Elder Abuse:Community Advocacy to Health

Policy

XinQi Dong, M.D., M.P.H.APSA Congressional Policy Fellow/Health and Aging Policy

FellowAssociate Professor of Internal Medicine, Behavioral Sciences

and NursingRush University Medical Center

Historical Development – Patriarchal Roots

• Doctrine of Covertures- women loses separate legal identify once married

• Husbands both obligated and permitted to “chastise” wife and children to maintain discipline

• “a husband is responsible for the acts of his wife, and he is required to govern his household, and for that purpose, the law permits him to use towards his wife such a degree of force, as is necessary to control on unruly temper, and make her behave herself”

State vs. Black, 60 N.C. 262 (1864)

Doctrine of Family Privacy

• “We will no more interfere when the husband whips the wife, than where the wife whips the husband…We will not inflict upon society the greater evil of raising the curtain upon domestic privacy, to punish the lesser evil of trifling violence”

State v Rhodes, 61 N.C. 453 (1868)

Burston GR. BMJ 1975:iii

Epidemiology• 2 Million Cases/yr Annually in the US• Prevalence 3 - 25% : Incidence 2.6 – 15%

– Depends on Age (60 or 65)– Depends on Definition– Depends on Population Sample– Depends on Racial/Ethnic Subgroups– Depends on Survey Methodology

• 1 out of 14 Cases are Elder Abuse Reported

• 1 out of 25 Cases of Financial Exploitation Reported

Iceberg Principle:

Citywide Partnership

• Dept of Buildings• Dept of Public Health• Dept of Streets and

Sanitation• Dept of Water Management• Department of Human

Services• Police Department• Cook County State Attorney• Cable Company: Comcast• Phone Company: SBC• Libraries• Blue Cross

• Fire Department• Housing Authority• CAPS• Illinois Department of

Aging• Rush Medical Center• Chicago Land Hospital• People’s Energy• Com Ed• Animal Control• U.S. Postal Services• Many other faith-based and

community based organization

50,000 Field Workers Trained

US Chinese History:

• 1830 First Census: Chinese: 3

• 1840-50’s Series of natural disasters in China

• Settlers in CA, OR & WA• Indentured Servitude:

men• Transcontinental Railroad

80% Chinese • 1869 Last Railroad Track

Sinophobia: • Anti-Chinese Sentiment Along

Pacific's• 1859: Racial Segregation

– SF public schools prohibit Chinese children from attending schools with White children.

• Prejudice Intensified in 1861• Anti-Chinese Riots in SF and LA• 1863 People vs. Hall

– CA supreme court law forbid Chinese to testify against white men in court

Chinese Exclusion Act: 1882

• Barred Chinese Immigration to US

• Prohibited Chinese From Obtaining Citizenship

• In Act till 1943

Anti-Chinese Violence:

• The LA Chinese Massacre of 1871

• The WY Rock Spring Massacre of 1885

• United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 1898

Migration Toward East:

Community Participation

• Chinese American Service League

• Chinatown Senior Housing• Chinese Pine Tree Council• Chinatown Chamber of

Commerce• Asian Health Coalition of Illinois• Chinese Museum Foundation• Chinatown Senior Housing• Xi Lin Community Center• Asian American Institute• Pui Tak Center• Chicago Chinese Cultural

Institute• Midwest Asian Health Association

• Chinese American Civic Council• Illinois Coalition for Asian Health• Chinese Mutual Aid Association• Chicago Department of Public

Health• Illinois Department of Public

Health• Illinois Department on Aging• Chicago Department on Aging• Danny Solis. Alderman• Danny Davis. Congress• Richard Durbin. Senate• Community Advisory Board

Members• Community Residents

Breaking the Barriers:

• Helping Hands Program• Saturday with Seniors!• Tai-Chi• Calligraphy• Chinese Poetry• Water Painting• Photo Journalism

News Column:

Build Research InfrAstructure & Network in Chicago CHinatown:

(BRANCH Project)

Research Advocacy:

• Messaging– The crux of the matter– The reasons why anyone should care

about your research, study, initiatives, or annoucement

– Help frame a broad issue and generate support for change

– A good message is: clear, compelling, accurate, and short

Health Policy:

• Health Care Reform• Elder Justice Act• Elder Abuse Victims Act• Older American’s Act• Violence Against Women Act

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs