| News,

Purple will be the color of the day this FRIDAY, June 15, as Care Connection joins the observance of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
The agency annually participates in the world observation as part of its role in prevention of adult abuse and neglect, said Kathy Ray-Smith, Care Connection’s Regional Long-term Care Ombudsman Director.
The effort is meant to call attention to the hundreds of thousands of older, frail and vulnerable people who are abused and/or neglected.
This year, senior center leaders in Care Connection’s 13 counties will focus on increasing awareness among first responders so that they can more readily recognize abuse or neglect of adults. Also, centers are encouraging people to wear purple on June 15 to increase awareness.
One in 10 older people fall victim to some sort of elder abuse, and many of the perpetrators are members of the victims’ families. One study estimates that as many as 5 million people 60 and older are abused annually, and only one in 14 cases of abuse are reported to authorities.
Seniors lose $36.48 billion each year to elder financial abuse – more than 12 times what was previously reported, according to The True Link Report on Elder Financial Abuse 2015.
Many victims cannot help themselves and depend on others to meet their most basic needs. Abusers of older adults may be women, men, family members, friends, or trusted others.
Elder Abuse is against the law. The Missouri Adult Abuse hotline number is 1-800-392-0210.
Generally, abuse takes several forms:
• Physical Abuse – slapping, bruising, or restraining by physical or chemical means.
• Sexual Abuse—non-consensual sexual contact of any kind.
• Neglect—the failure by those responsible to provide food, shelter, health care, or protection for a vulnerable elder.
• Exploitation—the illegal taking, misuse, or concealment of funds, property, or assets of a senior for someone else’s benefit.
• Emotional Abuse—inflicting mental pain, anguish, or distress on an elder person by humiliating, intimidating, or threatening.
• Abandonment—desertion of a vulnerable elder by anyone who has assumed the responsibility for care or custody of that person.
• Bullying— Intimidation or harassment that causes a senior to fear for his or her
physical safety or property.