SRES300-119

That the Senate— designates June 15, 2025, as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and the month of June 2025 as Elder Abuse Awareness Month; recognizes— judges, lawyers, adult protective services professionals, law enforcement officers, social workers, health care providers, advocates for victims, and other professionals and agencies for their efforts to advance awareness of elder abuse; the important work of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council, which has continued through the previous 3 Presidential administrations and involves 15 different Federal agencies; the essential work done by adult protective services personnel, who regularly come to the assistance of victims, investigate reports of abuse, and actively prevent future victimization of older people in the United States, especially during the COVID–19 pandemic as the social isolation of elderly individuals, due to stay-at-home orders, only increased the risk of abuse and neglect; and the importance of supporting State long-term care ombudsman programs, which help prevent elder abuse and neglect in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, where infection prevention and control deficiencies pose persistent challenges; applauds the work of the Elder Justice Coalition and its members, whose efforts to increase public awareness of elder abuse have the potential to increase the identification and reporting of this crime by the public, professionals, and victims, and can act as a catalyst to promote issue-based education and long-term prevention; and encourages— members of the public and professionals who work with older adults to act as catalysts to promote awareness and long-term prevention of elder abuse— by reaching out to local adult protective services agencies, State long-term care ombudsman programs, and the National Center on Elder Abuse; and by learning to recognize, detect, report, and respond to elder abuse; private individuals and public agencies in the United States to continue work together at the Federal, State, and local levels to combat abuse, neglect, exploitation, crime, and violence against vulnerable adults, including vulnerable older adults, particularly in light of limited resources for vital protective services; and those Federal agencies with responsibility for preventing elder abuse to fully exercise such responsibilities to protect older adults, whether such older adults are living in the community or in long-term care facilities.