Henrico, state officials offer resources to address elder abuse

Cases of elder abuse in Henrico have been on the rise in the last decade, but statewide efforts to stop them have recently increased.

On June 16, Virginia organizations commemorated World Elder Abuse Awareness Day statewide for the first time. The Virginia Center on Aging and Virginia Commonwealth University Health Sciences held and an online training event to inform Virginia professionals about how to help elders access resources and how to identify, investigate and pursue justice for elders when there are indicators of abuse.

On June 15, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares recognized June 16 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day for the first time. The day of awareness was first launched at the United Nations in 2006, and President Joe Biden issued a proclamation for it in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

“We found that a lot of people don't recognize the signs [of elder abuse],” Coordinator for VCUHS Forensic Nurse Examiner Team Jean Cheek said during the online event. “We want to educate people so that this can be better known, especially in the health-care community, so they can reach out to services and help the patient population avoid further injury.”

The National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life defines elder abuse as willful abuse, neglect, abandonment or financial exploitation of an adult 50 years or older by someone in an ongoing, trust-based relationship. Prevention options for elder abuse include caregiver interventions, money management programs, helplines and emergency shelters and multidisciplinary teams, VCU’s Project Empower Manager Reed Bohn said.

Henrico’s Adult Protective Services completed 1,074 investigations in 2021-2022 and 1,198 in 2020-2021. In 2016-2017, it completed 814 investigations, according to Henrico County. One in 10 Americans over the age of 60 have been abused, Abuse in Later Life Project Manager Courtney O’Hara said during the event. She noted that the statistic was dated, and that she believed it was more pervasive than ever.

Henrico Police Department Domestic Violence Coordinator Beth Bonniwell spoke about including forensic nurses and healthcare based violence prevention staff on elder abuse multidisciplinary teams. Their inclusion offers a safe environment for victims to come forward, helps bring criminals to justice and provides insight and information among other benefits, she said.

“[Forensic nursing programs] provide [communities] with a really essential link between medicine and the legal system,” Bonniwell said. “They routinely have a positive impact on our community’s anti-violence effort.”

Richmond City Department of Social Services Worker Victor Little spoke about the role of  Adult Protective Services organizations, which typically provide social and legal services, conservatorship, case management and financial management, he said, among many other examples. Henrico County’s APS hotline is (804) 501-7346.

Other resources for Henrico citizens include:

• Alison Linas, Henrico’s juvenile, domestic relations and special victims cases court prosecutor who also serves as an assistant commonwealth attorney dedicated to prosecuting elder abuse cases. The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office’s phone number is (804) 501-4218.
• The county’s advocate for the aging office, which provides services for older citizens.
• The Virginia Center on Aging’s latest project, Virginia Helping Elders Access Resources, which is funded by the Administration for Community Living and serves to mitigate barriers to reporting elder abuse and help link elders to systems of care, O’Hara said.
• Senior Connections, The Capital Area Agency on Aging, which assists older adults with diverse needs in Henrico, the city of Richmond and surrounding counties, according to its website. Senior Connections provides information about what issues older adults face and what resources are available in the region.