Conference to Focus on Elder Abuse

Abuse and neglect of senior citizens in Orange County will be the subject of a conference on April 18 at Irvine Civic Center.

The conference’s purpose is to educate the community about how to detect signs of elder abuse, a crime that has increased about 56% in Orange County since 1990, said Jack Light, assistant program manager for Orange County Adult Protective Services Agency.

Speakers will be William G. Steiner, chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors; Larry Leaman, director of the Orange County Social Services Agency; Brad Gates, Orange County sheriff; and Steve Staveley, president of the Police Chiefs Assn.

Also speaking will be Michael R. Capizzi, Orange County district attorney; Thomas Cesario, dean of UC Irvine College of Medicine; and Richard O. Frazee, supervising probate judge.

Attorneys will explain the probate code to participants, and financial professionals will discuss scams and patterns of financial abuse targeted at the elderly.

The National Center on Elder Abuse estimates that only one in six cases is reported and that about 10% of the abuse takes place in seniors homes.

The conference, titled “Silent Suffering: Elder Abuse in Orange County,” is sponsored by UC Irvine College of Medicine, the Academic Geriatric Resource Center, the city of Irvine and the Irvine Senior Foundation.

The cost is $50 and includes lunch. The conference will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Irvine Civic Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza.

Reservations are required, and seating is limited.

Information: (714) 724-6642.