Texas Political News: Governor Perry Proclaims May “Elder Abuse Prevention Month”
Governor Rick Perry has proclaimed the month of May to be Elder Abuse Prevention Month.
Texas Governor Rick Perry has declared the month of May, 2012 as “Elder Abuse Prevention Month.” This proclamation serves as a reminder to all Texans that we must watch out for our elderly citizens, who are vulnerable to physical, emotional, and financial abuse and exploitation. In 2011, Adult Protective Services investigated over 80,000 suspected incidents of elder abuse in Texas. Of those, it was confirmed that over 50,000 cases of adult abuse occurred in our state in 2011.
Texas State Law requires that anyone suspecting abuse, neglect, or exploitation report such cases to the Texas Abuse Hotline by calling 800-252-5400 or reporting abuse at the official TAH website.
Further, Adult Protective Services asks all civic organizations, hospitals, retirement communities, churches, etc. to help protect our elderly citizens by downloading and sharing the Adult Abuse Prevention kit. This thirty page resource is available in English and in Spanish.