Spotlight on Elder Abuse

Florida Senate Bills Crack Down on Assisted Living Elder Abuse

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:13:00 +0000

By Alyssa Gerace
January 26, 2012

Assisted living laws in Florida could go from one side of the spectrum to the other in the wake of the Miami Herald’s series on elder abuse that occurred in many state facilities, with little or no ramifications.
Now, Florida lawmakers are looking to shift the state’s caretaker oversight from negligent to possibly the toughest in the nation, according to a Miami Herald article, recently passing committee bills 7176 and 7174.
The proposal includes comprehensive legislation that seeks to improve oversight such as mandatory penalties in fatal neglect cases and a public ratings system derived from a facility’s regulatory history, the article reports.
Additionally, the regulatory reform bills take some power away from Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration, which in the course of the investigation has faced scrutiny for failure to shut down or adequately penalize troubled facilities.
The full Miami Herald article lists several proposals from Rich’s Elder Affairs Committee and the state Senate’s Health Regulation Committee.

SOURCE: The Senior Housing News
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Ontario Elder Abuse Hotline in Jeopardy

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:05:00 +0000

By Carol Goar
Editorial Board, The Star

They’ve tried to raise money. But when people hear their cause, they turn away. Elder abuse is not an appealing topic.
They’ve approached a succession of cabinet ministers. (Ontario has gone through four seniors’ ministers in the past three years.) Each has been more noncommittal than the last.
They’ve begged the Ontario Trillium Foundation to renew their three-year grant. But it doesn’t provide extensions or renewals.
Now, with 33 days left to come up with $75,000, the Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse is staring at the prospect of closing its Senior Safety Line.
It handles 13,000 calls a year from frightened seniors, distraught family members, worried friends and concerned caregivers. It operates round-the-clock in 150 languages. Each operator is trained to understand the needs of vulnerable seniors and offer practical, confidential advice. It is now running at 100 per cent capacity.
But no one is willing to pay for it.
Teri Kay, executive director of the Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, which created the help line, admits she and her colleagues didn’t plan for this eventuality. “We naively thought another funder would step forward,” she said.
The seniors’ protection network, like many other voluntary groups, assumed that once it proved the hotline was viable and needed, the provincial government would take over.
“Three years ago, that was reasonable,” Kay said. “In the current (fiscal) situation, it’s very hard to establish new programs.”
She is still scrambling to secure long-term funding. Several potential partners have expressed interest. But even if one of them steps in, the money won’t come through until at least mid-year.
That’s why the network is appealing to the public for help.
“This vital hotline simply cannot be shut down,” it says. “The immediate need is $75,000 which will sustain it for another six months.”
So far the organization has raised just $5,000.
It tried asking families and community groups to host tea parties to get word out and bring in donations. But the majority of Ontarians still don’t want to acknowledge or hear about elder abuse.
It tried lobbying MPPs. But as the province’s budgetary woes deepened, they resorted to expressions of moral support.
It tried to get media attention. But there’s nothing new or clear-cut about elder abuse. There are no reliable statistics on the prevalence of the problem. According to people who work in the field, between 4 and 10 per cent of seniors are physically, emotionally, sexually or financially abused or deprived of life’s necessities, but these are just estimates. Nor are there any simple remedies. Many seniors are afraid to speak up. Many Ontarians believe a family’s privacy is sacrosanct. (To their credit, several of my Star colleagues have written powerful stories about abused and neglected seniors.)
What the network can say with assurance is that the Senior Safety Line has made a difference.
Victims of elder abuse are seeking help. They may not be willing to go to the police, but they do want to tell their stories, ask for advice and find out what services are available in the community.
More cases of elder abuse are being reported. Seniors may be reluctant to identify the perpetrator, especially when it is a member of the family, but those who are in serious danger can sometimes be persuaded to talk to a police officer.
Politicians are beginning to respond. The federal government committed $567,000 last fall to developing tools to detect and measure elder abuse. The province claims to have launched the country’s first strategy to combat elder abuse in 2009. A handful of backbenchers have introduced private member’s bills to expose and prevent the victimization of older people.
These initiatives are useful, Kay says, but it is essential to preserve existing services.
“We’d go from month to month if we had to,” she said, emphasizing that any donation, no matter how small, would be welcome.
She shouldn’t have to beg. Abused seniors shouldn’t have to depend on the mercy of strangers.
(More information is available at http://www.onpea.org/)

