Friday, June 14, 2019
By JUSTIN DENNIS
jdennis@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
Dozens of representatives from agencies that serve Mahoning County’s elderly population vowed to tackle the growing problem of elder abuse in the state.
The county’s World Elder Abuse Awareness Day event was hosted Friday in the Mahoning County Courthouse rotunda.
Krishmu Shipmon, director of Mahoning County Adult Protective Services, said her office receives more than 50 calls a week alleging abuse, neglect or exploitation of elderly county residents. But only one in five cases is actually reported, according to state estimates.
“Where there’s one in five, there are at least five or 10 more,” she said. “Be it five, 10, 15 or 20 — if it’s only one, that’s too many.”
Mahoning County has the fifth-largest population of elderly residents in the state, Shipmon said.
Experts say knowledge about elder abuse lags as much as two decades behind child abuse and domestic violence, according to Shipmon’s agency.
The state recently ordered elder-serving agencies to coordinate for solutions to the most egregious cases of elder abuse. The county’s first meeting was in August, between just two agencies. It’s since grown to nearly 30 agencies and between 35 and 50 representatives regularly attend monthly meetings, Shipmon said.
The Friday event’s speaker was Ursel McElroy, Gov. Mike DeWine’s appointed director of the Ohio Department of Aging and a Youngstown native.
“This is a generation that has fought for us through civil rights, women’s rights, child rights. ... They are oftentimes a silent generation,” McElroy said. “They deserve all we can do for them.”
McElroy is in charge of administering a four-year state plan on aging, which will increase access to information and advocacy services, she said.
The plan must also address the lack of elderly caregivers in the state.
She said elderly abuse, neglect or exploitation may be difficult to spot and may involve sensitive issues such as the victim’s embarrassment or even sexual assault.
The elderly are less likely to report abuse due to fear of retaliation or lack of physical or cognitive ability, according to Shipmon’s agency.
“These are uncomfortable situations to be in. But as a state, we should be uncomfortable ... that we have communities where this takes place and we don’t have the resources and the systems to respond in the way we need to,” McElroy said. “Many Ohioans are living in unacceptable situations and that should be unacceptable to us.”
Many of the agency’s partners received awards Friday, including Teresa Rice, whom Shipmon awarded as “Social Worker of the Year,” and Shipmon herself, who has been a social worker for 44 years, her colleagues said.
Many lauded Shipmon’s dedication to the county’s elderly, including Mahoning County Job and Family Services, which oversees Shipmon’s agency.
“I’m Bob Bush, director of Mahoning County Job and Family Services, and I work for Kris Shipmon,” Bush introduced himself, to laughs from the crowd.
Bush also drew attention to county Probate Court Judge Robert Rusu’s work in establishing alternatives to court-ordered guardianship for the elderly, which is often too “restrictive,” he said. He also urged everyone to pay closer attention to loved ones who may be suffering silently.
“If you see something, say something,” Bush said. “If you see that unexplained broken bone, that car that’s never there anymore, the bank statement — funding being depleted, call Kris.”
To report elder abuse or neglect, call the county Adult Protective Services agency at 330-884-6952 or 330-884-6931, or call the help hotline after 4 p.m. or on weekends at 330-747-2696.