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‘Stop.Listen.Care.’ Campaign Educates Public About Elder Abuse
By
Kelly Azevedo
Spectrum Staff Writer
The
Sacramento County Adult & Aging Commission has unveiled a new
program, “Stop.Listen.Care.,” a campaign designed to
prevent elder abuse by raising awareness and developing a community
of compassion.
This groundbreaking program combines the resources of Health & Human Services,
the Adult & Aging Commission, utility providers and the county commissioners
to ensure the well-being of seniors and dependent adults within our community.
Legislators and leaders throughout Sacramento County have rallied together, answering
the Commission’s call to action, and they have begun to branch out within
their sphere of influence, inviting others to join the campaign.
Led by Chairwoman Geraldine Esposito, the Adult & Aging Commission will provide
speaker’s bureaus and campaign literature in an effort to teach the community
ways to identify, prevent and report abuse.
Most are familiar with Child Protective Services, but a very few are aware of
Adult Protective Services (APS), which exists to maintain the health and safety
of elderly and dependent adults.
Adult Protective Services is a state-mandated service program that investigates
situations involving reports of danger due to abuse, neglect, exploitation and
hazardous or unsafe living conditions.
Just as we are charged with the responsibility of caring for children who do
not have the capabilities to provide for themselves, we must also recognize the
adults around us who require assistance to live healthy, happy lives, says Esposito.
The campaign is an effort to educate the public and show how each person is part
of the solution when it comes to providing a safety net for seniors and dependent
adults. In many situations involving abuse, it takes just one concerned individual
speaking up to initiate change.
Elder abuse is a tragedy that affects Californians of all ages. Twelve percent
of Sacramento County’s population is 65 or older, part of the fastest-growing
segment of the population nationwide. Reports of elder abuse have increase 150
percent nationwide in the past decade.
Stop.Listen.Care. Committee Chair Peggy Forseth-Andrews reminds us that “it
will take everyone working together to create the kind of community where we
all want to spend the rest of our lives.”
The Sacramento County APS receives about 450 calls reporting abuse or neglect
of a senior or a dependent adult each month. The abuse transcends physical violence
and intentional misuse of medication or unauthorized restraint. Abuse may also
be sexual, emotional or verbal in nature.
Neglect is an often overlooked form of abuse involving the deprivation of water,
food, housing, clothing or medical care. It may also come from a situation created
due to self-neglect as an individual is unwilling or unable to care for, provide
for or protect themselves. By training neighbors, business people and caregivers
to recognize the denial of basic needs, it is the Committee’s goal to enable
a proactive community of caring.
Adult Protective Services stands ready to assist the Adult & Aging Commission
with programs in place to provide 24-hour emergency response services, mobilize
emergency personnel as needed, provide counseling services and act as an advocate
for those with hardships.
As needs are identified, services such as meal delivery, transportation, financial
and medical assistance may be dispatched. APS is charged with investigating allegations
of abuse or neglect with the goal of preventing further mistreatment.
“By enabling our community members to reach out to others by giving them
suggestions to act on as well as providing them with resources for which to assist,
we really can create an umbrella of protection. In reality, this campaign is
asking people to do just what we all want; someone to take the time to stop,
listen and care about us,” concluded Forseth-Andrews.
"
In the future, members of the Commission will be organizing speaker’s bureaus
to foster community understanding as well as a business owner’s luncheon
to garner support. Now is the time to ask yourself how you can become involved
in this important mission to care for our peers and family members — those
around us who cannot speak for themselves any longer.
Take the time to learn about this important program, say advocates. Listen to
those around you for signs of abuse, and care for the elders and dependent adults
in your life.
For more information, campaign materials or to attend a speaker’s bureau,
contact the Adult & Aging Commission at (916) 447-7063.
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Metropolitan News Company, Inc.
