State-sanctioned protections for vulnerable older Washingtonians lag far behind similar mechanisms for dealing with child abuse. So a bipartisan state senate bill aims to set up two new elder justice centers, one of them in Spokane County.
The senators, including Mike Padden of Spokane Valley, point to mushrooming numbers of Washingtonians age 65 and older, and a sharp jump in reported elder abuse cases - everything from physical abuse to neglect to financial exploitation.
Their bill would set up two demonstration projects for elder justice in Spokane and Clark Counties. The test period would run through 2018.
The Department of Social and Health Services would put together teams of police investigators, prosecutors, victim advocates and program coordinators to draw on existing community services.
Sponsors of the bill cited a 25 percent jump in the number of adult abuse cases filed with DSHS since 2008. 21-thousand cases were flagged for investigation in 2013.
The bill has cleared one committee hearing and is on its way to final review in the Senate Ways and Means committee. Final legislative approval might face some resistance because funding for the measure is not included in the governor's budget.
