Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz addresses Sunnyside Community Services on the importance of reporting elder abuse. Photo: Shane O’Brien
April 4, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and NYC Department for the Aging Commissioner Lorraine Cortés-Vásquez spoke to more than 100 seniors at Sunnyside Community Services (SCS) on Thursday morning as part of an ongoing initiative to prevent elder abuse and strengthen support systems for older adults.
During the event, held at SCS’s headquarters at 43-31 39th St. in Sunnyside, Katz urged seniors to report any instances of abuse and to “trust” the system to protect them.
The gathering was organized through SCS’s Elder Justice Program, which assists adults over the age of 60 who may be facing emotional or physical abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, or other conditions that threaten their safety or independence. Speakers emphasized the importance of recognizing the signs of abuse and empowering seniors to speak up and seek help.
Attendees at Thursday’s event. Photo: Shane O’Brien
SCS Executive Director Judy Zangwill said it is critically important that seniors learn to recognize different forms of abuse beyond more “obvious” instances of physical abuse.
“There can be emotional abuse, financial abuse,” Zangwill said. “There can be all kinds of abuse, so it’s
important also to identify this.”
Katz, meanwhile, encouraged seniors to recognize and report when they are being abused and trust that the authorities will hold offenders accountable.
“We will always hold people accountable for the crimes that they are committing against the elderly and against all people of Queens County,” Katz told the crowd on Thursday. “You should trust the fact that we are going to be there and that we won’t allow the power to come out of your hands.”
Cortés-Vásquez similarly encouraged seniors to trust the system and feel empowered to report abuse to the authorities. She said victims often fail to report abuse because they believe the issue is too small for the authorities or believe that the report will fall on deaf ears. She emphasized that reporting a crime can also help prevent similar crimes from taking place in the future.
“It is never too small,” Cortés-Vásquez said. “If someone abused you, took advantage of you, is hurting you. That is not small. That matters. It matters to you, but it also matters to us.
“She (Katz) wants to make sure that she makes an example of that individual so that they don’t do it again. That is why we have to trust the system. So whenever you report a crime, it is important for all of us because that is a possible crime prevented in the future.”
Prior to the event, SCS highlighted a study conducted by the National Council on Aging, which found that one in five elder adults reported being abused during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the study also found that only one in 24 cases of elder abuse was reported to the authorities.
Graphic by National Council on Aging
Zangwill said after Thursday’s event that seniors do not report abuse to the authorities for a multitude of reasons, explaining that older adults often feel ashamed to report abuse. Others, Zangwill said, fail to recognize that they are being abused.
“I think it’s stigma. I think it’s shame. I think it’s fear,” Zangwill said. “Sometimes, when people are the victims of something like this, they actually become immobilized.”
Zangwill said events such as Thursday’s at SCS are critically important as part of efforts to break the stigma around reporting abuse to the authorities. She encouraged all attendees to spread the word about the benefits of reporting abuse and said senior centers like SCS can be safe spaces for victims to share their stories in confidence.
Launette Billups, a member of SCS’s Elder Justice program and a victim of elder abuse, also encouraged attendees to have faith in the authorities and their local senior centers. She described her participation in the Elder Justice program as “very beneficial” and encouraged anyone experiencing abuse to speak out.
Billups addresses SCS on the importance of reporting elder abuse. Photo: Shane O’Brien
“My fight has not ended, but at least I know that I have a safe space and people here in my corner,” Billups said Thursday. “All I had to do was speak up and ask for help.
“I’m here today, hopeful that my story will help others who are either going through the same thing and refuse to speak out or even know someone close, and you can’t help them because they don’t want to do anything. It’s not easy, but there is hope.”
Nick Gulotta, chief of staff for Council Member Julie Won, described SCS members as the “best messengers” of the Elder Justice program and the benefits of reporting abuse.
“Every single one of you is trusted and respected by someone in your life. Every single one of you has the power to get the word out, to tell somebody who might be suffering in silence.” Gulotta said.
Katz, meanwhile, also encouraged SCS members to be wary of scams and advised attendees never to give money to people who ask for it over the phone.
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