Elder Abuse

May 9, 2002

NATIONAL CITIZENS COALITION FOR NURSING HOME REFORM
TO: Citizen Advocacy Groups, Ombudsmen, Interested Others
FROM: ALICE H. HEDT, CENTER DIRECTOR

PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR OWN NETWORK! THANK YOU!

Opportunity to share the stories of nursing home abuse, neglect and exploitation with the Senate Special Committee on Aging! I have been asked by several people to share this request with the NCCNHR network. All cases will be put into the congressional record in connection with a hearing on this topic May 20th. You may send cases till the end of May, but getting them in before the 20th would be most helpful.

Alice H. Hedt, Ombudsman Center Director

The Senate Special Committee on Aging is trying to collect as many stories as possible about elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation of all types - domestic/community/institutional/financial. These stories can involve physical and psychological abuse, neglect (self and by others), sexual assault, domestic violence in later life, financial or material fraud and exploitation, abandonment. The Committee is looking for cases that have been reported, come to light, are being pursued, or have been in the news in May 2002.

If you are bound by confidentiality restrictions, it would be very helpful if you could provide a brief summary of the circumstances, including as much information as possible within the bounds the confidentiality requirements. If there's a press story or report of some other type, please send that too, along with a brief (one Paragraph) description if you can. These stories will be compiled, cited, and put into the record during a hearing currently scheduled for May 20, 2002, so the sooner you are able to send the information, the better. The record will be held open until the end of May (Older American's Month, and in some places, Elder Abuse Prevention Month) to include cases arising after May 20th as well, so please keep on sending information for the rest of the month as well.

If you know of other particularly striking or illustrative cases that you think the Committee should know about even though they did not arise in May 2002, please feel free to send those along as well. All submissions should be sent ASAP to the following addresses:
by email: MAILBOX@aging.senate.gov
by fax: 202/228-1459
c/o "A Month in the Lives of American > Elders"
by mail: Only by Federal Express or other overnight mail service (regular mail is still not reliably delivered due to the anthrax problem) to:
Senate Special Committee on Aging
G-31 Senate Dirkson
Washington, DC 20510

The Committee thanks you for your prompt assistance.

Alice H. Hedt, Director
National Long Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center
National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform
1424 16th St. NW Suite 202
Washington DC 20036-2211
202-332-2275 phone
202-332-2949 fax
ahedt@nccnhr.org
http://www.nursinghomeaction.org
http://www.ltcombudsman.org