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Kansas' senior population is growing. How is it protecting its oldest residents?

Chrisy Khatib (left), deputy director of adult protective services for the Kansas Department for Children and Families and Vanessa Riebli (right), a former assistant district attorney in Johnson County, discuss elder abuse in Kansas.
Elizabeth Ruiz
Chrisy Khatib (left), deputy director of adult protective services for the Kansas Department for Children and Families and Vanessa Riebli (right), a former assistant district attorney in Johnson County, discuss elder abuse in Kansas.

Older adults who must rely on others for basic tasks are more at risk of elder abuse. As the senior population grows, Kansas is working to protect aging adults.

Seniors make up more than 17% of the population in Kansas and are among the fastest growing age demographic in the U.S. That increases the risk of elder abuse, which the Department of Justice says more than 10% of adults over 65 will experience in any given year.

Only one in 12 cases of abuse — which consists of neglect, physical abuse or financial exploitation— are reported. Chrisy Khatib, deputy director of adult protective services at the Kansas Department for Children and Families said cases go unreported due to lack of education about abuse, and sometimes concern by the aging adult that they could further lose their independence.

"What we find is older adults will tolerate greater levels of abuse," Khatib said. "And there's also a lot of shame and embarrassment involved."

Through a grant awarded to the Kansas Health Institute, advocates across the state are working to raise awareness and help promote healthy aging.

"We didn't have an elder abuse statute in Kansas until 2014, so we have come a long way in the last 20 years in protecting our vulnerable population, but we need to do better," said Vanessa Riebli, a former assistant district attorney in Johnson County. "There needs to be awareness which leads to provision so you never have to come to court."

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