ATTORNEY GENERAL CURRAN HOSTS ELDER ABUSE
TOWN HALL MEETING AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr., announced today that he will host a town hall meeting to discuss ways to detect and prevent elder abuse at Montgomery College's Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center on June 12, 2002, at 9:00 a.m. In partnership with AARP Maryland and the Montgomery College Lifelong Learning Institute, Curran will be joined by a panel of experts who will offer insight into the legal and psycho-social impact of abuse and neglect on the elderly.

"Unfortunately, abuse of seniors and vulnerable adults occurs all too often," Attorney General Curran said. "It not only affects the victim, but also his or her family–and the impact can sometimes be devastating."

The Office of the Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit's Patient Abuse Unit has authority to prosecute cases of physical abuse and neglect in Medicaid-funded facilities in Maryland. It serves as a national model for other law enforcement agencies and provides training locally and nationally on issues relating to vulnerable adult abuse. Since its inception during Curran's tenure, the Unit has prosecuted over 100 cases of vulnerable adult abuse."

"While we are proud of our prosecutorial efforts and will continue to be vigilant in seeking jail time for those who commit these crimes, we also recognize the need for education. We want to help those people who have loved ones in nursing homes or other facilities who may suspect abuse or who pro-actively want to know how to prevent it and what to do if it occurs," Curran said.

The Montgomery County event, sponsored in partnership with AARP, is the first of several town hall meetings that Curran plans to hold throughout Maryland this year. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization. Through a wide array of special benefits, services, and information resources, AARP helps its members make important choices, reach their goals and dreams, and make the most of life after 50.

For more information about the free series, "Protecting the Elderly; How to Detect and Prevent Elder Abuse," call (866) 298-8245.

Media note: Potomac Valley Nursing and Wellness Center, in Rockville, has agreed to grant media access to shoot video and to conduct interviews with their Administrator, Leah Bowen, R.N. Please contact Leah at (301)762-0700. The facility is located at 1235 Potomac Valley Road, Rockville.

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