SOURCE: The Star
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Youth Speaking Up - Toronto Police PSA Campaign (CANADA)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:23:00 +0000

Youth Speaking Up - Toronto Police PSA Campaign

YouTube video:

'Youth Speaking Up' is an anti-violence awareness and advocacy campaign, created by the students and staff members of the Toronto Police Service's Youth in Policing Initiative, and developed by the Toronto Police Service Community Mobilization Unit.

The campaign is designed to challenge and empower students to create discussion, activity, and dialogue with their peers around the topics of Child Abuse, Relationship Violence, and Elder Abuse. The goal of the campaign is to encourage youth to speak up about issues of violence and abuse, and to reduce incidents and patterns of violence through awareness, education, and discussion.

For more information regarding the 'Youth Speaking Up' campaign, please contact: Staff Sergeant Joanne Rudnick, Toronto Police Service Community Mobilization Unit -- Family Violence Section, at joanne.rudnick@torontopolice.on.ca, or (416) 808-7281
• Toronto Police Service Community Mobilization Unit
http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/communitymobilization/elderabu se.php

New Law Toughens Penalties for Senior Fraud (IL. USA)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:18:00 +0000

New law toughens penalties for senior fraud

BY ALI DURKIN
JAN 19, 2012

A new Illinois law that takes effect this month imposes harsher penalties on people who defraud seniors, and makes it easier to go after low-level fraud.

The law allows prosecutors to go after scammers who steal smaller amounts of money than before, beginning with frauds for as little as $5,000.

The intention behind the legislation was twofold, “to increase penalties based on the lower threshold and, especially with all the attention, to serve as a deterrent,” said Ryan Gruenenfelder, associate state director of Advocacy and Outreach at AARP Illinois.

Each year nationwide, victims lose more than $2.6 billion to financial exploitation, according to AARP.

Scams against seniors sometimes come from an outside source through the mail or Internet. Yet, more common are scams committed by family members or caregivers, said Robert Blancato, national coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition in Washington, D.C.

The law reflects Illinois’ recent effort to take senior financial exploitation more seriously, Gruenenfelder said.

“Illinois has been taking steps in the right direction to recognize elder abuse and give tools to officials, law enforcement, and state’s attorneys to go after those who commit it,” he said.

Professionals in Illinois who work with elders must report abuse if they see it. Nonetheless, elder abuse often goes unreported, Gruenenfelder said. According to estimates from the Illinois Department on Aging, only one in 13 cases of elder abuse are reported, he said.

If a senior is defrauded by a family member, he or she may not report it to avoid getting their family in trouble, Blancato said. Similarly, the senior is often a dependent of the perpetrator. In those cases, “there is a fear factor that keeps them from reporting,” he said.

Also a senior may not know where to report these crimes. Finally, underfunded agencies have too many cases to work, “that leads to stuff falling through the crack,” Blancato said.

Illinois does have institutions to deter elder financial exploitation, such as the TRIAD Program, a statewide organization of law enforcement officials, sheriffs and senior advocates that works to prevent and educate citizens about these crimes. However, more can be done, Gruenenfelder said.

“A public awareness campaign to educate people on how to avoid being victimized” and education of society as a whole of the seriousness of these crimes are necessary to eliminate these crimes, Blancato said.

Law enforcement also needs to be educated on the problem, Gruenenfelder said.

“I believe that police officers certainly could use more education and training to help recognize elder abuse and know that when someone comes to them that it is a criminal matter,” he said.

“We have to get past the notion that we should treat elder abuse like something other than a crime,” Blancato said.

SOURCE: MedIll Reports, Chicago
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Figures Expose Shocking Level of Elderly Abuse Across Wales

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:15:00 +0000

Figures expose shocking level of elderly abuse across Wales

by Helen Turner, WalesOnline

Jan 23 2012

The scale of abuse against elderly people across Wales has been revealed in figures showing more than 1,000 complaints against carers have been upheld in the last three years.

