Politics & Government
Number Of Elder Abuse Reports Highest Ever In Sonoma County
Faced with the increase, the county is stepping up elder abuse awareness with signage and events.
SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Last year's 6,460 elder abuse reports in Sonoma County were the highest ever, Sonoma County officials said Wednesday, and the county is joining a statewide effort to raise awareness about the issue during June's Elder Abuse Awareness Month. The Elder Justice Coalition, comprised of community partners including senior centers in Sebastopol and Healdsburg, are offering free presentations titled Frauds, Scams and Other Types of Elder Abuse, Sonoma County Department of Health Services spokeswoman Kris Montgomery said.
The Sebastopol presentation at 167 N. High St. is at 1-2:30 p.m. on June 20, and the Healdsburg presentation at 133 Matheson St. starts with a senior potluck at 5:30 p.m. on June 24.
One-quarter of the county's residents are 60 and older, and prevention and intervention in elder abuse and neglect is vital to those residents, Montgomery said.
Find out what's happening in Healdsburgfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Sonoma County also plans to display signs and banners in Healdsburg, Windsor, Sebastopol and Petaluma urging residents to notice a senior in crisis and call authorities.
Other senior centers in the county will display purple flags that show the number of elder abuse reports in their communities last year. Santa Rosa had 3,253 reports and Petaluma reported 814. Cloverdale, the county's smallest city, had 181 reports.
Find out what's happening in Healdsburgfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
According to the county, the Healdsburg Senior Center received 158 reports of elder abuse; the Rohnert Park Senior Recreation Center fielded 530 reports; the Russian River Resource Center, 259 reports; Sebastopol Area Senior Center, 396 reports; the Vintage House Senior Center in Sonoma Valley, 454 reports; and Windsor Senior Center, 147 reports.
The county's Adult Protective Services' elder abuse reporting hotlines for residents in homes and apartments are available 24 hours a day at 707-565-5940 or 800-667-0404.
For concerns about residents of skilled nursing and residential care facilities, call the long-term care ombudsman at 707-526-4108 or 800-231-4024.
Information on how to recognize and report elder abuse is available at Socoelderprotect.org.
— Bay City News Service
Patch local editor Maggie Avants contributed to this report.
