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MacArthur ‘genius’ grant goes to D.C. activist who fights elder abuse

“THERESE CONNOLLY: Elder abuse can be physical, sexual, or psychological abuse. It can be neglect. It can happen at homes, in communities, in facilities. So last year there was research indicating that about one in ten people over 60 are abused, neglected, or exploited, and that’s folks who are healthier. Among people who have dementia, the resent research is that about 47 percent are abused or neglected.

GREENE: And might not be reporting their struggles.

THERESE CONNOLLY: That’s exactly right. Of every one case that comes to light, another 24 never see the light of day and no one ever knows. So the numbers are very stark.

“I was shocked that the problem is so invisible,” said Connolly in a recent interview. “There is so much opportunity for change, and I can’t think of another issue that affects so many people and where less is being done.”
http://www.aarp.org/relationships/caregiving/news-09-2011/marie-therese-connolly-elder-abuse.html

“I see her as one of the major leading figures in the development of a broader social movement to address elder abuse,” said Kathy Greenlee, the assistant secretary for aging at the Department of Health and Human Services. “People who work in the field of elder abuse feel like we’re two or three decades behind the work we did in this country to address domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.

She founded a nonprofit organization called Life Long Justice, dedicated to helping fight elder abuse, and is writing a book about the subject.

In testimony this year before a special Senate committee on aging, she cited the case of Ruby Wise and noted that neighbors closed their windows and that Wise’s son had worn earplugs to mute his mother’s cries.

“We as a nation also have been wearing earplugs,” she said. “It’s time that we remove them.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/llifestyle/style/macarthur-genius-grant-goes-to-dc-activist-who-fights-elder-abuse/2011/09/19/gIQANERzgK_story.html?hpid=z9