Despite the number of proven allegations of financial, physical and emotional abuse, only a small percentage of the carers involved have lost their jobs.

See also: Elderly are deprived of chances to learn, warns Estyn

In several Welsh councils, fewer than 10% of upheld complaints led to the carers involved losing their jobs. Neglect was the most frequent complaint made by vulnerable adult service users across Wales – with 240 incidents reported to Cardiff council alone since 2008-09.

There were also allegations of sexual abuse at three Welsh councils, Wrexham, Rhondda Cynon Taf and the Vale of Glamorgan.

At Denbighshire council, one carer was reported for shouting at a service user, while another was overheard to have said: “Now you’re fed and watered, I’m off.”

The British Association of Social Workers said it was likely that the true level of abuse was far worse as most incidents are never reported.

Spokeswoman Ruth Cartwright called for more comprehensive regulation of care workers. She said: “Society puts a greater focus on children than of vulnerable adults, but both deserve protection from abuse and exploitation.

“Adults who have been abused or mistreated are often least likely to be able to speak out, so it is likely that there are many incidents of unreported abuse.

“Let us not forget that vulnerable adults are also sometimes mistreated by members of their own family, who are perceived to be caring for them.”

She said that domiciliary care workers were currently not required to register with the Welsh Care Council and called on the Welsh Government to address this.

She said: “We want to see regulation of those who work directly with people in need of care and support in their own homes, where there is much scope to abuse the trust that is placed in them.”

Ms Cartwright also called for a register of complaints that would ensure rigorous sanctions were taken against offenders.

She said: “We are concerned that so few complaints, where upheld, have resulted in dismissal. The majority of workers are honest and thoroughly dedicated people who do a hard job with little pay or recognition.

“However, some people are just not suitable for this type of work, and we hope that employers are committed to weeding out these few people who take advantage.

“There needs to be rigorous selection procedures for these staff, and they must receive proper training about the often complex needs of the vulnerable people they are supporting.”

Next: Radical changes to protect elderly "on way"

A Welsh Government spokesman told WalesOnline that radical changes to the way vulnerable people, including the elderly, were protected were being developed under the forthcoming Social Services Bill.

He said: “Under the forthcoming Social Services Bill a new statutory framework to protect adults at risk will be introduced, which will encompass duties to investigate, co-operate and share information in protecting adults and to establish a National Independent Safeguarding Board.

“These arrangements will be underpinned by the establishment of statutory Adult Protection Boards, and a reduction in the number of Safeguarding Children Boards in Wales to strengthen co-operation and collaboration between relevant local agencies.”

The largest number of complaints were against carers in Cardiff, with 328 complaints proven or admitted and 25 carers losing their jobs.

The cases included 20 complaints of financial abuse, 15 of physical abuse, 240 of neglect. and 26 of motional and psychological abuse.

In Newport, 11 complaints were upheld out of 29 resulting in two carers losing their jobs.

There were several councils where no carers lost their jobs, including Merthyr Tydfil, which had 11 upheld complaints, Monmouthshire, which had four, and Pembrokeshire which had three.

Neath Port Talbot council upheld only seven of 896 complaints made against staff.

Other councils were more willing to discipline carers. The Vale of Glamorgan dismissed 10 carers and prosecuted five out of 45 upheld complaints. Some 31 carers were also given extra supervision and 24 were given extra training.

The complaints in the Vale included physical abuse, 37, sexual abuse, four, emotional abuse, 20, financial abuse, 21, and neglect, 17.

In Bridgend 29 carers lost their jobs, out of 164 upheld complaints, while in Carmarthenshire five lost their jobs from 15 upheld complaints.

A Newport council spokeswoman said: “Newport council takes any complaint against a carer extremely seriously. All complaints are thoroughly investigated.

“Safeguarding vulnerable people is of the highest priority when determining what action will be taken if a complaint is upheld.”

According to a complaints officer at Cardiff council, any allegation of serious misconduct, such as neglect, abuse, medication errors, that could potentially harm a vulnerable adult may result in a referral to the Protection of Vulnerable Adults team to investigate.

