California’s Attorney General Bill Lockyer presented his 2005 Distinguished Service Award for Elder Abuse Prevention by a Community-Based Organization to California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR). The award honors CANHR for its “extraordinary courage, innovation, and service in the protection of California’s elderly.”

The award was presented on Tuesday, June 7, before several hundred elder abuse professionals from throughout the country who are attending the Attorney General’s third biennial elder abuse conference in Long Beach. The weeklong conference continues through June10.

In his remarks, Attorney General Lockyer praised CANHR for 22 years of outstanding advocacy on behalf of elders living in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Describing CANHR as the premier advocacy voice for long-term care facility residents, he thanked it for leading the fight against all types of elder abuse, including financial exploitation.

In accepting the award, Patricia McGinnis, CANHR’s Executive Director, thanked the Attorney General and his Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse for making elder abuse prevention and prosecution a top priority in California.

San Francisco-based CANHR is a nationally recognized non-profit advocacy and service organization dedicated to improving the quality of care and quality of life for long-term care residents in California. Since 1983, it has been fighting for their rights through individual advocacy, education, legislation and litigation.