World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, 2012

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 8838 of June 14, 2012

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, 2012

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Every American deserves the chance to live out the full
measure of their days in health and security. Yet,
every year, millions of older Americans are denied that
most basic opportunity due to abuse, neglect, or
exploitation. On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, we
call attention to this global public health issue, and
we rededicate ourselves to providing our elders the
care and protection they deserve.

Victims of elder abuse are parents and grandparents,
neighbors and friends. Elder abuse cuts across race,
gender, culture, and circumstance, and whether
physical, emotional, or financial, it takes an
unacceptable toll on individuals and families across
our Nation. Seniors who experience abuse or neglect
face a heightened risk of health complications and
premature death, while financial exploitation can rob
men and women of the security they have built over a
lifetime. Tragically, many older Americans suffer in
silence, burdened by fear, shame, or impairments that
prevent them from speaking out about abuse.

We owe it to our seniors to expose elder abuse wherever
we find it and take action to bring it to an end. Two
years ago, I was proud to sign the Elder Justice Act,
which was included in the Affordable Care Act, and
marked a major step forward in the fight against elder
abuse, neglect, and exploitation. With the Department
of Health and Human Services, we are partnering with
State and local authorities to ensure seniors can live
their lives with dignity and independence. With the
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, we are working to
empower older Americans with tools and information to
navigate safely through financial challenges. And with
the Department of Justice, we are protecting older
Americans by prosecuting those who would target and
exploit them.

Every day, State and local agencies, protective
services professionals, law enforcement officers,
private and non-profit organizations, and leaders
throughout our communities help protect older Americans
from abuse and provide care to those who have already
been affected. Together, all of us can play a role in
addressing this public health crisis that puts millions
at risk. Today, let us keep faith with a generation of
Americans by speaking out against elder abuse,
advancing justice for victims, and building a Nation
that preserves and protects the well-being of all who
call it home.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim June 15, 2012, as
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. I call upon all
Americans to observe this day by learning the signs of
elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and by raising
awareness about this public health issue.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fourteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.