LANSING – State Representatives Mike "Huck" Huckleberry (D-Greenville) and Robert Dean (D-Grand Rapids) today took a stand against elder abuse in Michigan by voting for the first wave of a package of bills that will strengthen consumer protections for seniors and increase penalties for those who financially exploit them. The Elder Abuse Protection Plan is part of House Democrats' ongoing effort to strengthen Michigan's faltering consumer protection laws. The lawmakers called for the Senate to pass the plan quickly.
"Our plan not only targets abusive caretakers, but also the crooks and con artists who prey on vulnerable adults as a way to make a quick buck," said Huckleberry, who introduced House Bills 4618 and 4727 as part of the package. "Our residents have worked and saved their whole lives, and especially in times like these, we need to give them all the protection they deserve. This plan will make a difference in the lives of many of our seniors."
The plan that began moving today addresses elder abuse by:
- Increasing penalties for cheating or defrauding seniors, including establishing felony charges and banning abusers from inheriting from the estate of their victim.
- Empowering concerned citizens to file criminal complaints to stop and prevent abuse cases in nursing homes and elsewhere.
- Strengthening consumer protections by requiring financial institutions to do more to disclose the rights of seniors and create new safeguards against fraud.
- Creating the "Mozelle Alert" – an alert to notify the public in cases of missing endangered seniors, similar to the Amber Alert. The alert is named in honor of Estella Mozelle Pierce, a senior who died after wandering from her Southwest Detroit home.
Reports of elder abuse have increased 40 percent since 1998, according to the Michigan Department of Human Services. Michigan's Adult Protective Services received more than 16,300 reports of adult mistreatment in 2008. Based on estimates of how often abuse goes unreported, this suggests that more than 73,000 of Michigan's adults are abused every year, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse.
"These are our parents, grandparents and loving members of our families – the ones who raised and supported us in hard times," said Dean, who introduced HB 4971 as part of the plan. "Now we must do our part to support and protect them. These stricter penalties will fight what has unfortunately become an overlooked crime that we must no longer tolerate. I hope the Senate will follow our lead and support Michigan's seniors by passing these important protections."
To report a suspected case of elder abuse, residents can call the state's 24-hour toll-free hotline at (800) 996-6228.