Elder abuse is becoming more and more prevalent especially as the baby boomers reach the age of 65 years. As the population grows so does the instances of abuse. Statistics reveal that approximately 5 million elderly people are abused each year and it is estimated that only 1 in 14 cases of abuse are reported to the authorities according to Adult Protective Services. The elderly is subjected to various forms of abuse such as physical, emotional/verbal and sexual ill-treatment. It is determined that perpetrators of abuse are usually family members. As elder abuse becomes more blatant so should the systematic responses to conquering the nationwide epidemic.

The media often spotlights abuse as a prevalent problem in society today, and often it is specific to abuse against children. There are many government and private organizations devoted to preventing child abuse and helping its’ current victims. However, this is not the only abuse occurring that merits attention. Abuse also effects a different demographic of people; the elderly. While the abuse effecting children is acknowledged, it may appear that many people are not as familiar with abuse of the elderly. Subsequently there are fewer organizations to assist. Abuse of the elderly does not discriminate as it is both genders, all cultures, all ethnicities, and all socioeconomic classes. There are three main types of elder abuse; physical, verbal/emotional, and sexual abuse. Each form of abuse has signs, rising prevalence in society, and not enough social awareness or community support. It is predicted that by 2030, when the first baby boomer reaches the mature age of 84, the number of Americans over 65 will be tripled. Essentially, more than 20 percent of the population will be over the age of 65, and as the elderly population grows, the crimes against them are expected to exponentially rise in incidence and prevalence. Elder abuse is becoming one of the fastest growing crimes in society and is also one of the most underreported and misunderstood. This is because elders do not want to report nor do they want to be a part of the process. Many elderly adults are abused in their own homes, or while they are residing in the home of relatives who are supposed to be caring from them in their time of need. As the elderly become older and weaker their ability to stand up or fight back, if attacked, becomes greatly diminished. There are indicators of physical abuse such as; unexplained broken bones, cuts, punctures, burns, bruises and welts wherein, other common indicators include, broken eye glasses with no reasonable explanation or signs of being restrained, such as marks around the wrist. Members of the community may be able to recognize these warning signs of abuse if properly educated on what to look for. This is not to state that all injuries the elderly sustain constitutes abuse. Per Adult Protective Services data the Houston district received 21,575 reported cases of abuse, neglect and/or exploitation in FY 2018 wherein of those 11,567 cases were validated for some type of maltreatment against the elderly and disabled.

As elder abuse becomes more prominent, so do the systematic responses to conquering this nationwide epidemic. The primary source of response to allegations of abuse against the elderly in Texas is Adult Protective Services. There are social service agencies with a comprehensive understanding of this growing, and prevalent problem, and much room for expansion of these services. The response to elder abuse is most effective when it is a collaborative effort by all social service agencies, criminal justice systems, health care providers and the community. The elderly population deserves to live their retirement years with dignity and there are many that cannot do it alone.

April is child abuse awareness and prevention month. Sadly, recent data published by the Texas Department of Family Protective Services revealed that in FY2018 there were 211 child fatalities from abuse or neglect in Texas, a 35% increase from 5 years ago. Over half of these 211 child fatalities, were children under the age of 2. Locally, there were 45 child fatalities from abuse or neglect in Harris County in FY2018, of which 20 of these children were under the age of 2.

Children under the age of 2 are at the greatest risk of being victims of child maltreatment. Parental stress, sleep deprivation, and depression coupled with infant crying is a risk factor for abuse. As a result, organizations across the county and state have invested in efforts to protect these vulnerable children. For example, Texas Children’s Hospital provides education to new parents and caregivers on infant crying and soothing through the Period of Purple Crying Program. The purpose of this educational intervention is to normalize infant crying so parents and caregivers are aware, as well as to prepare them with tools and coping strategies for soothing their baby and handling frustrations around crying. Texas Children’s collaborates with other community hospitals to deliver the Period of Purple Crying Program to new parents delivering babies and to parents with children in the neonatal intensive care unit.

If Hollywood was your only source of information about babies, you may think that most of their time is spent in peaceful slumber or cooing happily. The reality is babies cry – some cry a lot – and they cry for many reasons.

As with most things, there is a range of frequency and intensity. We know infant crying typically peaks around 8 weeks of life and usually starts to taper by 16 weeks of life. We also know babies tend to be fussy and cry more in the early evening. As parents are settling into their new roles, perhaps returning to work and caring for other children, this time can be challenging. And, if coupled with sleep deprivation, parental stress, anxiety or depression, it can be even more difficult.

