Elder Abuse Awareness
ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Muskingum County Commissioners proclaim each June as Elder Abuse Awareness Month.
Muskingum County Adult and Child Protective Services Supervisor Patrick Donavan shared the relevance of the subject and detailed a few of the ways that the elderly are being exploited.
“It’s actually a combination of factors.,” Donavan said. “The first factor being that roughly one in four Ohioans is over 60. So about 25 percent of our population meet that requirement, as far as being 60 and older. The other piece of that is the exploitation numbers that we’re seeing are… they continue to climb. Not just people over 60 but a lot of people in general are falling victim to scams. So if they’re over 60, a lot of times we’re getting those reports. So that does account for some of the higher numbers.”
As of Monday, June 8th, Muskingum County Adult and Child Protective Services has received 390 reports of elder abuse, which makes 2026 on track to surpass 2025’s, record breaking total of 631.
“Last couple of months we’re averaging about 83 reports a month and we’ve never seen numbers that high,” Donavan said. “So… again there’s not just exploitation, but there’s abuse, neglect, we see a lot of self neglect. So I would just ask folks that are out there, as we’re trying to raise awareness, that if you’ve got an elderly neighbor or a grandparent or somebody that you’re not seeing on a regular basis, check on them. If you see something, say something.”
Muskingum County residents can report an issue anytime by calling The Muskingum County Adult and Child Protective Services at (740)455-6710 or Ohio residents in neighboring counties can dial 1-855-OHIOAPS.
Monday, June 15th, is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and Donavan encourages everyone to wear purple in support. Adult and Child Protective Services is asking community members to send pictures of themselves, with friends, family and coworkers dressed in purple to melissa.wood@jfs.ohio.gov before June 15th, to have them posted on their facebook page.
