Covington KY- Abuse of persons who are older takes its toll in human suffering, financial loss, and potentially death.  The elder population in the United States is predicted to double in size by 2030.  Prosecutors from around the nation participated last week in the Prosecution of Elder Abuse Cases course to enhance their abilities to do justice by protecting victims and holding offenders accountable.  Assistant Kenton County Prosecutor, Miranda Holbrook, attended the course.  Mrs. Holbrook is currently assigned to the juvenile and family court division at the Kenton County Attorney’s Office.

The course training was developed by national experts to increase awareness of elder maltreatment, build skills to promote victim safety and capability to participate in the legal system, improve pre-trial and trial skills for the participants, and facilitate the administration of justice.  The training was held June 9-11, 2009, at the Ernest F. Hollings National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina, and sponsored by the National College of District Attorney’s, the education division of the National District Attorney’s Association.

This course is one piece of a national initiative from the United States Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), designed to train prosecutors from grantee jurisdictions.  In separate training tracks, judges, law enforcement officers, victim advocates, and adult protective service workers are all being offered training through OVW-funded programs.

The topics of the training included an overview of elder abuse, forms of elder abuse and potential charges, discussion of mandatory reporters, common medical issues, capacity and decision-making, ethics and professionalism, typical perpetrator justifications, evidentiary issues, interviewing the elder victims or witnesses, trial issues, sentencing options and strategies, and the prosecutor’s role in combating elder abuse and neglect.

Elder maltreatment is a serious problem.  Over 500,000 elderly people are abused in the United States each year.  For every single reported incident, five more go unreported.  Types of elder abuse include physical abuse, exploitation, neglect, sexual abuse, and psychological abuse “We need, as a community, to recognize elder abuse as a crime, just like child abuse.  Child abuse, 20 years ago, was not reported and prosecuted either,” said Kenton County Attorney Garry Edmondson.  “Fortunately, Kentucky’s adult protective laws provide for timely response to complaints of abuse, neglect, and exploitation to our elder population.”

Crimes against the elderly can be committed by family and friends, as well as in the care of professional agencies that we trust to take care of our loved ones.  To report Elder Abuse or to find more information, call either the 24-hour Hotline at 1-800-752-6200 or the Adult Protective Services in Boone, Campbell and Kenton Counties at 859-292-6340.

***Information provided by Travis Fritsch of the Mary Byron Foundation and the Northern Kentucky Elder Abuse Prevention Advisory Council