Newborns communicate their needs through crying. They could be hungry, sleepy, not feeling well or need a diaper change. As a parent, you might think you’ll know exactly what to do to soothe your baby and stop the crying. But there will be times you won’t know the cause of the crying and despite your best efforts, may not be able to remedy the crying. You can comfort your crying baby by taking them outside, singing, rocking them or rubbing his/her back and while that may not stop the crying, it lets the baby know you are with them. However, we know parents and caregivers can become so frustrated with infant crying they lose control and, without thinking, shake or hurt the baby. If you find yourself really frustrated with the crying, it is OK to put the baby in a safe place, a crib without toys, pillows or blankets, and take a short break to breathe and calm yourself or ask for someone to come help with the baby. It is never OK to shake or hurt a baby. Remember babies cry and sometimes they are not consolable, but that is not a reflection of you as a parent. Also know you are the person who knows your baby best and if something is concerning or seems out of the ordinary, you can call your health care provider.

As Crime Stoppers works to integrate all facets of our society in the safest and most harmonious way possible, a recent article targeting animals really concerned me and concerned many in the animal welfare community. While the Houston Chronicle editorial Stray Dogs and Cats Public Enemy No 1. focused on the negative impact animal homelessness has on the public’s quality of life, the piece failed to make the appropriate point that the cause and effect of this issues is ours alone to bear. The solution is also ours to facilitate.

Dependent Wholly on Us

Similar to a newborn child, animals (at all ages) are wholly dependent on us. Their entire well-being is a product of either our action or inaction; that said, how do we still blame animals for the very things that are out of their control? If they are happy and fed, it’s thanks to us. If they are neglected and aggressive, it’s thanks to us. If they are beaten, tortured or killed, it’s thanks to us. If they are homeless on the streets, it’s thanks to us. By our hands they are mutilated, burned, dragged, forced to fight or recklessly dumped. Reviewing the welfare of animals in our area would break even the hardest of hearts.

To place animals in an all-encompassing category (“Public Enemy No. 1”), one that separates them from the responsibilities we have to care for them is unfair.

Their Plight

For the last 10 years, Crime Stoppers of Houston has been working with Houston PetSet, Tena Faust and Tama Lundquist and others to deal with the state of animals in Houston and Harris County. Here’s what we’ve found and what we are doing:

Community Based Solutions are Being Offered: We’ve recognized the need for a centralized hub where animal welfare information can be shared, where cruelty cases can be filed, intake reports can be collected, data can be gathered, law enforcement can respond strategically (working with other partners), the District Attorney’s office can have the information they need to prosecute where necessary and the best interest of the animal is maintained consistently from start to finish. Out of these needs came the creation of the Harris County Animal Cruelty Task Force, led by Constable Ted Heap (P. 5), Houston PetSet and countless other organizations. A first for our city, this Task Force is already responding to and mitigating animal welfare issues across the greater Houston metropolitan area.

Aggressive Animals: We’ve recognized both the dangers they pose and the role we play. In an effort to counteract aggressive behavior by stray dogs (who are exhausted, neglected and hungry), we’ve spent a great deal of time focused on education. This education is executed in many forms. For those with pets, we talk about proper pet maintenance and engagement. For those owners with pets they wish to relinquish, we discuss the proper avenues to do so. And for those who engage with stray dogs/cats, we talk about the dos and don’ts of approaching an animal who is scared, tired, neglected and starving. We bring this education into communities wherever possible and into schools serving kids in kindergarten through 12th grade.

We Get It: A 2010 UT School of Public Health, Health of Houston survey identified the stray dog and cat population as the most frequent neighborhood problem cited by respondents. The results were reported as: Strays as most frequent problem (37%) followed by: Crime (26%), Drinking water (19%), Air pollution/Traffic (17%) etc. A question in the most recent Kinder Houston Area Survey (2018) focused on the stray population and asked respondents whether stray dogs and cats were a problem in their neighborhoods. 54% percent of all Harris County respondents identified the stray dog and cat issue as a “problem.” Over 1 in 4 respondents identified the stray dog and cat issue as a “serious problem.” Houston has a problem and that problem is affecting residents in their neighborhoods. We get it. That said, the aggressive animal who bites is a symptom of a much broader problem, a problem that again, rests squarely on our shoulders.

