3744

JOINT RESOLUTIONS

Benjamin L. Cardin, Speaker of the House of Delegates, and the
Honorable Melvin A. Steinberg, President of the Senate of
Maryland.

Signed May 21, 1985.

No. 23

(House Joint Resolution No. 48)

A House Joint Resolution concerning

Elderly Abuse and Neglect

FOR the purpose of requesting that the Governor establish a Task
Force on Elderly Abuse and Neglect to examine and report on
the various problems associated with this issue; providing
for the membership, appointment, and staffing of the Task
Force; providing that the Task Force report to the Governor
and the General Assembly by a certain date; providing for
the termination of the Task Force on a certain date; and
generally relating to establishing a Task Force on Elderly
Abuse and Neglect.

WHEREAS, The condition of the elderly has become the focus
of increased attention, and the number of elderly people has
increased; and

WHEREAS, The structure of our society has placed more
elderly people in situations in which abuse and neglect are more
likely to occur; and

WHEREAS, More reliable information in needed concerning the
abuse of elderly people since it appears that most cases of abuse
occur in the home, often by a child who is the primary care
giver; and

WHEREAS, ft is unknown the actual extent of elderly abuse in
the State since the State has no mandatory reporting laws and
there exists no uniform definition of abuse; and

WHEREAS, In states having mandatory reporting laws, reports
of abuse have skyrocketed; and

WHEREAS, Studies conducted by the federal government
indicate that between 600,000 to 1 million elderly Americans have
experienced abuse; and

WHEREAS, Some other studies indicate that 10 percent of the
elderly population have been abused; and