Sebelius: Fighting abuse of senior citizens

Excerpt from USA Today: (click for entire article)

America is aging. Every day, 10,000 people in the United States celebrate their 65th birthday. Between 2010 and 2030, the number of Americans 65 and older will nearly double, and the number of those 85 and older is on pace to grow more than 400% by 2050. Our senior citizens have contributed so much to our nation. We owe it to them to make sure they can live out their later years in peace, comfort and safety.

That starts with doing a better job of protecting them from physical, mental and financial abuse. Each year, an estimated one in ten older Americans experiences some kind of abuse. Sometimes, it's an elderly woman left tied in her chair while her "caregiver" goes out. Sometimes, it's an aging parent who's bullied by a violent child. Other times, it's an older couple intimidated into turning over their life's savings to a crooked financial adviser.

This abuse is distressingly common. Yet it often goes undiscussed, and only an estimated one in 24 cases is ever reported to authorities.