“There are few people better positioned to screen for elder abuse than the physicians our seniors know and trust,” said Serino, who represents Dutchess and Putnam counties. “This bill gives physicians the tools they need to recognize the signs of abuse and get their patients the help they need, stopping abuse in its tracks. It is time to put our seniors first, change the elder abuse statistics and ensure that New Yorkers have the opportunity to live out their Golden Years free from harm.”
Specifically, the bill aims to engage trusted medical professionals to help identify and assist patients at a high risk for abuse by directing the commissioner of health to establish protocol for voluntary screening to aid physicians, physicians assistants and nurse practitioners in identifying and reporting cases of abuse or maltreatment.
To that end, the tool will provide practitioners with guidance that articulates, among other things, common definitions of abuse, questions that may be used for those who have cognitive impairments as well as a list of resources that may be provided to those patients identified as being victims of abuse.
As Serino notes in the bill’s memo, elder abuse has emerged as one of the nation’s most under-reported crimes, with an estimated 300,000 cases going unreported each year and she notes that it has been shown that elders who experience abuse, even moderate in severity, have a 300 percent higher risk of death when compared to those who have not been abused.
Unfortunately, those being abused frequently refuse to report abuse as it too often occurs at the hands of loved ones, friends, neighbors and people our seniors have known and trusted for significant amounts of time.
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