AUGUSTA — Abuse comes in various forms, but whether it’s physical, emotional or even financial, the attacks can have a devastating effect because they’re often delivered by those closest to the victim. The sting is every bit as sharp when that victim is elderly.

“What we’re seeing, most often, the abuser is an adult son or daughter or family member that is using the opportunity to take control of this family situation,” said Nan Bell of the Family Violence Project.

Bell is one of roughly a dozen members representing various agencies and disciplines that comprise the Greater Augusta Elder Abuse Task Force.

The group, which covers the Kennebec County area, meets every other month to brainstorm ways to address specific situations of elder abuse or broader issues faced by the elderly.

The group also works to raise awareness of elder abuse and connect seniors with myriad services that are available to help them.

CREATIVE SOLUTIONS

“The meeting serves a purpose of us getting together and networking so we can come up with creative solutions,” Bell said.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Adult Protective Services section, which formed an intake unit in 1997 to make it easier to report abuse of all kinds, received nearly 18,000 calls in 2014 and is on track to surpass that number in 2015, program manager Dorreen McDaniel said.

Nearly half of those calls, or 7,230, were allegations of abuse, neglect or exploitation of an incapacitated or dependent adult. About 1,800 calls were handled by the Augusta district office, which serves Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Somerset and Waldo counties.

Calls to the intake unit have increased about 22 percent since 2011, McDaniel said.

Allegations of abuse, neglect or exploitation of incapacitated or dependent adults have increased about 30 percent in that same time frame.

“Reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation have been on a steady incline statewide for the past several years,” McDaniel said.

But those numbers may not provide an accurate picture, said former Augusta police Detective Eric Dos Santos, who until recently represented the department on the elder abuse task force.

There is a general belief that much of the elder abuse that occurs goes unreported, Dos Santos said.

“People are concerned that the perpetrators, who often are family, will go to jail,” he said. “Law enforcement is not the only option.”

There are other agencies, such as Adult Protective Services, that allow seniors and other family members to report problems and get help, without fear of criminal prosecution.

The task force began meeting in 2004 with a goal of creating a multi-disciplinary response to elder abuse.

The group began to engage in community outreach in 2007 and in 2008 organized a health fair at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Augusta that offered workshops on powers of attorney and other issues.

The group has reached out to help educate elders in various venues, from place mats distributed through Meals on Wheels to a Healthy Aging Expo at the Cohen Center in Hallowell.

“We try to distribute resources so the elderly know we’re there and know where to go if they want to ask for help,” Bell said. “There’s a lot of things going on in the community, but we have to get the word out.”

Maine, in some ways, is at the forefront when it comes to dealing with elder abuse. The state not only has one of the oldest populations in the nation, but the laws that affect seniors, such as those governing health care and estate and money transfers, are complex.

As people age, Bell said, they are less inclined to take the time to understand how to navigate those bureaucratic waters.

“Changes in the law, and how it affects financial well-being, are very challenging,” she said.

Craig Crosby can be contacted at 621-5642 or at:

ccrosby@centralmaine.com