience abuse or neglect face a heightened risk of health complications and premature death, while financial exploitation can rob men and women of the security they have built over a lifetime.  Tragically, many older Americans suffer in silence, burdened by fear, shame, or impairments that prevent them from speaking out about abuse.

We owe it to our seniors to expose elder abuse wherever we find it and take action to bring it to an end.  Two years ago, I was proud to sign the Elder Justice Act, which was included in the Affordable Care Act, and marked a major step forward in the fight against elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.  With the Department of Health and Human Services, we are partnering with State and local authorities to ensure seniors can live their lives with dignity and independence.  With the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, we are working to empower older Americans with tools and information to navigate safely through financial challenges.  And with the Department of Justice, we are protecting older Americans by prosecuting those who would target and exploit them.

Every day, State and local agencies, protective services professionals, law enforcement officers, private and non profit organizations, and leaders throughout our communities help protect older Americans from abuse and provide care to those who have already been affected.  Together, all of us can play a role in addressing this public health crisis that puts millions at risk.  Today, let us keep faith with a generation of Americans by speaking out against elder abuse, advancing justice for victims, and building a Nation that preserves and protects the well being of all who call it home.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 15, 2012, as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.  I call upon all Americans to observe this day by learning the signs of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and by raising awareness about this public health issue.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA