LAKEPORT — An elder abuse program the county lost two years ago has now been reinstated.
The new program is an Elder Abuse Vertical Prosecution Unit and will be run out of the District Attorney”s Office and administered by Sam Laird of the Victim-Witness Division.
In California, according to the Web site www.aging.state.ca.us, the elderly population is expected to grow more than twice as fast as the total population.
Of the state”s 58 counties, approximately 26 will have senior population increases of more than 200 percent.
In Lake County the elderly population over 85 years of age is expected to possibly increase up to 300 percent through the year 2020.
Elder abuse, like other types of domestic violence, is extremely complex, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse.
Generally a combination of psychological, social and economic factors, along with mental and physical conditions of the victim and the perpetrator, all contribute to the occurrence of elder maltreatment.
The former elder abuse program was funded by the State Office of Emergency Services, but in 2004 it was combined with the child abuse and statutory rape programs, Laird said.
“We were forced to do things differently because we didn”t have the resources,” Laird explained.
The new Elder Abuse Vertical Prosecution program, Laird said, is, “Not costing the county a dime,” because all of the funding provided is through the state.
The county does fund the prosecutor”s position, but the new positions are entirely grant funded. The governor approved funding in the amount of $113,000 per year, which Laird said should cover the salary of one full-time investigator and one full-time advocate.
These new positions will work along side part-time investigator Dave Brown and Sharon Parks.
Laird, who is scheduled to speak to 250 attendees today at the Los Angeles County District Attorney”s Office”s Annual Elder Abuse Symposium, said his program will assist all elder abuse victims with matters ranging from physical or sexual abuse to identity theft. In addition, he said the program will sometimes assist the elderly with preventing foreclosures of their homes due to financial or material exploitation.
For more information on the Elder Abuse Vertical Prosecution program contact the the Lake County District Attorney”s Office, 263-2251 or the Victim-Witness Division, 262-4282.
Contact Cynthia Davis at cdavis@record-bee.com.
