SUMMIT COUNTY, OHIO—County Executive Ilene Shapiro and County Council recently passed a resolution declaring the month of June as Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month and a resolution declaring June 15 as Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The resolutions ask that residents of Summit County participate in events and programs that uplift both residents living with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease and older residents that may face or have faced neglect, exploitation, or abuse.
According to the National Institute on Aging, dementia is the loss of cognitive functions such as thinking, remembering, and reasoning to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life, while Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and is the most common cause of dementia. An estimated 5.8 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, with women, Latino, and Black Americans at a significantly higher risk for developing these conditions.
All throughout Summit County, neighbors, friends, and family members are living with dementia, and though these conditions are not yet curable, there are preventative and treatment strategies to both reduce future diagnoses and improve the prognoses for individuals at risk of or living with dementia. This month is an excellent opportunity for residents to learn about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and improve the health of the community together. Residents looking to get involved should head to the Akron-Summit County Public Library and learn about their Dementia Inclusive Library initiative.
“We all know someone living with Alzheimer’s or dementia. If you haven’t cared for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia, you know someone who has. We must continue to commit to preventing, treating, and curing Alzheimer’s,” said County Executive Shapiro.
Elder Abuse Awareness Day takes place on June 15 and aims to raise awareness around elder abuse, defined as neglect, exploitation, physical abuse, emotional abuse, or sexual abuse of adults 60 or older. This annual observance began with the World Health Organization in 2006 and led to the adoption of House Bill 215 in the Ohio General Assembly in 2012, making Elder Abuse Awareness Day an annual occurrence in the state. Locally, Adult Protective Services is responsible for remedying or arranging for the remedying of conditions of abuse in Summit County. Raising awareness about both elder abuse and Adult Protective Services is highly important as the Ohio Department of Aging estimates that 200,000 Ohioans face elder abuse annually, but the department received only 34,000 calls in 2020.
“Our older adults deserve to live safely, without fear of exploitation or abuse,” said County Executive Shapiro. “By raising awareness, we hope to close the gap between instances of abuse and reports of abuse to get older residents the help they need. If you, your friend, or your family member is experiencing a situation like this, please, call the Adult Protective Services’ 24/7 hotline at 330-643-7217.”