SOURCE: WalesOnline
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The Carer Who was Sacked for Caring (UK)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:57:00 +0000

Rashid Razaq
17 Jan 2012

A carer who lost her job and her home for allegedly breaking protocol by helping an elderly woman in distress was today seeking a lawyer to appeal.

Sue Angold, 51, was sacked after coming to the aid of a distraught pensioner who was soaked in urine and unable to get up to clean herself.

Responding to an alarm at a sheltered housing block, she lifted the woman on to a commode and helped her wash and change.

But Ms Angold's bosses said she had broken safety rules by not waiting for trained staff to arrive with a hoist.

Ms Angold claims she was victimised for being a whistleblower. She was sacked from her post as area manager for Sutton Housing Partnership and evicted from her home at the Seven Acres housing development, which came with the job.

She had lived there for 20 years with daughters Natalie, 23, and Sophie, 21. Ms Angold said: "The woman was crying and in an awful state. In the care profession you can't just say it's not part of my job. I did the right thing but as a result I've lost my job and my home.

"This wasn't an isolated incident. The management knew that, but were out to get me because I was a whistleblower and had raised concerns about poor leadership and how residents' needs weren't being met."

The former nurse, who had more than 30 years' experience as a carer, oversaw 10 staff responsible for 300 vulnerable residents. The incident took place in May 2010 and she took Sutton Housing Partnership, set up by Sutton council, to an employment tribunal claiming unfair dismissal, but lost last May.

Ms Angold said: "I made the mistake of thinking I could represent myself without a lawyer and get a fair hearing. It was so blatantly unfair."

She is now seeking a lawyer who can represent her on legal aid and appeal against the tribunal's decision. She said she had been unable to get a new job because of the stain on her reputation and had suffered depression and suicidal thoughts. She also wants an inquiry into the management of SHP. More than 2,400 people have signed an online petition supporting her.

An SHP spokeswoman said: "We are committed to the safeguarding and protection of our elderly and vulnerable residents. We have clear policies, procedures and regular training. In this case there was a serious breach of these procedures. Our decision was upheld by an independent judge at an employment tribunal."

SOURCE: This is London
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Are we still on planet earth? This case is mind-boggling! Imagine the chaos, if we have to check with our lawyers/advocates etc before we help someone. No wonder there are so many who would not get involved. It is safer to look the other way, it seems.

..... Andrew

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Missoula Woman Found Guilty of Stealing $120K from Elderly Mother with Dementia (USA)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:01:00 +0000

Missoula woman found guilty of stealing $120K from elderly mother with dementia

By JAMIE KELLY of the Missoulian

January 14, 2012

Prosecutors say they won't seek prison time for a Missoula woman convicted Friday afternoon of bilking her elderly and dementia-laden mother out of more than $120,000.

Paulette Homer was found guilty Friday by District Judge Karen Townsend of using the proceeds from a reverse mortgage of her mother's home to pay off credit card debts, buy jewelry, stable her horses, pay medical bills, take out cash withdrawals in the thousands of dollars and otherwise raid her mother's account.

Townsend oversaw the bench trial over the past week.

The case pitted Homer against her three siblings, all of whom believed their sister had abused their mother's trust and taken advantage of her condition to fund the relief of Homer's debt and her purchases, which also included furniture and other items for a new condominium.

In opening and closing arguments, prosecutors Jennifer Clark and Cory Laird told the judge that elder abuse is rampant in the U.S., and that Homer's actions are yet another example of it.

"Every time we look the other way and we allow this to occur, we give these criminals a pass," said Laird in his closing argument on Friday.

Homer's court-appointed attorney, Lisa Kauffman, did not offer a closing statement and did not put her client on the stand.

Kauffman argued that Homer's three siblings were merely incensed that they did not get any of their mother's money, and told the judge in opening arguments that "the state should be ashamed" for bringing charges against her client. She argued that Homer's mother was aware of what she was doing and that it constituted a "gift" to her daughter.

Townsend's verdict disagreed, and she set Homer's sentencing for March 6. Homer remains free pending sentencing for the crime, which carries a potential sentence of 10 years in prison and/or a $50,000 fine.

Homer's elderly mother was suffering from increasing dementia - Alzheimer's in particular - when Homer arranged a reverse mortgage on her home in the spring of 2008, prosecutors argued. She had no mental capacity to appreciate or understand what she was doing, witnesses testified during the trial.

Meanwhile, Homer - who was having trouble selling her Florence home after her own husband died of dementia - purchased a condominium in Missoula. After her Florence home sold, Homer used none of those proceeds or the refinancing of her new condo to return any money to her mother's account.

A Missoula police investigation showed that Homer got a check for $141,308 from the reverse mortgage in 2008, and then over the next several months wrote checks totaling $120,593. Those checks ranged from $300 to a hair salon to a total of $9,000 to Homer's two daughters and $5,000 to Homer herself for cash, the investigation showed.

She also wrote a $31,421 check to Montana First Credit Union. Homer also made several online payments, totaling $20,544, to financial institutions, as well as to Zales Jewelers and Lowe's.

SOURCE: The Missoulian
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Woman Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Woodlander of more than $200K (USA)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 03:58:00 +0000

Woman pleads guilty to embezzling Woodlander of more than $200K

By Democrat Staff

01/14/2012

A Calistoga woman pleaded guilty Friday to embezzling a Woodland woman for more than $200,000.

Denise Ann Conophy, 51, pleaded guilty to embezzlement, elder abuse and tax evasion, according to a news release from District Attorney Jeff Reisig. She admitted she took in excess of $200,000.

Conophy also agreed to the forfeiture of more than $300,000 in cash and property the District Attorney's Office previously seized during the course of the investigation, which is to pay restitution to the victim. The 80-year-old woman moved to Woodland during the seven-year time period the crimes were committed, said Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Cabral, who prosecuted the case.

The woman hired Conophy to handle her bookkeeping and other financial affairs relating to a bed and breakfast she operated in St. Helena, Reisig said. Over the course of her seven-year employment, Conophy transferred the victim's assets to various accounts and used them to pay her personal bills as well as to start up an Internet business she was operating.

The victim's family members discovered the crimes when the woman was hospitalized for an extended period of time and her family saw that her assets had been depleted. During the course of the investigation, the State of California Franchise Tax Board discovered the defendant failed to file a state income tax return during an eight-year period and did not report the stolen funds as income.

"Due to the efforts of the Woodland

Police Department, the California Franchise Tax Board and the District Attorney's Life and Annuity Fraud Investigative Unit, we have recovered over $300,000 in direct victim restitution for an elderly victim of our community," Reisig said. "It is a significant accomplishment when we can recover and return a lifetime worth of savings to an elderly victim in our community."

Judge Janet Gaard will sentence Conophy Thursday, March 8. She will be sentenced to a term of 16 months in state prison, Cabral said.

SOURCE: The Daily Democrat

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2010 Law Aims to Thwart Elder Financial Abuse (USA)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 03:55:00 +0000

Money & the Law: 2010 law aims to thwart elder financial abuse

January 14, 2012 JIM FLYNN

SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

It’s well recognized that financial abuse of the elderly is a serious and growing problem. Deceit, threats and intimidation are all tools of the trade when manipulating an elderly person into transferring funds or property to someone else.

In 2010, the Colorado Legislature took a small step in the direction of addressing this problem. Senate Bill 10-042, which has now gone into effect, requires financial institutions — meaning banks, savings and loans and credit unions — to offer customers who are “at-risk” adults the opportunity to sign an information release consent form.

This form, when signed, will allow a financial institution to turn over account records to law enforcement and social services agencies when the financial institution suspects its customer is a victim of financial abuse.

Before the passage of Senate Bill 10-042, financial institutions could, if they wanted to, offer this service. Now, however, they must offer the service to all customers they know to be at-risk adults.

Distressing as this is to some of us, the Colorado Legislature considers anyone 60 or older to be an at-risk adult. Adults can be at risk at an earlier age if they suffer certain impairments.

