Summer vacation is here for many students in America, but how much does childcare, enrichment activities and vacation cost the average family? Our guest talks about the affordability of summer break. We also talk about Elder Abuse Awareness day, and talk to an expert that says cultural, political, and technological shifts led to the shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
Featured in this Show
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People Can Do A Lot To Prevent Elder Abuse, Advocate Says
Elder abuse might be more common than many people think, with an estimated 5 million older adults suffering some form of abuse in the U.S. every year. One in every 10 people over the age of 60 who live at home are victims of elder abuse, but only one in 23 cases are reported, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse.
Marcia Hendrickson, executive director of the South Madison Coalition of the Elderly, said elder abuse is a broad description.
“Elder abuse can cover a wide variety of abuse that older adults, age 60 and over, are often victimized with,” she said.
The term “elder abuse” encompasses self-neglect, financial exploitation or abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse, according to Hendrickson.
She said people should care about the issue of elder abuse because it’s very prevalent, but it’s under-reported. However, she said people can do a lot to help with prevention.
“Neighbors, family members, if you notice a loved one is all of a sudden very withdrawn or stops participating in activities they might have participated in before, you can access resources, especially locally, that can assist,” she said. “People can really make a difference in stopping elder abuse.”
Caregiver stress and the loss that many older people experience are part of the contributing factors to elder abuse. Often, family members are the ones providing care and the stress of the job can turn those caregivers into abusers, for a variety of reasons.
Many older adults experience loss, which can lead to depression, which in turn leads to self-neglect, Hendrickson said.
Aging and disability resource centers are located around the state of Wisconsin, along with senior centers where people are trained to help connect older adults with the support and the services that will help them stay safe, Hendrickson said.
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Expert Says Cultural, Political And Technological Shifts Led To Orlando Shooting
People continue to mourn the 50 lives lost during a mass shooting at an Orlando LGBT nightclub over the weekend. People are pointing towards a number of things to explain the attack — homophobia, gun control, American foreign policy, and religious extremism to name a few.
And while politically-motivated attacks date back to the 19th Century, our guest says that technological, cultural and political changes have caused such attacks to take on a unique form in the 21st century.
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The Signs And Prevention Of Elder Abuse
June 15th marks World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Marcia Hendrickson of the South Madison Coalition of the Elderly joins us to talk about how families can recognize signs of elder abuse and how to prevent it from happening.
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The Cost Of Summer For Families
As summer vacation for students swings into full gear, our guest looks at the impact on working families and says the cost of summer enrichment for kids can result in haves and have nots.
Episode Credits
- Veronica Rueckert Host
- J. Carlisle Larsen Producer
- Haleema Shah Producer
- Veronica Rueckert Producer
- Marcia Hendrickson Guest
- Jeremi Suri Guest
- KJ Dell'Antonia Guest
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