Illinois officials are urging people to recognize signs of mistreatment of seniors during a monthlong Elder Abuse Awareness and Prevention campaign.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois officials are urging people to recognize signs of mistreatment of seniors during a monthlong Elder Abuse Awareness and Prevention campaign.
"Break the Silence" urges people to call police in cases of immediate danger or the state’s 24-hour Elder Abuse Hotline.
Elder abuse comprises negligent acts. They include physical or emotional abuse and confinement, neglect, deprivation or financial exploitation.
Charles Johnson is the director the Illinois Department on Aging. He says as many as 80,000 older adults are abused in Illinois each year. Most cases go unreported.
Reports have risen from 8,584 in 2005 — before the first "Break the Silence" campaign — to more than 11,000 last year.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
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