A major premise behind this law is that financial institutions are in a good position to detect elder financial abuse. In that regard, a fundamental principle of banking has historically been: Know your customer. And, going back a few years, financial institutions did know their customers, and were keenly observant of changes in a customer’s faculties, circumstances and finances. Whether this is still true in an age of more computers and fewer employees is open to debate.

In all events, however, financial institutions are prohibited from disclosing customer information to third parties absent a customer’s consent. So, what Senate Bill 10-042 has tried to do is open the door for more people to give release of information consent. Once a consent form is signed, it remains in effect until revoked.

Under instruction from the Colorado agencies that regulate financial institutions, these institutions are now sending out consent forms to existing customers they know to be at-risk adults. After this initial mailing, they must go through a similar notification process annually. Financial institutions must also offer customers who meet the definition of an at-risk adult an opportunity to sign a consent form at the time a new account is opened.

Signing the consent form is voluntary but, from my perspective at least, there is no good reason not to do so.

Senate Bill 10-042 does not obligate a financial institution to be on the lookout for adult financial abuse or even to report it if it is suspected, notwithstanding the existence of a consent form in its files. Although there are legal theories that make it risky for financial institutions to take a head-in-the sand approach to the problem of elder financial abuse, the major burden for detecting and reporting such abuse remains with friends and family.

Unfortunately, friends and family are often the source of the abuse.

SOURCE: The Gazette
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Mother, Son Take Plea Deal in Gruesome Case of Elder Abuse (USA)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:04:00 +0000

Mother, son take plea deal in gruesome case of elder abuse

January 11, 2012

George Stahl /Special to the Sun

On Wednesday, Jan. 4, in a Kern County Superior Court appearance, co-defendants Joseph McCoy, and his mother, Darlene Green, entered no contest pleas in the case of elder abuse leading to the death of 90-year-old Margaret Gray on April 1. Gray was Green’s mother and McCoy’s grandmother. McCoy had been Gray’s IHSS primary caregiver since he turned 18 in 1999.

At Wednesday’s hearing, McCoy and Green stood with their court-appointed attorneys at their sides as Judge Michael Bush read the plea bargain agreement. McCoy and Green then entered their pleas.

In exchange for the no contest plea, the defendants waived their rights to a jury trial. Sentencing is set for Feb. 2 in Kern County Superior Court.

McCoy, 30, of Lake Isabella, faces a maximum of five years in prison for his plea to one count of elder abuse and his admission of causing harm or death to an elderly person, which renders the count a strike offense (See Sidebar on page A3).

Green, 54, of Weldon, faces a maximum of one year in local custody and felony probation for her plea to one count of elder abuse as a co-defendant in the case. The charge of causing harm or death to an elderly person against Green was dismissed.

At sentencing, Bush will review the pre-sentencing report, prepared by the Kern County Probation Department, and enter the final sentence.

Also on Feb. 2 , McCoy will be sentenced on the charge of spousal abuse against his ex-girlfriend, Doreena McCartney, of Lake Isabella, the mother of his child.

Earlier last year, on April 22, McCoy pled no contest to the spousal abuse charge. Sentencing was postponed until the outcome of the present case.

At a preliminary hearing in Bakersfield on July 20, Green was visibly shaken – by her arrest and having to appear in court that day.

In the proceedings that lasted the better part of the day, the gruesome details of the condition that Gray was found in were brought to light.

Sitting next to his attorney, McCoy listened to the parade of witnesses retell what they observed at his grandmother’s Reeder Street house, and his eyes welled with tears.

Nathaniel St. Clair, CARE Ambulance paramedic, testified that when he entered Gray’s bedroom on Feb. 11, he was “knocked back” by the smell of feces combined with decaying flesh. He said that he found Gray in the bed, her skin stuck to the sheets and even interwoven with the fabric of her clothes. There were numerous bed sores and ulcers on her body. St. Clair stated that the flies were so thick in the room that he had to “bat them away as he was trying to assist Miss Gray.”

On that afternoon, Kern Valley Hospital’s then-Emergency room Director, Dr. Manuel Sacapano, testified, “In 11 years, this is the worst case of elder abuse I have ever seen.” He testified the ulcer on Gray’s back was a Grade 4, which meant that it has to take some time to rot the skin through, down to her spine.

