The Tyrrell County Board of Commissioners on May 21 proclaimed Vulnerable Adult and Elder Abuse Awareness Month and commended its observance to all citizens.

The board’s resolution passed on a voice vote. The text follows:

WHEREAS, North Carolina joins the world in recognizing World Elder Abuse Awareness Day every June 15; and

WHEREAS, protecting North Carolina’s vulnerable and older adults is a community responsibility, and all citizens are charged under state law to report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation to their local County Department of Social Services; and

WHEREAS, North Carolina’s vulnerable and older adults of all social, economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds may be targets of abuse, neglect, or exploitation which can occur in families, long-term care settings, and communities; and

WHEREAS, in state Fiscal Year 2017, there were 27,483 reports of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable and older adults made to North Carolina’s 100 County Departments of Social Services; and

WHEREAS, national and international research shows that abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable and older adults is grossly underreported; and

WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina enacted the nation’s first elder abuse law, and recognizes the need for a comprehensive system of protection for vulnerable and older adults; and

WHEREAS, Mother’s and Father’s Days are national holidays intended to honor, respect, and promote the dignity and well-being of our older citizens;

NOW, THEREFORE, The Tyrrell County Board of Commissioners, do hereby proclaim Mother’s Day through Father’s Day, May 13 – June 17, 2018, as VULNERABLE ADULT AND ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS MONTHS in Tyrrell County, and commend observance to all citizens.