Rally at City Hall to Proclaim that Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Will Not Be Tolerated in San Francisco

by Anh Lê, 2007-05-18

San Francisco - About 100 Seniors gathered on May 15 for a midmorning rally on the steps of San Francisco's City Hall to declare that "Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Will Not Be Tolerated in San Francisco!" The Seniors carried placard signs in Vietnamese, Chinese, Spanish, Tagalog, Russian, and English. The rally, organized by the Institute on Aging in San Francisco, is the sixth rally held in San Francisco to publicize the issue and problem of elder and dependent adult abuse.

San Francisco's District Attorney Kamala Harris and San Francisco's Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi were among City officials attending the rally.

Mary Twomey, a social worker at the Institute on Aging who works on preventing elder and dependent adult abuse, stated that San Francisco's Adult Protective Services has experienced a 40% rise in reports of abuse in the past 18 months.

Elder and dependent adult abuse is regarded as a "hidden problem," and can take many forms. The different kinds of abuse include psychological and emotional abuse, verbal abuse, physical abuse, and financial abuse. The abuser can be a family member or relative, or a caretaker of the elder or the dependent adult. The abuser can perpetuate the abuse by threatening or intimidating the victim.

Most situations of abuse or neglect of elders and dependent adults go unreported. The victims often feel ashamed or fearful and often are unable to report the abuse.

"Elders and adults with disabilities are suffering silently in our City. Elders and adults with disabilities are being killed in San Francisco. They are being killed just as if someone shot them or stabbed them, but the wounds are bedsores and starvation. No more!", stated Twomey of the Institute on Aging.

Concerned family members, friends, and neighbors of elders and dependent adults who are abused are urged to "Break the Silence" and seek help for the abused.

Educational materials on preventing elder and dependent abuse are available in several languages, and can be obtained from the Institute on Aging by calling: Mary Twomey, Institute on Aging, (415) 750-4180, Extension 225.

Confidential reporting of elder and disabled adult abuse can be made by calling: 415-557-5230 (San Francisco Adult Protective Services), or Toll Free at 1-800-814-0009