Seneca County proclaims June 15 as Elder Abuse Awareness Day after Adult Protective Services reports 132 referrals

The Seneca County Board of Commissioners on June 9 read and adopted a proclamation declaring June 15, 2026, Elder Abuse Awareness Day in Seneca County.

County protective‑services staff told the commissioners that from May 1, 2025 to May 1, 2026 the office received 132 referrals related to possible elder abuse, neglect or exploitation and that 29 of those were screened in for further action. "We had from 5/1/2025 to 5/1/2026…132 reports and then 29 were screened in," a supervisor for the county’s intake and protection unit stated to the board.

The presenters described the scope of services the office provides for adults age 60 and older, stressing that help is voluntary unless staff can demonstrate a person is incapacitated or incompetent to make safe decisions. "It's a choice — they don't have to work with us unless we can either prove that they are incapacitated or incompetent," the supervisor said, adding staff can provide referrals and practical supports such as ramps, safety equipment, dumpsters or extermination services and will refer potential criminal exploitation to law enforcement.

The board’s proclamation cites national context and local statistics and encourages residents to observe National Elder Abuse Awareness Month; staff invited the public to wear purple on June 15 as an act of recognition. The proclamation text read at the meeting repeats the local referral totals and calls for interdisciplinary collaboration among the Seneca County Department of Jobs and Family Services and other advocates.

Following the reading, staff and the commissioners posed for photographs at the courthouse and discussed plans for local outreach and courthouse recognition. The proclamation was entered into the record during the June 9 session and the board encouraged community awareness activities tied to the June 15 observance.