According to Sacapano, upon Gray’s arrival at the hospital, she was treated for her condition the best way possible and made ready for her transfer to San Joaquin Community in Bakersfield. “She was going to need an entire team of doctors to help her,” Sacapano said. “Her overall condition was very, very poor.” In addition to the bed sores and ulcers, Gray was suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration, Sacapano said.

After further treatment at San Joaquin, Gray was placed in the care of Dr. Anthony Milanes of the Bakersfield Family Medical Center. Milanes is the overseer at the elderly care unit of the facility known as Lifehouse. Milanes said that Gray arrived at Lifehouse towards the end of February, where she was treated with antibiotics for the ulcers and sepsis that had developed throughout her body. She was there until her death on April 1, 2011. Milanes testified that the sepsis, a severe illness in which the bloodstream is overwhelmed by bacteria and is commonly known as blood poisoning, was caused by the formation of the ulcers and had happened over time. Milanes said that these were a result of Gray’s deteriorating condition.

According to the testimony given by Senior Sheriff’s Deputy, Marco Vazquez, when he arrived at the house on Reeder St. he was met by Gray’s daughter, Barbara Mendez of Baldwin Park. Mendez told Vazquez that she was there to visit her mother for Gray’s 90th birthday. When she arrived, Wendy Reyes, the women Mendez had hired to come over and get Gray ready to celebrate her birthday, told her that things were not right with Gray. Mendez was disturbed by what she saw and called 911. Vazquez arrived at the house at 9:46 p.m. to investigate a report of elder abuse. According to the Deputy, when he came to the house, CARE Ambulance and the fire department were already on scene. Vazquez testified that Melody Batelaan from Aging and Adult Services was also present. According to Vazquez. Mendez told him that she had last seen her mother on Dec. 23, 2010 and that at that time she didn’t see anything odd or out of the ordinary.

Abridged
SOURCE: The Kern Valley Sun
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New Law Gets Tough on Elder Abuse (IL. USA)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:58:00 +0000

January 11, 2012

BY Mary Anne Meyers
Illinois News Connection

Some of the most vulnerable Illinoisans will be better protected starting this month from those who would take advantage of them financially.

Those who steal Social Security checks or defraud Illinois elders and people with disabilities have a better chance of being locked up under a new state law. That measure, House Bill 1689, increases penalties for such financial exploitation, in many cases making the crime a serious felony, depending on how much money is involved.

Ryan Gruenenfelder, associate state director for advocacy and outreach with AARP Illinois, said most of these cases involve family members or caregivers.

“That’s why the Illinois Department on Aging and other elder abuse experts say that only about one in 13 cases of these crimes actually does get reported.”

Nationally, financial exploitation costs elders nearly $2.5 billion every year, and yet, Gruenenfelder said, many times it is treated as a civil case rather than criminal.

“That’s been the biggest frustration for us with regards to elder abuse, specifically. It hasn’t received the attention and the sympathy, I guess, that child abuse and domestic violence has.”

Gruenenfelder said he understands why elders would be hesitant to report family members for financial abuse, but he said law enforcement and advocates need to help them understand that they don’t deserve to be exploited.

“This is criminal. Just because someone has control of your money, say in a power-of-attorney situation, it doesn’t mean that that person isn’t taking advantage of that person and stealing their money,” he said.

Taking money or property, cashing checks without permission, or denying services to save on funds can all be considered financial abuse, and can now land a person in jail in Illinois

SOURCE: My Journal Courier
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As USA Grays, Elder Abuse Risk and Need for Shelters Grow

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:55:00 +0000

As USA grays, elder abuse risk and need for shelters grow

They're weak, physically or mentally disabled or both, and often at the mercy of people they depend on the most: relatives and caretakers.

By Bruce A Crippen, for USA TODAY

January 10, 2012

They're the nation's fast-growing elderly population, and many are prime targets for abuse — physical, financial, sexual or emotional.

Concern among the elderly and their advocates is mounting as the number of seniors soars and more of them live longer.

