Elder Justice: What Congress is Doing to Protect Seniors Right Now

Did you know? Seniors are among the most likely groups of people to be taken advantage of through scams and various methods of senior abuse.

There has been a rise in abuse, neglect, and scams against seniors over the past decade, and in response, Congress has been called upon to take legal action and protection for seniors and deliver elder justice.

Read on below as we discuss what elder justice is and how Congress is working to make it happen.

What is Elder Justice?

Simply put, elder justice is the prevention and handling of elder abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, and maltreatment of older adults through a holistic approach. Seniors continue to be targeted by new scams and abuse every year, and the need for elder justice has grown. One response in recent years has been the establishment of the Elder Justice Coalition. The coalition works to create more public awareness, build support for the Elder Justice Act, and influence legislation regarding elder justice.

What’s Happening in Congress?

Promoting Alzheimer’s Awareness to Prevent Elder Abuse Act – This act, coupled with the Protecting Seniors from Emergency Scams Act would use training programs, educational material, and data collection to decrease scams against seniors. Both acts have been recently introduced in the Senate.

Stop Senior Scams Act – This is a more specific act that would establish an advisory board to prevent senior scams. The board would be tasked with providing education and information about elder financial exploitation to financial and retail employees. This is a bipartisan bill that has been passed in the Senate is now up for consideration by the House.

Senior Abuse Training and Offense Protection (STOP) Act – This act seeks to establish a grant program, awarded by the Department of Justice, to introduce activities dedicated to the prevention, identification, and elimination of elder abuse. The STOP Act is pending in the House.

Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act – Currently being considered by the House, the HEROES Act would authorize $500 million dollars for states to create “strike teams” that would assist nursing homes. The act would further develop incentives for nursing homes to create special COVID-19 units.

For more information on elder abuse and how you can best protect your senior, please feel free to reach out to our experts here at Home Care Assistance.

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