No-Cost "Signs of Elder Abuse" Training Offered During World Elder Abuse Awareness Month
Tulare County Adult Protective Services invites community members to take part in a no-cost training to increase awareness of elder abuse and honor those senior community members who have suffered as victims.
“Here in California, Adult Protective Services (APS) receives more than 191,200 reports of elder and dependent adult abuse per year, and reports are increasing. It is estimated that only one in 24 cases is reported, and for financial abuse, only one in 44 cases is reported,” notes John Mauro, LCSW, Deputy Director for Adult Services at the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency. “But together we can make a difference and help take care of those who have taken care of us. Through education, recognition, and reporting, we can improve the lives of elders and dependent adults in our community.”
In Tulare County in 2017–2018 there were 2,133 reports of elder abuse or neglect. Tulare County Adult Protective Services receives an average of seven reports of elder abuse every day.
During June, World Elder Abuse Awareness Month, one purple flag is placed on the front lawn of Visalia’s Government Plaza on South Mooney Boulevard to represent each report of abuse in Tulare County during 2017–2018.
Elder and dependent adult abuse can involve neglect, self-neglect, and physical, emotional, sexual, or financial abuse. It affects seniors across all cultures, races, and socioeconomic groups. Each year, older adults lose billions of dollars in telemarketing fraud, mail scams, and fake lotto schemes.
Dates for the no-cost training are as follows:
- June 4 - Goshen Senior Center, 11:00 a.m., (559) 651-1030
- June 6 - Exeter Senior Center, 11:00 a.m., (559) 592-5960
- June 11 - Woodlake Senior Center, 11:00 a.m., (559) 564-3251
- June 13 - Cutler-Orosi Senior Center, 11:00 a.m., (559) 528-6108
- June 18 - Earlimart Senior Center, 11:00 a.m., (661) 849-2232
- June 20 - Lindsay Senior Center, 11:00 a.m., (559) 562-5859
- June 25 - Porterville Senior Center, 11:00 a.m., (559) 782-4725
- June 27 - Farmersville Senior Center, 11:00 a.m., (559) 594-4300
Tulare County Adult Protective Services aims to “Protect elder and dependent adults from abuse and provide excellent public service to the community.”
Partnerships with the Tulare County Sheriff, Tulare County District Attorney, local hospitals and medical practitioners, and other law enforcement agencies make investigations of elder abuse possible. Your reporting call is completely confidential; please call (559) 623-0650 if you suspect a family member, friend, or neighbor is being abused.
For more information or to report suspected elder or dependent adult abuse, call (559) 623-0650.