LANSING – State Representative Jimmy Womack (D-Detroit) 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 Womack's ongoing effort to strengthen Michigan's faltering consumer protection laws. Womack called for the Senate to pass the plan quickly.
"It's appalling that Michigan's current laws are incapable of protecting the safety and well-being of our seniors," said Womack, a licensed physician for more than 20 years who sponsored the plan. "We must stand up for our seniors and ensure that those who have worked their whole lives to care for and provide for us are being protected. By increasing penalties and making it easier for more people to report elder abuse, we can keep more of our parents, grandparents and other loved ones safe and healthy."
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.
"Elder abuse is a detestable act that takes many forms beyond physical harm, including psychological or emotional trauma, and financial exploitation," said Womack, a member of the House Health Policy Committee. "We must take action now. I urge the Senate to join us in protecting our seniors and sending a clear message to all would-be abusers that we will not tolerate this mistreatment here in Michigan."
To report a suspected case of elder abuse, residents can call the state's 24-hour toll-free hotline at (800) 996-6228.
NOTE: Bills passed today include: House Bills 4618, 4620, 4626, 4727, 4971 and 5011.
Additional bills in the package will be acted on shortly.