FARMINGTON – Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe addressed a crowd of health-care advocates Wednesday about protecting the elderly from abuse.
At a four-hour seminar at Franklin Memorial Hospital, Rowe spoke about the importance of community involvement regarding elder abuse prevention and emphasized how essential it is to protect those members of the community. He said Franklin County is the leader in the state for awareness and prevention.
According to Rowe, senior citizens make up 14 percent of the population in Maine, which is higher than the national average of 12 percent. One in every three of those are women living alone, Rowe said.
“We all want to enjoy that part of our lives in good health and prosperity without fear,” he said.
In addition to prevention, Rowe also spoke about the seriousness of the crimes being committed. Elder abuse is domestic abuse, he said.
Eighty percent of the time, the source of the maltreatment is a family member, he said, and abuse can come in many forms.
Oftentimes, abusers use the fear of being alone and threaten institutionalization in order to gain something, he said.
“Not only is this a violation of the standard of living, but it creates a loss of human dignity in the individual,” Rowe said.
Statewide programs that provide someone objective and impartial to talk to are vital in assisting the elderly, according to Rowe.
In addition to Rowe, Detective Mike Webber of the Attorney General’s Office spoke about financial crimes against the elderly, while Ricker Hamilton of the state Bureau of Protective Services discussed how to identify elder abuse and what to do about it.
Before closing, Rowe made sure to point out that abuse of the elderly is more than just a violation of the law, it’s a major violation of human rights, not to mention the human soul. A combination of laws, senior service agencies and senior citizens themselves really do help, he said.
“It’s time to pull the curtain back and let the sunlight pour in,” Rowe said.
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