Dr. Lachs Testifies at Senate Hearing on Elder Abuse
March 2, 2011
Mark S. Lachs, MD, MPH, Co-Chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at Weill Cornell Medical College, is part of an expert panel convened by the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging to testify on nationwide trends of elder abuse. The hearing, Justice for All: Ending Elder Abuse, Neglect and Financial Exploitation, will take place today in Washington, DC, and will include personal testimony from actor and abuse survivor Mickey Rooney.
The Senate Special Committee on Aging, chaired by Senator Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, will first hear Mr. Rooneys personal account of emotional and financial abuse. Kay Brown, Director of the Education, Workforce and Income Security Program at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will disclose a new GAO report detailing the existing estimates of physical, mental and financial abuse of seniors now being reported and will discuss the financial impact of elder abuse on state and federal government resources. Ms. Brown and Dr. Lachs will be joined by Bonnie Brandl, Director of the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life; M.T. Connolly, Director of Life Long Justice; and Kathleen Quinn, Executive Director of the National Adult Protective Services Association.
Mark S. Lachs is The Irene F. and I. Roy Psaty Distinguished Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell, Director of the Center for Aging Research and Clinical Care, and Director of Geriatrics for the NewYork-Presbyterian Health System. Dr. Lachs research, teaching and clinical experience center on elder abuse and improving the quality of life for older adults. He is an expert and pioneer in elder abuse, currently implementing a series of innovative studies to rigorously measure prevalence, risk factors, outcomes and community interventions. Dr. Lachs is the recipient of an Academic Career Leadership Award from the National Institute on Aging and a Paul Beeson Physician Faculty Scholar award from the American Federation for Aging Research.