LANSING – Taking a stand against elder abuse in Michigan, State Representative Jeff Mayes (D-Bay City) today voted 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 the lawmaker's ongoing effort to strengthen Michigan's faltering consumer protection laws. Mayes called for the Senate to pass the plan quickly.
"It's time that Michigan started putting the health and safety of our seniors first," Mayes said. "Right now, elder abuse occurs far too often here in our state, and our laws just aren't doing the job. We can't go around pretending this is going to go away on its own. We must no longer tolerate the mistreatment of our older residents here in Michigan."
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.
"Earlier this year, we heard about the heroic actions of a Midland bank manager who stepped in and helped bust a scammer who had stolen more than $50,000 from an 80-year-old customer," Mayes said. "His quick thinking and commitment to his customers shows that members of the community can make a real difference. Our plan will encourage other bank employees to notice the signs of exploitation and abuse and step in to protect our seniors."
To report a suspected case of elder abuse, residents can call the state's 24-hour toll-free hotline at (800) 996-6228.