Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Weill Cornell Receives Millions to Study Mistreatment of Elders

Excerpt from: The Cornell Daily Sun (click for full article)

 

To combat elder abuse — an issue the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called a “significant public health problem” — Weill Cornell Medical College received a $13.6 million gift from a charitable foundation last month, according to Weill officials. 

The gift will be used to fund more standardized data collection on elder abuse and study effective ways to respond to such forms of abuse, according to Prof. Mark Lachs, medicine, director of the New York City Elder Abuse Center. 

According to the CDC, elder maltreatment includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, abandonment and financial abuse of people over the age of sixty.

Woman With Disability May Be Forced To End Pregnancy

Excerpt from: Disability Scoop (click for full article)

 

In a case that’s drawing national attention, a court in Nevada may decide whether or not a woman with intellectual disability should continue her pregnancy.

The 32-year-old woman, whose name is being withheld for her privacy, was living in a group home when she became pregnant. It is unknown who the father of the child is, exactly what circumstances surround the baby’s conception or if the woman would like to continue the pregnancy.

Now, a judge is weighing whether or not the woman, who is said to have the mental abilities of a 6-year-old, should be forced to terminate against the wishes of her adoptive parents who are Catholic.

Doctors who testified in court expressed varying opinions about whether or not proceeding with the pregnancy would pose risks to the woman’s health, reports KOLO, the Reno, Nev. ABC affiliate.