Cobb County Authorities Tackle Elder Abuse

The Task Force includes officials from the Cobb County police department, state agencies and regional hospitals such as Wellstar.

During the meeting, it was revealed that some caretakers will just take money from senior benefits – and not provide any care.

Jeff Wood is the Chair of the Task Force. He says often, victims are reluctant to report this type of abuse.

“A lot of those have to do with families, so they aren’t always reported,” Wood says. “‘I don’t necessarily want to report that my grandson was doing something or that my granddaughter or my niece of nephew; I feel like that’s a family matter,’ so it goes unreported.” 

That’s why Cobb County’s District Attorney Vic Reynolds says a collective approach is necessary. 

“The reality is everybody has to be singing off the same sheet of music to make these cases work. They’re very analogous to a case where the victim’s a child,” Reynolds says. 

The Task Force is reaching out to day centers, churches and veterans’ centers to raise awareness about the issue.