LIBERTY, NY — Sullivan County encourages its citizens to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15 by viewing and sharing information about the signs and forms of elder abuse, how to identify it and how to find local resources to help deal with it. 

“World Elder Abuse Awareness Day aims to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of this hidden epidemic,” said social services commissioner John Liddle. “My department and the Office for the Aging work closely with law enforcement to address this problem collaboratively, because it does unfortunately occur in Sullivan County.”

“Elder abuse can include physical, emotional and sexual abuse; financial exploitation; and neglect (including self-neglect),” said Office for the Aging director Lise-Anne Deoul. “There are many signs of possible elder abuse. It is incumbent on family, caregivers, health practitioners, friends and neighbors to watch for these signs.”

Those signs include an older adult:

• who seems depressed, confused or withdrawn
• who is becoming isolated from friends and family
• who is showing unexplained bruises, burns or scars
• who exhibits poor hygiene or appears underfed, dehydrated, overmedicated or undermedicated, or is not receiving needed care for medical problems
• who has bedsores or other preventable conditions
• who shows recent changes in banking or spending patterns 

According to 2011’s “Under the Radar: New York State Elder Abuse Prevention Study,” each year over 300,000 older adults are victims of elder abuse in New York State. In 2022, Sullivan County Adult Protective Services conducted 180 safety investigations involving individuals over 60 years of age.

“Elder abuse is often hidden and unreported; statewide, for every reported case of elder abuse, 23 cases go unreported,” said Liddle. “Financial exploitation is the most common form of elder abuse. According to statewide data, for every reported case of financial exploitation, 43 cases go unreported.”

“Older adults who are socially isolated are at increased risk for elder abuse,” added Deoul. “Well before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2017, the U.S. Surgeon General declared a ‘global epidemic’ of social isolation. That problem has been magnified on a historic scale over the last two years of the pandemic, putting more older adults at risk of abuse while disconnecting people from the community supports that would otherwise detect it. In fact, a study in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry suggests that one in five older people has experienced elder abuse during the pandemic, an increase of nearly 84 percent.” 

There are several ways to report both suspicion of and confirmed cases of abuse and neglect in New York:

• Call the New York State Bureau of Adult Services Helpline at 844/697-3505
• Call Sullivan County’s Intake Line at 845/513-2390
• Call 911 if someone is in immediate danger or risk of harm
• Call the Elder Abuse Helpline for Concerned Persons. A “concerned person” is a family member, friend or neighbor impacted by elder abuse. These family members, friends, and neighbors might not know where to turn or who to call. That is where the helpline comes in. Services are free and confidential. Call 844/746-6905 (this is a non-emergency resource). 

Since caregiver stress is a major risk factor for abuse, there are supports available through the Caregiver Resource Center, a partnership between the Office for the Aging and Cornell Cooperative Extension. Those include caregiver support groups and respite services, which provide temporary relief for caregivers (like temporary substitute care or supervision of adults). Call 845/807-0241 for more info.

Dan Hust serves as the communications director of Sullivan County.