SAN ANTONIO – The Elder Abuse and Exploitation Task Force has made great strides in the past two years in protecting the elderly and prosecuting cases of elderly abuse.
State Sen. José Menéndez of San Antonio, along with Probate Court 2 Judge Veronica Vasquez saw a need for the task force that was created in 2020.
“We have seen continuously that we’re usually ranked second under Harris County for elder abuse and exploitation and for cases that are reported to Adult Protective Services as well,” Vasquez said.
Since 2020, the task force has seen a lot accomplished among different agencies who work with them.
The district attorney’s office has added a prosecutor solely dedicated to elderly fraud cases, Adult Protective Services have hired more investigators and local financial institutions are helping catch financial abuse.
“What we want is to be so aggressive with protecting elderly that we show the rest of the state, the nation, that we’re going to prosecute people,” Menéndez said. “We need to take care of the elderly.”
Now the focus is shifting to get more legislation passed protecting the elderly and educating the public on the importance of reporting cases of abuse.
“If you wind up not reporting it, that can lead to misdemeanor charges or whatever it may be,” Vasquez said. “So people really need to understand that there are serious consequences to not actually reporting these types of crimes.”
The Texas Abuse Hotline to report cases of elderly abuse is 1-800-252-5400. This is the same hotline that child abuse cases are also reported.
This story originally appeared on KSAT12, see it here.
Disclaimer
The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and relates to Texas only and is not intended to constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Every situation is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution for estate planning or related matters. You should always consult a duly licensed attorney competent to practice law in your jurisdiction before making any legal decisions. Every state has different estate planning laws.