The Solution and How to Help

• Get involved. Support your local animal nonprofits.
• In an Emergency. If you see a crime in process and it involves an animal, dial 911.
• Houston’s Premier Taskforce. If you see a neglected or abused animal or a dumping ground of animals, call the Harris County Animal Cruelty Task force at 1-832-927-PAWS. This is not a customer service center! This is a law enforcement task force that takes every call and fields every report made. You may not get a call back, but every claim will be investigated! This historic task force is the leading agency handling all animal cruelty cases in the Greater Houston Metropolitan area.
• Don’t Tamper with Evidence. As heartbreaking as it is to see neglected or abused animal, in order to really help them, they must safely be removed from their environment. The only way to safely remove them is through law enforcement. This means they are evidence in a potential criminal case. It’s so hard but DO NOT FEED THEM OR REMOVE THEM FROM THEIR environment. That mitigates law enforcements standing to go in and rescue. Rather, take photos, make notes, take video and report to either 911 (if in the commission of a crime) or the Harris County Animal Cruelty Task Force.
• If you see a stray dog, do not immediately try to rescue. Some of these animals can be dangerous. Call Animal Control or call BARC at 311 to report a dangerous animal running loose.

The Other Story of Us

Animals are not “Public Enemy No. 1”, they are a “Public Responsibility.”

Whether you are an animal lover or not, our treatment of the most vulnerable population is not only a reflection of who we are but also something that directly impacts public safety and the quality of life of all residents. Additionally, this is an issue that will take all of us to recognize and deal with. Join us and the many NGOs, law enforcement groups, media partners, rescue groups and volunteers as we collaborate on a strategy that can address immediate concerns, such as animal cruelty, but also work on long lasting solutions to reduce the stray animal population in our community.

Houston is a city that fiercely takes care of its own. Animals should be no different.

In today’s digital world, savvy parents do everything they can to protect their children online: we follow their social media or even forbid them from joining social media altogether; we check privacy settings; monitor internet usage through wireless routers or downloadable software; we keep the family computer in a central location and have age-appropriate and reoccurring conversations about being good digital citizens, online reputation and the dangers of the Internet.

We try to take control of the gadgets we own and how they impact our children . . .  but what if they have access to the online world through devices not given to them by us? Devices we have no control of?

This week’s tragic story – Cy-Fair officer in training arrested after allegedly luring 12-year-old girl to Cypress hotel room – made us wonder. She’s only 12 years old but this Houston girl left her home willingly, at midnight, to meet a man she connected with via the popular social media app “MeetMe.” Here’s the issue: she was accessing the app through the iPad given to her by her school. Of course, upon meeting Jorge Bastida, she was allegedly sexually assaulted. Thankfully, authorities located her in a motel shortly after.

The reality that this young girl met this online predator through a school-provided iPad is terrifying. This got us thinking about the devices many schools provide their students, what security measures school administration takes to protect students, and what that means for parents who have no access or control over their child’s online behavior at school.

Do you know?

On the one hand, we are thankful for schools who invest in technology and offer it to students. Studies show there are a lot of positives in utilizing technology in the classroom, yielding a tremendous impact on teaching, learning and student development. A recent survey conducted by THEJournal revealed that 75 percent of participating teachers believed that technology had a positive impact on education. An overwhelming 81 percent of teachers favored the idea of schools providing devices to all students with nearly 50 percent saying that students at their schools had 1-to-1 devices. And these devices are needed. According to The Edvocate, nearly 60 percent of administrators say they have implemented some form of mobile technology in classrooms as 96 percent “believe technology will have a positive role to play in education in the future.”

But just because the technology is meant for education does not mean kids won’t exploit it, especially in homes where parents are stricter or on top of social media risks. Paired with some alarming statistics and the need for discussion becomes clear:

• Teens are willing to meet with strangers: 16 percent of teens considered meeting someone they’ve only talked to online and 8 percent have actually met someone they only knew online.
• 75 percent of children are willing to share personal information online about themselves and their family in exchange for goods and services.
• One in five U.S. teenagers who regularly log on to the Internet says they have received an unwanted sexual solicitation via the Web (only 25 percent of those told a parent).

What’s a Parent to do?

Start asking questions and stay informed.

• Does your school give your child access to online world?
• Do they allow your child to bring their own electronic device?
• Do they provide devices for students?
• Do you know your school’s policy and the measurements they take to safeguard school given electronic devices?
• Do they block all platforms or just a few?
• Are there ways for students to get around this or cheat the system?
• I’m sure there are location services with the gadgets. Given that your kids keep these at school and at home, can a predator track the gadget and your child?

Don’t be afraid to ask the school pointed questions. Talk to your children too. In this new world of immediate gratification and hyper-sexualization, these are important concerns that every parent must consider. Their safety depends on it.

