Recently, the Slug Bug Ranch, located on I-40 near Starlight Ranch in Amarillo, was painted purple June 11 to shine a spotlight on elder abuse. Elder abuse is described as an intentional act or failure to act that causes or crates a risk of harm to an older adult. It can include physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and financial exploitation, according to Center for Elder Abuse and Education.
The month of June has been recognized as Elder Abuse Prevention Month in Texas, to raise awareness and promote action against elder abuse. The theme for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is “Grow the Conversation … Recognize the Signs … Reduce the Risks.” The specific day in June is the 15th, to be exact.
“Abuse may get the headlines, but one of the most common situations we encounter is self-neglect,” said Adult Protective Services (APS) Community Engagement Specialist Marci Leffler with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). “Sometimes when people become ill or depressed, they quit trying or simply can’t care for themselves without some help. That’s when someone needs to make a call to the Texas Abuse Hotline.”
Last year, APS investigated the situations of 88,004 (5,136 of those in the Lubbock-Amarillo area) people who were living at home and found that 51,210 (3,627 in the Lubbock-Amarillo area) of them suffered one or more forms of abuse, neglect or exploitation.
Approximately one in 10 Americans age 60 and older have experienced one form of elder abuse. Signs can be subtle, or they can be overt. Below is a list of some of the signs:
APS serves Texas residents who are 65 years or older or who are 18 to 64 and have a disability. There are more than 4 million Texas residents who are 65 or older — 148,793 of them in the Lubbock-Amarillo area — and more than 1.8 million, or 60,320 in the Lubbock-Amarillo area, are people with a disability ages 18-64.
Anyone suspecting elder abuse should report what they see to an authority. For more information, go online to www.nia.hih.gov/elder-abuse. Those who suspect elder abuse can also contact the Texas DFPS Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400 or report it online through the Texas Abuse Hotline website.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: VWs at Slug Bug Ranch painted purple to raise awareness of elder abuse
Reporting by Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
