Proclamation Declaring June 2019 as Elder Abuse Awareness Month and June 15, 2019 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. (City Manager 2110)
So we do have an a proclamation because this is Elder Abuse Awareness Month. And hello, I think I have some folks here from District Attorney's Office and. Protective Services. And Adult Protective Services. So if you would like to come up to the podium, I'm going to read the proclamation and then you can make some brief remarks if you would like. But once you come out of it, go ahead and tell us your names. My name is Dina, and I'm an elder abuse specialist with the district attorney's office. My name is Vincent Gordon, and I'm a supervisor with Alameda County Adult Protective Services. Thank you. Thank you for being here and for the work that you do. So this is our proclamation. Whereas the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the largest growing age group in the country are people 65 and over, and that as of July 2018, more than 11,000 Alameda residents are 65 or over. And. Whereas, elder abuse occurs among men and women of diverse educational, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds who have been victimized by strangers and or by persons they know who may occupy a position of trust, including family members, friends, neighbors, and others with whom the elder interacts, and that elder abuse can be physical, emotional and or financial. And. WHEREAS, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, through its elder protection unit and Victim Witness Division, provides a network of services to elders in danger of becoming or who have become victims of abuse. These services include community workshops to promote crime prevention awareness, helping elders access services, working with the Alameda Police Department and other professionals, and prosecuting cases of elder abuse and neglect. And. WHEREAS, The Mastic Senior Center provides a comprehensive array of services as well as recreational and social programs to meet the needs of our elder population, enhance their quality of life, and help them remain active, healthy, independent and safe. And. Whereas, The City of Alameda recognizes that the awareness of elder abuse and neglect, including reporting instances of suspected elder abuse and neglect, helps keep our elders and our community safe. Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Marilyn, as the Ashcraft mayor of the City of Alameda, hereby proclaim June 2019 as Elder Abuse Awareness Month and June 15, 2019 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in the City of Alameda, and encourage all residents to recognize elders as valuable members of our community who have the right to live safely and securely in. Our city. And with that, we thank you for all that you do. And why don't you tell us a few words about that? Thank you very much. Your Honor, council members, I've received humbly and happily received the proclamation from Alameda City Council. I think about four years now, and I always vie to be the one to come here because I am from Alameda and I'm very proud of our city. I read on our Facebook, your Facebook, that there are now changing tables in the men's bathrooms and. I smell yours. I almost bust in there. I wanted to see one. So thank you for that. And my husband, who is a grandfather and who takes kids to the movies and out and about, thanks you as well. So I would like to say that The New York Times has designated financial elder abuse as the crime of the 21st century , and it is the majority of the cases we work on. They aren't as splashy and exciting as the unfortunately the murders and rapes and assaults that we also have worked with elder victims with. But the financial fraud is devastating and it is really impacts elders and the future and they're their last years to go out with this pain is really a traumatic and horrible thing. And I'd like to thank our partners who will speak at a moment. Adult Protective Services, Alameda Police Department, who I couldn't be I couldn't be prouder of, and our fire department as well, who also are at our beck and call when we have an elder who has fallen or needs help. So thank you very much. Thank you for your kind words. And may we hear from you. And you might want to raise that microphone up. Hello? Yeah. So my name is Vincent Gordon from Alameda County Adult Protective Services. It's my first time here. Thank you for having me. And I want to thank you, Mayor Ashcroft, city council members and residents of Alameda for this proclamation in honor of June, which, as you point out, is Elder Abuse Awareness Month and June 15th, which was the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Adult Protective Services. And the district attorney's office are honored to be here to bring attention to elder and dependent adult abuse prevention and to be recognized today by your council. Throughout the year, APS actively combats elder and dependent adult abuse by providing services to our at risk clients and through our efforts at the county and state level to identify additional resources to aid in this fight. The month of June is particularly important because we highlight our efforts and bring attention to this fight by organizing events to bring awareness on a daily basis. This evening, I'd like to share just a few of those events with you. We've launched an AC transit campaign and shopping center ad campaign, so keep your eye out. When you're riding AC Transit and when shopping in the community, you'll see the big billboards that say trust but verify is the slogan that we're using. We've also expanded our Baat advertising campaign this year throughout our with our partnership with AC Transit and Contra Costa, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. We are airing our APS commercials throughout the month and we'll have a social media presence working with partner agencies to tweet and post about elder abuse awareness. We have swag bags to giveaway throughout the county with the goal of working with our partners to become ambassadors and raising awareness. And lastly, we will continue to receive proclamations from many of the individual city councils across the county and from the Board of Supervisors in recognition of this important month. As you well know, support of our city governments is paramount to elder and dependent adult abuse. And we greatly appreciate your support not only in June, but throughout the year. So thank you very much for having us. Thank you. And then we can present the proclamation. Well. See you, house. Oh, yeah. There is a. Protection. Oh, thank you, Your Honor. Between the two of you. And then you're going to have to get a second certificate, actually. Yeah. Are you done? Thank you. It's hard work. Okay. Yeah. Thank you. Council members. You. But. Okay. We drop a leaf, which means. You know, the issue of adult financial abuse hit home, not literally home, but a close friend of mine. And, oh, this is we're getting Julia back on the line. Her father is 90 years old, but very, you know, lives on his own. And he's very alert, except that he heard from someone, I think, either by phone or email, telling him that his grandson was in danger and in trouble and he needed $40,000. And this gentleman sent $40,000 in cash to envelopes. And then he was told not to say anything because that could further endanger his grandson. And, of course, eventually the family found out the grandson feels terrible and guilty, not that he had anything to do with it, but it's just there's so many different vulnerabilities that go into being a seniors. So for all of us listening, you know, if you see or perceive something suspicious or or look out for those vulnerable, lonely seniors, it can make a difference. Anyway, thank you so much for all that you do. And now we're going to oral communications. This is a time when a limited number of speakers can address the Council on Items, not on the agenda. We take 15 minutes for oral communications now and then any that weren't heard from will be heard at the end of our meeting. Do we have speaker slips? We have no. Speak. We have no speakers that. So before we go on to the consent calendar, I'm going to call on the voice vice mayor to make a comment or two.