Like so many, I spent Thursday watching as much of the Dr. Christine Blasey Ford andJustice Brett Kavanaugh hearings as I could. I am sure all those in that room would say it was emotional, frustrating and draining. But as the nation focused on the testimonies and pulled from all the recent headlines of the past, my mind wandered to the next generation, to our children and the reality that there are boys and girls – today – who are unknowingly making decisions (today) that will impact their lives 20 to 40 years from now. How do we guide teens through the significance of this?

Add to that a long conversation I had with a mom of two boys who spoke of the fear she feels raising sons in the wake of the #metoo, #womenempowerment era. On the one hand, she’s 100 percent in support of boys at all ages being held accountable for their actions. She repeatedly tells her sons: You do something inappropriate, it’s on you, forever and period. No excuses. On the other hand, she shared her sons’ real concerns that a mutual encounter, a moment that truly felt like agreement, could later turn into a “he said / she said” that could impact their lives forever.

It was a deeply packed conversation filled with true confusion and concern. What she was asking and what we should all be asking is: How do we raise minors to understand the gravity of it all and is there a guide for parents?

Yes, here’s a start:

• Move Away from Dismissive Language: As a society, let’s move away from “boys will be boys.” The statement itself is filled with excuses. No more. Why not one standard for all, reflected in our everyday conversations? Neither age nor gender is an excuse. Neither is social status nor connections. But beware, to really do this requires a review of our own social and gender biases (the very same ones that our kids pick up on).
• There’s Accountability for all when the Rules are Gender Neutral: When it comes to how to treat one another and how to carry ourselves, the rules are the same for all. Boys need to respect themselves and the girls around them. Girls need to respect themselves and the boys around them. Period. The traditional imbalance of power which has historically infiltrated the imbalance in standards must be eradicated, one person at a time.
• Consent and Boundaries Start on the Playground: They are lessons to be taught as early as possible and in explained in all situations. “Do you want to play ball with me? Yes? Okay! No? Understood.” Consent is also about the boundaries we set up for ourselves while respecting those set up by others. Talk through boundaries, personal ones and those of others. “What makes you feel uncomfortable? What might make others feel uncomfortable?” Go through age-appropriate scenarios.
• Not Fear but Honesty: If we can communicate and connect while knowing, understanding and respecting each other’s boundaries and with a clear understanding of consent, interactions do not need to be fearful. That said, adding alcohol or drugs to any situation negates your ability to do any of this. What does it not negate? The wishes of the person with you and the legal consequences of your actions.
• Time is a Continuum on which Actions Live: No matter your age today, your actions stick with you for decades to come, especially in the world of social media and online living. Our jokes and comments, our games, our dares, our partying, our socializing, our dating, our emails, our texts … all of it, have significance permanently. Discuss what permanent means and remember, age and gender are not an excuse.
• Expectations in Relationships Defined: What do healthy relationships look like, what do you expect and allow? Friendships, dating relationships, work relationships, school partnerships, teacher-student, etc… have a healthy discussion about them all.
• Emotions Matter: All our children need to be raised with empathy, in an emotionally safe and secure manner, thinking through how to view themselves and others. A great exercise: make a list of five or ten friends in your child’s life and talk through how your child feels about each (“CLAUDIA: I really like Claudia, she’s very smart”); then discuss how that friend might feel about your child (“CLAUDIA: She might not like me, I joke about her work a lot”); then how that friend might feel about him/herself right now (“Come to think of it, she’s been sad at school lately”). It’s a great exercise that gets kids thinking and connecting emotions and actions to outcomes.
• Examples Matter: Dad, you matter. Brother, you matter. Sister, you matter. Mom, you matter. TV shows matter. Songs matter. Kids watch it all, hear it all and pick up on everything. Do an inventory of the things shaping your child and talk them through. (Side note, have you stopped to read some to the lyrics of today’s most popular songs? They’re not good.)
• Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Period. When someone says stop and you say “Ok” while pushing a little more or trying a little harder, your actions will be what defined the moment.
• Outcries Will be Heard: Period. While my sincerest hope is that the sexual assault of all can just end, it’s critical we raise a generation not afraid to speak up. If anything happens to you, you must report and as quickly as you possibly can. In the midst of the trauma, try to remember anything possible and write it down as soon as possible. Go straight to a hospital if you can. If you can’t, place everything you were wearing in a separate bag. This is such a horrible reality but one we must face. To the child, teen or young person, the trauma is unimaginable but culturally, we are primed to hear you and listen. Add to that, the person you become may very much want to hold your attacker accountable. The world may need to hold your attacker accountable. Be strong. Report. Many are with you.

For today’s families, the conversations are absolutely about an equitable society, believing outcries, and raising our kids right. We love our boys, we love our girls and we love yours too. If we’re all on the same page, we’ll get through this.