Laura Dempsey-Polan
With so much in the local news about child abuse the last few months, most people are shocked to learn that in Oklahoma the number of reported cases of abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable adults rivals that of children.
During 2010, Adult Protective Services in Oklahoma received more than 17,000 reports of neglect, exploitation, fraud and abuse against vulnerable adults, which includes older adults as well as adults with disabilities.
Nearly 1,800 of those cases were reported in the Tulsa area. This compares to about 2,000 investigations of child abuse during the same time period — yet these abuse cases are seldom in the news and difficult to prosecute, partly due to a lack of understanding about how serious the problem is.
With the baby boomer population coming of age, the issue is gaining urgency.
“The age wave that’s coming is an issue,” said Laura Dempsey-Polan, case management director with LIFE Senior Services. “This is the first time in the history of the world that we are going to have this many people over the age of 60. We are pioneers on how we face aging.”
To shed more light on this growing problem, the Tulsa City-County TRIAD is partnering with OU-Tulsa and LIFE Senior Services to host a free educational seminar, The Age for Justice seminar, scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 17 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Perkins Hall in Schusterman Learning Center at the OU-Tulsa campus, 41st Street and Yale Avenue.
The event is geared for both professionals in aging services and people who work with older adults and people with disabilities, as well as the general public. A light breakfast will be provided by Senior Life Services of Cleveland Area Hospital and CEUs will be offered for professionals.
The event will feature the documentary “An Age for Justice: Confronting Elder Abuse in America,” produced by Elder Justice Now, a national campaign to protect older Americans from abuse.
The powerful documentary features four victims sharing their poignant stories. Following the video, two Tulsans will speak about their experiences. There will also be a panel discussion with local experts discussing the problem, answering questions and sharing information about what can be done to help. Panelists will include Yvonne Fisher, Assistant General Counsel for Adult Protective Services; Jina Vietta, Field Liaison for Adult Protective Services; Assistant District Attorney Steve Kunzweller, and a representative from the Tulsa Police Department.
Dempsey-Polan said TRIAD was a vibrant organization in the 1980a. But as the economy faltered, monies were lost and the coalition all but disbanded. TRIAD was reborn at the request of former Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor.
A new TRIAD model was created and it no is made up of volunteers of a variety of disciplines, including law, law enforcement and community advocates. TRIAD is a community partnership of seniors, senior care providers, and law enforcement agencies whose goal is to raise awareness of adult abuse, educate the public on the signs and symptoms of abuse, and provide support, resources and solutions for victims.
“We have lots of eyes and ears on the problem,” said Dempsey-Polan, admitting the problem cuts across all socio-economic sectors of society. “We have raised awareness among all the systems and senior organizations, but we still have a long way to go.”
Laura Kenny, CEO of LIFE Senior Services, said she is hopeful events like this will help prevent the growing number of elder abuse cases.
“With experts predicting that the number of people over age 65 will double over the next decade, and the fastest growing segment being those over age 80, and with over 20 percent of our population living with some type of disability, protecting vulnerable adults is becoming more and more important each year,” said Kenny. “We hope Tulsa’s professionals and all interested citizens will join us to learn more about this critical issue and how they can help prevent vulnerable adult abuse.”
The seminar is free, but reservations are required by Friday, Feb. 11. Call (918) 664-9000, ext. 245 for reservations.
