Letter to the Editor:
On behalf of the NYS Coalition on Elder Abuse, I am writing to publicly thank Senator Sue Serino for her leadership on securing money in the State budget to combat elder abuse and financial exploitation of older adults.
This is a serious issue that happens in every neighborhood, in every city and in every town of our state. Often it happens without anyone noticing. We know from the NYS Prevalence and Incidence study that 260,000 older New Yorkers will suffer from elder abuse this year and only one in 44 financial exploitation cases will ever be reported to the authorities.
As chair of the NYS Senate Aging Committee, Senator Serino has taken on the issue and has worked to expand the successful multi-disciplinary team model to combat financial exploitation. Through her efforts, the State will provide continued funding for intervention programs and for training so we can identify, intervene and stop elder abuse.
Senator Serino deserves praise for all she has done to protect all older New Yorkers.
Sincerely,
Ann Marie Cook
Co-chair of the NYS Coalition on Elder Abuse Advisory Board
