WOODHAVEN — State Rep. Darrin Camilleri (D-Brownstown), state Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), and Attorney General Dana Nessel held a town hall this afternoon to discuss the danger of elder abuse in the community, as well as ongoing efforts to mitigate its impact throughout Michigan.
“Elder abuse is an issue that affects thousands of Michiganders every year, and many of them suffer in silence,” said Camilleri. “By calling attention to this issue and working on solutions together as a community, we can start solving this problem and ensure all seniors receive the dignity, respect, and excellent care they deserve.”
Camilleri, Chang, and Nessel were joined by long-term care experts Kari West and Michelle Danou during the town hall to facilitate a panel discussion on available resources for local seniors and current legislative efforts to address elder abuse.
“Today’s summit provided an opportunity for important conversation about senior issues such as elder abuse, scams targeting seniors, Medicare, and more,” said Chang. “We are committed to working on bipartisan solutions to improve the well-being and safety for our seniors downriver.”
Early last year, Nessel announced the creation of a bipartisan Elder Abuse Task Force focused on working with legislators, state and local police and governmental officials, as well as community organizations to develop strategies to proactively prevent elder abuse and hold perpetrators accountable.
“I am happy to not only bring awareness to a complex issue affecting at least 73,000 seniors in Michigan every year, but to also share how our Elder Abuse Task Force – representing more than 50 organizations from the public, private and non-profit sectors – is working to reduce the barriers facing our aging population,” said Nessel. “Since the March 2019 launch of the task force, my office has filed 10 elder abuse cases, traveled all over this state to hear from our residents , and we are working with the Legislature to ensure a number of statutory changes are introduced to truly ensure our senior population is protected. I am grateful to Senator Chang and Representative Camilleri for inviting me to speak with their constituents and for their commitment to end elder abuse in Michigan.”
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