Utah making strides in fighting elder abuse, neglect

Despite scarce resources and being home to one of the country's fastest growing senior populations, Utah remains at the forefront in its efforts to combat elder abuse, a national aging official said Friday.

Barbara Dieker, director of the Office of Consumer Choice and Protection within the federal Administration on Aging, was one of the featured speakers at the Utah Gerontological Society's 2004 conference.

Dieker said as many as 3.5 million seniors across the nation suffer from abuse, neglect and exploitation and the numbers are only going to grow as the country's senior population explodes in the years to come.

"It is clear we must act now to protect our elderly Americans," she said.

In her first visit to Utah, Dieker said it is only through collaborative efforts of aging advocates, law enforcement and private partners that instances of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation can be stopped.

"We have to work together. I want you to think outside the box in innovative ways and ask yourself who you haven't yet partnered with," she told conference participants.

Dieker cited a program in Philadelphia that trained law enforcement and bankers to spot financial exploitation, resulting in the recovery or prevention of $1.4 million and the referral of nine cases for prosecution.

Another program embraced by a large financial institution resulted in more than 100 cases sent to Adult Protective Services and loss preventions nearing a half million dollars, she said.

Locally, those who work in the arena of elder abuse detailed a number of ongoing efforts, including those by the state's ombudsman office, which has witnessed a 344 percent increase in complaints in the past 11 years.

"The issues aren't just cold food," said Chad McNiven, the state's long-term care ombudsman. "There are a lot more serious complaints out there than you would imagine. While we have some very good facilities, there are some mediocre ones and ones that need tuning up."

The state Division of Aging and Adult Services has embarked on a variety of projects to spot or prevent instances of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Based in Richfield, a six-county program called the Sentinel Project trains volunteers to visit seniors in their homes, particularly those residents who may live in isolated, rural areas.

Ron Stromberg, assistant director, said the program, which teams Area Adult Aging agencies with Adult Protective Services, fosters contact with elderly Utahns that has been impossible before.