The featured speaker at this California Department of Social Services event will be Kathy Greenlee, the former Assistant Secretary for Aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, appointed by President Barack Obama and approved by the Senate back in 2009.

The abuse of the elderly and dependent population in California is on the rise. APS social workers investigated nearly 191,000 reports of abuse in 2017-2018, up from the 184,000 reports received the previous year, and up from the 82,266 received in 2000-2001. Of those reports received in 2017-18, 167,000 were accepted for investigation and more than 76,000 were confirmed as abusive situations.

Currently, persons 65 and older comprise nearly 14 percent of California’s population; by 2050 that figure is projected to be closer to 20 percent, making APS’s role ever growing in importance. Active in all 58 California counties, with a workforce of more than 750 individuals, Adult Protective Services is almost always the first responder to reports from professionals and the public regarding abuse of elderly and dependent adults, be it financial, physical, emotional or neglect.