Rotary Hears Program On Elder Abuse
December 2, 2014
By: Stephen Kent
Julie Chamberlain
According to
Julie Chamberlain, Bay County Division on Aging,
"Few people living in Bay County know that one out of every four residents who are 50 and greater either have been emotionally abused or they know someone who has experienced it." Do the math and that's over 10 thousand people in Bay County.
Elder abuse can show up anywhere from a neighbor to someone you see at the store or in the community. Abuse is usually committed by a family member, spouse or an intimate partner. Sometimes a caregiver, or someone trusted by the older person is responsible.
Abuse doesn't have to be physical, although that happens.
Studies show that abuse is usually done for financial gain. People 55 or older controlled 67% of the country's wealth in 2001.
That makes an attractive target for people who would gain control over an elder so they can gain access to that money, or property assets.
Abuse can happen to anyone. Men and women, of every race, faith, income level and sexual orientation have been targets. Methods used by abusers include:
- Emotional abuse such as frightening a person, threatening to do harm, hurting someone or thing they care about, name calling, and/or isolating them from family/friends.
- Physical abuse such as hitting, slapping, pinching, pushing, holding down and/or throwing things.
- Sexual abuse including being touched in a way that makes a person uncomfortable, and/or forcing them to engage in unwanted sexual contact,
- Neglect such as not providing care or access to care, withholding food, water, sleep and/or medical care.
- Financial exploitation includes taking or using money, checks, credit cards, mail or property without permission or the
use of force or violence to make someone give them money, property and/or assets.
Abuse may not be obvious. Older victims are often
embarrassed or afraid to admit they are a victim.
With some encouragement, they may see that they are not alone and realize that the best way to combat the abuse is to speak to someone they trust.
Rotarians were encouraged to be observant when visiting with or talking to elder friends or relatives. Be aware of unusual situations or changes in behavior. If something is suspicious, make an unexpected visit just to check.
There are many resources for both the abuser and the alert friend.
Central Intake at Adult Protective Services has a toll free number at
1-800-444-3911.
One can also call the Bay Area Women's Center at
1-800-834-2098. Both numbers are free calls available 24/7. Calls are kept confidential and
your call could save a life.
Centralized Intake 1-855-444-3911
E-Mail: DHS-CHS-CIGroup@michigan.gov
Bay Area Women's Center hotline 1-800-834-2098
(TTY: (989) 686-0284)
If you are in danger, call 9-1-1
Julie Chamberlain and Kristy Upton are available at 989-895-4100
chamberlainj@baycounty.net
uptonk@baycounty.net
For more information visit
www.BayCounty-mi.gov/aging .
CLUB NEWS and ANNOUNCEMENTS
The board meets this week: December 9 at 11:00 before the regular meeting.
Everyone is welcomed.
President Ron opened the meeting with a greeting in the Finnish language. The first club was founded in Helsinki in 1926 with some 43 people attending. This was the 34th Rotary club in the world.
More facts about Rotary around the world are available at the
The Rotary Global History fellowship and at
Rotary 1st 100.
Bill Soper presented the 2-minute business spotlight for the day. Bill took his degree from Western Michigan in chemistry. "That was in the days before computers and cell phones" he said. "We used slide rules and lots of pencils."
After a number of years in the public and private sectors, he got an MBA from SVSU in 1996. He left employment with the county and joined the late David Gregory in a venture called
ReNew Systems, which makes cleaning products. "We can make anything using water to clean better for the environment", Bill said. After Gregory passed on, the system was sold to Johnson and Bill's company, which is moving to a new location, is now a distributor. "And that's 50 years in 2 minutes" Bill concluded.
NOTE: The club will meet every Tuesday in December.
(Last year we did not meet due to proximity to Christmas and New Year Day.)
President Ron reminded the club that the
Annual Holiday program will be December 16. Rather than having Rotarians perform, the club has invited
Ah Tempo! of the Saginaw Choral Society to sing. The Arenac/Standish Club, the Morning Club and the Optimists are also invited. Rotarians are asked to donate a dollar or two at the door to help offset the cost of the entertainment.
Chuck Cusick asked that links be provided to the Vimeo videos from
Frances Dixon's Adopt-A-Village (AAV) in Guatemala. There are two links to these excellent videos:
Adopt-A-Village video home page
Adopt-A-Village Community Gardens video.
Reminder: a new person is needed to serve on the Youth Exchange committee. If you have an interest, please contact Andrea.
The
Centennial Committee has set the goal of EVERY MEMBER achieving
Paul Harris Fellow status during the Centennial Year. There are matching points available that allow a member to receive their first Paul Harris level at a fraction of the normal $1,000 contribution.
Rotary Club of Bay City
View Centennial Year Celebrations Schedule
July 2014-June 2015
DATES TO REMEMBER
Holiday Program
- December 16, 2014
- Regular meeting time
- Ah Tempo! of the Saginaw Choral Society to perform
Upcoming Programs
(See the official schedule at
RotaryBayCity.org )
Dec 2, 2014: Addressing the Issue of Abuse of Seniors
Abuse of and taking advantage of seniors is a more prevalent problem than most of us recognize. Bay County received a grant from the US Department of Justice to implement ways to respond to the issue of abuse among people 50 and older.
Julie Chamberlain will provide information that speaks to this growing issue.
Dec 9, 2014: Hiring Veterans.
Ric Davila from the Saginaw Veteran's Administration office will be speaking on hiring veterans.
Dec 16, 2014: Annual Holiday Program.
Ah Tempo! of the Saginaw Choral Society to perform.
Members of other clubs will be invited.
Rotary is an intimate affiliation of carefully selected business and professional people,
having as its objective the promotion of high ethical standards in private, commercial
and civic life, and dedicated to the ideal that the basis of all worthy endeavor is unselfish service.
Current and past
DISTRICT DISPATCH newsletters are available on the District site shown in the LINKS section below.
Rotary Bay City on Facebook!
Click on the Blue Facebook to visit us there.
Remember! Check attendance sheets at the front desk.
LINKS