MacArthur Fellow Uses Prize to Fight Elder Abuse
One of this year's winner's of the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, commonly known as the MacArthur "Genius" grant, is being recognized for her work in fighting elder abuse and is planning to use the $500,000 grant to continue her fight. Marie-Therese Connolly is the the director of Life Long Justice, a Washington, D.C.-based group dedicated to fighting elder abuse and she plans to use her grant money to write a book and continue traveling the country educating people on elder abuse.
With the Baby Boom population aging, elder abuse in all forms -- physical, financial, and sexual -- is continuing to increase, both among family caregivers and in nursing homes. According to the National Institute of Justice, one in ten healthy adults over the age of 60 are the victims of abuse and 96% of the cases of abuse go unreported.
One of the problems with reporting abuse is that the elderly bruise easier and suffer more broken bones than the average person, so it is hard to tell if these injuries are symptoms of abuse or not. Connolly has worked hard to begin correcting this problem by educating people on how to tell the difference between a bruise that has been caused by abuse and one that has been caused by a routine accident. She uses her detailed forensic knowledge of bruising and injury to educate caregivers and family members on this topic.
The MacArthur Foundation's recognition of Connolly's work is very welcome and is just another sign that elder abuse is a growing problem across the country that must be addressed. The best way to prevent elder abuse in nursing homes and other such facilities is for family members to be vigilant in detecting and reporting abuse.
