The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Blumenthal pushes elder bill
Act to enhance penalties for fraud targeting people over 55 years old
TORRINGTON — U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., came to the Edward Sullivan Senior Center in Torrington Friday to urge support for a bill that would provide further resources for combating elder abuse.
Among other precepts, the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act would require the Department of Justice to collect data and provide federal and state training for addressing elder abuse and enhance criminal penalties for email or telemarketing fraud targeting people over 55, according to the Congressional Research Service.
A subsection of the bill is named after Robert Mantava, a Connecticut World War II veteran defrauded by his son after leaving his business and home in his care, Blumenthal said Friday.
“This was a heartbreaking story, so as I began to look into it, I discovered he was not alone,” Blumenthal said. “It is a problem that is more prevalent than we would like to admit, and sometimes the results are hidden, because not all seniors have a wonderful place like this to come, so they are alone, they may be homebound, and all they have is family members or a caregiver, who may be responsible for abusing them.”
Blumenthal, noting that he would not speak too long as he had interrupted the planned card game at the senior center, urged those in attendance to contact their elected representatives and relatives in other states to voice support for the bill.
“This is a horrific kind of crime,” Blumenthal said.
The bill has been passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate and put forward to President Donald Trump to be signed into law, according to the Congressional website. Blumenthal is a co-sponsor of the bill.
According to the text of the legislation, up to half of older adults with dementia will experience abuse during their lifetime.
Blumenthal has visited Northwest Corner senior centers on multiple occasions in the recent past, including visits to warn the elderly in the region about common scams and advocate for Meals on Wheels funding.