Just as young parents rightly prioritize the health and well-being of their children, at mid-life we also begin thinking more about the health and well-being of our own parents.
By 2030, Vermont will be one of the oldest states in the country. Forty percent of Vermonters will be age 55 or older. With this aging demographic, Vermont will need a plan to ensure that seniors have safe and affordable housing, health care and prescription drugs, and to combat isolation, financial exploitation and elder abuse. It is essential that we invest in supporting older Vermonters and their families now.
This year, my office formed the Elder Protection Initiative, a permanent unit designed specifically to address how we can better serve our older residents. My staff met with dozens of older Vermonters in every county: at senior centers, senior meal sites and senior housing units. We heard from 230 representatives of 65 different organizations who told us that older Vermonters are concerned about health care costs, housing security, financial exploitation, physical and emotional abuse, and isolation from their communities.
In response, our initiative is developing a toolkit for state’s attorneys, law enforcement and victim services organizations to assist their efforts in investigating and prosecuting elder exploitation.
We can do more. Here is what I propose:
■ Create an Elder Protection Council. Create a single statewide body consisting of state agencies, state workers and stakeholders to address the critical issues and questions surrounding elder abuse. The council would be charged with improving our ability to identify and respond to elder abuse and exploitation.
■ Improve data collection. The state should establish a system of collecting information and data related to elder exploitation and abuse so we can better understand its causes and respond appropriately.
■ Increase training and educational opportunities. Every Vermonter should know what elder abuse and exploitation looks like. It’s physical abuse. It’s quiet financial exploitation by a family member. It’s the theft of drugs by a caregiver.
Training programs should be developed to help bankers, pharmacists, law enforcement officials, religious leaders and others who regularly interact with elders to be able to identify exploitation. Caregivers should also receive support and training, particularly those caregivers of elders suffering from memory care needs.
■ Ban noncompete agreements between long-term care facilities. These facilities are increasingly owned and operated by complex financial services companies that sell long-term care as their product. To ensure elders have choice and flexibility, noncompete agreements among these companies should not be enforceable.
Having older Vermonters in our communities is a point of strength. They have a wealth of skills and experiences and add vibrancy to our communities. It is the responsibility of the next generation to ask: How do we make Vermont as strong and healthy as possible? How do we protect and support everyone? And it is our responsibility to listen when older Vermonters tell us that we can do better. Let’s get to work.
T.J. Donovan is the attorney general of Vermont. If you have a question about elder care or abuse, dial 2-1-1 for help.