119-sres300

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 300 Agreed to Senate

    (ATS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
S. RES. 300

 Designating June 15, 2025, as ``World Elder Abuse Awareness Day'' and 
 the month of June 2025 as ``Elder Abuse Awareness Month''.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 June 24, 2025

 Mr. Grassley (for himself and Mr. Blumenthal) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Designating June 15, 2025, as ``World Elder Abuse Awareness Day'' and 
 the month of June 2025 as ``Elder Abuse Awareness Month''.

Whereas, in 2021, approximately 55,800,000 residents of the United States, or 
 about 1 in every 6 individuals, had attained the age of 65, and by 2060, 
 95,000,000 individuals in the United States, or about 1 in every 4 
 individuals, will be over the age of 65, according to estimates by the 
 Bureau of the Census;
Whereas, in 2034, it is anticipated that older adults will outnumber children 
 for the first time, according to the Bureau of the Census;
Whereas elder abuse remains a challenging problem and can come in many different 
 forms, often manifesting as physical, sexual, or psychological abuse, 
 financial exploitation, neglect, and social media abuse;
Whereas elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation have no boundaries and cross all 
 racial, social, class, gender, and geographic lines, according to the 
 Elder Justice Coalition;
Whereas about 1 in 10 adults over the age of 60 are subjected to abuse, neglect, 
 or financial exploitation each year, according to the National Institute 
 on Aging;
Whereas the annual loss by victims of financial abuse over the age of 60 is 
 estimated to be at least $28,300,000,000, according to the National 
 Council on Aging;
Whereas for older adults over the age of 60, the Department of Justice reported 
 the following scam-related financial losses for 2023--

    (1) $1,200,000,000 from investment scams;

    (2) $590,000,000 from tech support scams;

    (3) $382,000,000 from business email compromise scams;

    (4) $356,000,000 from romance scams; and

    (5) $179,000,000 from government impersonation scams;

Whereas older adults reported losses of $4,885,000,000 related to internet scams 
 and fraud in 2024, and filed over 147,000 complaints related to internet 
 crimes, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
Whereas adults over the age of 60 are less likely than younger adults to report 
 losing money to fraud according to the Federal Trade Commission;
Whereas most reported cases of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults 
 take place within private homes, and approximately 90 percent of the 
 perpetrators in elder financial exploitation cases are family members or 
 other trusted individuals, according to the National Adult Protective 
 Services Association;
Whereas research suggests that elderly individuals in the United States who 
 experience cognitive impairment, physical disabilities, or isolation are 
 more likely to become the victims of abuse than those who do not 
 experience cognitive impairment, physical disabilities, or isolation;
Whereas other risk factors for elder abuse can include low social support, poor 
 physical health, and experience of previous traumatic events, according 
 to the National Center on Elder Abuse;
Whereas close to half of elderly individuals who suffer from dementia will 
 experience abuse during their lifetime, according to the Department of 
 Justice;
Whereas only 1 in 24 cases of elder abuse is reported, and only 1 in 44 cases of 
 elder financial exploitation is reported , according the New York State 
 Office of Children and Family Services;
Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the emergence of new scams against 
 older adults, including those related to vaccines;
Whereas more than 1 in 5 older persons reported elder abuse during the COVID-19 
 pandemic, an over 80 percent increase from previous years, according to 
 the National Institute of Health;
Whereas, during the last 5 years, Congress passed and the President signed 2 
 measures that make nearly $400,000,000 available for implementation of 
 the initiatives under the Elder Justice Act of 2009 (subtitle H of title 
 VI of Public Law 111-148; 124 Stat. 783), the largest funding stream 
 related to such initiatives in the history of the Act; and
Whereas Congress, in passing the Elder Justice Act of 2009 (subtitle H of title 
 VI of Public Law 111-148; 124 Stat. 783), the Older Americans Act of 
 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.), the Elder Abuse Prevention and 
 Prosecution Act (34 U.S.C. 21701 et seq.), the American Rescue Plan Act 
 of 2021 (Public Law 117-2; 135 Stat. 4), and the Consolidated 
 Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260; 134 Stat. 1182), 
 recognized the importance of protecting older people of the United 
 States against abuse and exploitation: Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the Senate--

    (1) designates June 15, 2025, as ``World Elder Abuse 
 Awareness Day'' and the month of June 2025 as ``Elder Abuse 
 Awareness Month'';

    (2) recognizes--
        (A) judges, lawyers, adult protective services 
 professionals, law enforcement officers, social 
 workers, health care providers, advocates for victims, 
 and other professionals and agencies for their efforts 
 to advance awareness of elder abuse;
        (B) the important work of the Elder Justice 
 Coordinating Council, which has continued through the 
 previous 3 Presidential administrations and involves 15 
 different Federal agencies;
            (C) the essential work done by adult protective 
 services personnel, who regularly come to the 
 assistance of victims, investigate reports of abuse, 
 and actively prevent future victimization of older 
 people in the United States, especially during the 
 COVID-19 pandemic as the social isolation of elderly 
 individuals, due to stay-at-home orders, only increased 
 the risk of abuse and neglect; and
            (D) the importance of supporting State long-term 
 care ombudsman programs, which help prevent elder abuse 
 and neglect in nursing homes and other long-term care 
 facilities, where infection prevention and control 
 deficiencies pose persistent challenges;

    (3) applauds the work of the Elder Justice Coalition and 
 its members, whose efforts to increase public awareness of 
 elder abuse have the potential to increase the identification 
 and reporting of this crime by the public, professionals, and 
 victims, and can act as a catalyst to promote issue-based 
 education and long-term prevention; and

    (4) encourages--
        (A) members of the public and professionals who 
 work with older adults to act as catalysts to promote 
 awareness and long-term prevention of elder abuse--
            (i) by reaching out to local adult 
 protective services agencies, State long-term 
 care ombudsman programs, and the National 
 Center on Elder Abuse; and
            (ii) by learning to recognize, detect, 
 report, and respond to elder abuse;
        (B) private individuals and public agencies in the 
 United States to continue work together at the Federal, 
 State, and local levels to combat abuse, neglect, 
 exploitation, crime, and violence against vulnerable 
 adults, including vulnerable older adults, particularly 
 in light of limited resources for vital protective 
 services; and
            (C) those Federal agencies with responsibility for 
 preventing elder abuse to fully exercise such 
 responsibilities to protect older adults, whether such 
 older adults are living in the community or in long-
 term care facilities.
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