OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — The Winnebago County Aging and Disability Resource Center hosted an event Thursday to raise awareness of elder abuse and educate people on ways to help those affected by it.
About 30 people came out to the event, which was held on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
Several people, including Winnebago County's Executive Jon Doemel, Sheriff John Matz, and District Attorney Eric Sparr spoke on the issue.
Winnebago County Aging and Disability Resource Director Beth Roberts explained that elder abuse can be found in many forms, including physical abuse, neglect, and financial scams among others.
"Unfortunately it's way too common," said Roberts. "We had over 600 reports in Winnebago County last year…[the]community needs to know that they should look out for their loved ones, look out for their neighbor, be aware, the more loneliness and social isolation there is the more susceptible someone is to abuse, so we can prevent that."
Roberts adds that elder abuse, although not uncommon, is often under-reported, as she says as few as 1 in 24 incidents are reported.
She encourages anyone who suspects they or someone they know is a victim of elder abuse to contact the Winnebago Aging and Disability Resource Center.
