For several days this week, a number of our management team were at the Leading Age Ohio conference in Columbus. Leading Age Ohio is our state organization that represents more than 400 nonprofit providers of senior services throughout Ohio. More than 500 people attend this conference annually at it provides us with an opportunity to learn from experts in the field as well as from our peers and to focus on ways in which we can both improve our services today and prepare for the future.
One of the highlights of the conference for Cedar Village this year was to receive the award for Social Responsibility. This award is given to an organization that demonstrates a commitment to their community that goes "above and beyond." Our recognition was for the Shalom Center for Elder Abuse Prevention which has, as you probably know, been open since January 1, 2012. The Shalom Center is modeled on the Weinberg Center at the Riverdale Hebrew Home in New York and is funded, in part, by the generous support of The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati.
While it is always wonderful to receive recognition (and it is a privilege for us to be receiving a state-level award for the third year in a row for different projects), we know that we have not even scratched the surface of addressing the problem of elder abuse--in our community, in our state or beyond. Did you know that an estimated 5 million older adults are victims of elder abuse in the United States every year? Did you know that fewer than 1 in 5 cases are ever reported or addressed?
One of our missions with the opening of the Shalom Center is to raise awareness and educate. Since the Shalom Center's opening we have had more than 35 referrals and 3 admissions. We know there are many more victims out there whose needs are unmet and may never be met. Please help us to spread the word that there is a safe haven for these most vulnerable older adults. And if you would like to learn more about elder abuse, about what to look for and how to be involved, let us know. It is up to all of us!
