Why is this important?
In Tuolumne County, 21% of our population is aged 65 and over.
This per capita rate ranks among the highest in the state. Tracking
elder/dependent adult abuse trends helps the community to gauge
its capacity to provide the support services needed to keep vulnerable
and aged adults safe from abuse.
Other factors affecting service provision include increasing numbers
of elder adults, geographical isolation, individuals’ lack
of informal support networks, lack of affordable private health
insurance, minimal subsidized housing, and funding reductions to
service providers.
What is the measure?
Abuse by others is a crime and includes (1) neglect, (2) physical
abuse, (3) emotional abuse, (4) sexual abuse, (5) financial abuse,
(6) isolation, and (7) abandonment. These measures apply to both
elder and dependent adults.
How are we doing?
In Tuolumne County, dependent adult abuse reports increased 17%
between 2002 and 2007, while the state experienced a 19% increase
for the same population.
However, elder abuse reports in Tuolumne County increased significantly
more (41%) during that same period than elder abuse rates for the
state (13%). It is not known what caused this significant increase.
The county developed a multi-agency response team to address abuse
issues and coordinate elder and dependent adult services. In addition,
Adult Protective Services developed a new database with expanded
ability to collect more specific data about abuse incidents.
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