With some studies showing that as many as 1 in 10 older adults—with 1 in 2 with dementia—becoming victims of elder abuse, the issue has never been more important to tackle.
Identifying and combating elder abuse was the topic of the Jan. 8, 2012 episode of Dr. Phil, and featured a very special guest expert: USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology PhD grad Kerry Parker Burnight.
Burnight, who is a faculty member at the University of California at Irvine is a high-profile elder justice advocate who is a member of the Ageless Alliance, a collective of experts dedicated to fighting elder abuse by building awareness, providing support and increasing community involvement.
“We are so proud of Kerry’s amazing career and that she continues to bring attention to such an important and necessary subject that affects us all,” said Pinchas Cohen, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School. “She represents the very best ideals of gerontology and I hope viewers will take her excellent advice to heart.”