Communities must do more to prevent elder abuse, Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter said Monday at a panel event recognizing World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
“Now is the time to bring elder abuse to the forefront,” Sutter said, saying communities have a responsibility to protect the most vulnerable among them.
“Through education and awareness, we can prevent a significantly greater percentage of seniors becoming victims of abuse,” Sutter said at the brief program with law enforcement and political partners at Bristol Elder Services.
The organization represents nearly two dozen SouthCoast communities, including the cities of Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton and Attleboro and local towns of Somerset, Swansea, Freetown and Westport.
Less than 1 percent of Bristol Elder Services’ nearly $17 million budget is earmarked for abuse prevention, Director of Programs Karen Scott Statser said.
Mayor Robert Correia, who chaired the House Committee on Elder Affairs as a state representative, said the elderly population [...]

Original post by Michael Holtzman