You, your loved one, or an acquaintance may be residing alone or in an assisted living setting, but the setting doesn’t matter. The risk for abuse may be present. That abuse may be physical, mental or financial. There are resources available to prevent elder abuse.

The Clark County Vulnerable Adult Task Force, a non-profit group, has expanded to represent the counties of Clark, Klickitat, Cowlitz, Skamania, and Wahkiakum. Along with the expansion, their name has been changed to Southwest Washington Elder Abuse Prevention Coalition, or SWEAP.

A board member stated, “The idea is to sweep out elder abuse.” The task force’s goal is to combat physical, mental and financial abuse of vulnerable adults. According to The Columbian article, the task force was instrumental in establishing the Clark County Elder Justice Center, “which identifies and prosecutes cases of elder abuse.”  “It’s mission is focused on prevention, education, and support of abuse victims.”

For those of you who are interested, the coalition is seeking individual and corporate memberships. The annual membership fees are $25 for an individual and $100 for persons from a corporation.  Memberships for government agencies are free. To join, call 360-910-1044.

Thursday, September 27, 2012, the coalition will hold its first event. A workshop on the basics of abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable adults will begin at noon. The workshop will be held at the Clark County Career Development Center in the Timbers Building at 9120 NE Vancouver Mall Loop in Vancouver.

Advocating for seniors is a worthy cause. We see to it that senior housing referrals in various assisted living settings are appropriate for our clients and advocate for them as they make their decisions regarding where they will reside and what senior resources they will use. We encourage you to get involved. If you don’t know a senior, your membership participation and the workshop information may be useful in the future.