A report by Democratic Senator from Westchester and the Bronx, Sen. Jeffrey Klein, indicates that there were approximately 34,000 incidents of elder abuse in New York State in 2008. 19,301 of the incidents were reported to Adult Protective Services and the New York State Office of Child and Family Services. Of the 19,301, 5,000 of the reported incidents occurred in New York City.
The estimate of 34,000 instances of abuse takes into account an estimated number of unreported events. For the purposes of the study, “elder abuse” included physical abuse, medication errors, pressure sores (bedsores, decubiti), falls and financial abuse.
Sen. Klein explained in a press release:
“This report makes clear that our seniors are at risk and need our help. For too long there has been no coherent system for measuring the frequency of elderly abuse. My bill would change that and make one agency responsible and accountable for this critical information. With so many baby boomers nearing retirement, we need to accurately identify the scope of this issue now, so we can develop more effective prevention, protection and treatment.”
the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC, Attorneys at Law provides compassionate and aggressive representation to elder abuse victims. Please contact us if you or a loved one has been a victim of elder abuse.
Website Resources:
State Senator Finds 30,000 Elder Abuse Incidents, Epoch Times, Helena Zhu, August 3, 2009.
