U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom announced Wednesday he is launching an Elder Justice Task Force in Kansas. The program looks to target nursing homes that provide “grossly substandard care” to residents.
Kansas is one of ten states chosen to help lead the task force. U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom says the main focus will be the investigation and prevention of financial or physical abuse of individuals because of their age.
“Unfortunately, the world is full of bad people that prey on folks who are weaker than they are," Grissom says. "I don’t think it’s anything new, but it is something that we believe is important enough that it should be given a priority by our office and by other offices.”
Grissom says the task force already has one investigation open. He says the group will address various elder abuse crimes with a unified approach.
In the future, Grissom expects to invite state agencies that work with long-term care, public health and aging to join the group.
Task forces will also be launched in Pennsylvania, California, Maryland, Georgia, Kentucky, Iowa, Ohio, Tennessee and Washington.
--
Follow Abigail Wilson on Twitter @AbigailKMUW
To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.