For the past three years, Peter has been an important part of Missouri's efforts to prevent elder abuse in our state. As the state's Senior Advocate, Peter has vowed to continue the battle against the physical and mental abuse, exploitation and neglect of Missouri's seniors.

As part of those efforts, Peter is asking Missourians to get their purple out on June 15 in recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Peter is encouraging all Missourians to join the rest of the world in wearing purple to raise awareness of elder abuse across the country.

In Missouri, elder abuse continues to be a serious problem which is why Peter continues to fight for some of our most vulnerable citizens. In fact, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services received more than 26,000 reports of elder abuse and neglect in 2007 alone.

Along with recognizing the problem and dealing with it, Peter is asking anyone in Missouri who suspects that a senior or disabled Missourian is being abused, neglected or exploited to call DHSS' Elderly Abuse and Neglect toll-free hotline, 1-800-392-0210.