The Cedar Village Retirement Community in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason this month opened a long-term care facility to victims of abuse. It is the first elder abuse shelter in Ohio and one of only a half-dozen in the country, all of them funded by non-profit groups.

"There is a genuine recognition by those who are concerned by the abuse of elders that there need to be appropriate safe houses for them to get them out of immediate harm's way," says Sally Hurme, AARP's senior project manager in education and outreach. "Nationally, we've been aware of the need for elder abuse shelters, but they've been slow in coming into fruition."

The first in the nation, the Weinberg Center for Elder Abuse Prevention at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale in the Bronx in New York City opened just seven years ago and serves as a model for the few others.

Advocates for the old are pushing for more and launching campaigns to educate communities about elder abuse and how to prevent it.

The number of people who live to age 90 and beyond has tripled in the past three decades to 2 million and is projected to quadruple by 2050, according to the Census Bureau. The number of 65-plus grew 15.1% since 2000 to 40.3 million or 13% of the total population.

'Recipe for disaster'

As their numbers grow, the dismal economy has forced many to live with children and grandchildren, a situation that may tempt the unscrupulous to take advantage of the old in their care.

"Amazing things are occurring simultaneously," says Laura Mosqueda, co-director of the National Center on Elder Abuse and director of the geriatrics program at the University of California-Irvine School of Medicine. "The fastest-growing segment are people over 85 and the percentage of people with Alzheimer's, dementia is at an all-time high. … This is just an absolute recipe for disaster."

Ohio's Shalom Center for Elder Abuse Prevention at Cedar Village will care for abused seniors in four counties and provide medical, nursing and therapy services, meals, legal services, social work, pastoral care and social, recreational and educational programs.

"We estimate that as many as one in 10 (seniors) at some point are victims of elder abuse," says Carol Silver Elliott, CEO and president of the retirement community. "A victim of elder abuse can be anyone. They can be rich or poor. They can be independent. They can live in a facility."

Signing their assets away

She cites cases of seniors who fall ill and unknowingly sign over their assets to people who care for them, becoming victims of the most common form of elder abuse: financial.

"A few months later they find out they don't have a house, their bank account is cleaned out," Elliott says. "They have essentially nothing."

Others suffer physical abuse that can range from not being fed or cleaned to being beaten.

Former child actor and entertainment great Mickey Rooney, now 91, put a national spotlight on the problem when he testified before Congress last March that he had been financially abused by a family member. Earlier last year, Rooney had obtained a restraining order from a judge in Los Angeles against his stepson, Chris Aber, and filed suit in September. He has accused Aber of withholding food and medicine. Aber denied the allegations.

The problem is tough to spot and often goes unreported because the victims are abused by those who care for them. "Very frequently, what the perpetrator tries to do is to cut the individual off … so they do not have access to sources of information," Hurme says.

Kathy Greenlee, assistant secretary of the Administration on Aging in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, testified last August before a Senate panel that reports of elder abuse to states are on the rise. The National Academy of Sciencesestimates that only one in 14 cases comes to the attention of authorities. The Elder Justice Act passed in 2010 but has received zero funding while states cut budgets.

"Programs have had to cope with limited staffing to carry out even the most basic program functions of receiving and investigating reports of abuse," Greenlee testified.

Mosqueda, who runs the government-funded National Center on Elder Abuse, says she hopes to increase public awareness of the problem "until everybody in this country understands everybody can be a victim, everybody can be an abuser."

SOURCE: USA TODAY
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SPOTLIGHT ON ELDER ABUSE: THE PAST FEW YEARS

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:53:00 +0000

SPOTLIGHT ON ELDER ABUSE: THE PAST FEW YEARS

By Andrew Chadwick

Let me start with acknowledging the kindness and generosity of many authors of articles posted on this blog. This blog would not have been successful, if not for the many excellent articles written on the subject of Elder Abuse.

We must not be complacent of the fact that majority of Elder Abuse cases are NOT reported. These are cases where the elderly victims are too frightened of losing the only family they have or, because they believed they are somehow responsible for what happened to them.

We must continue to highlight the fact that Elder Abuse is NOT acceptable in any language, shape or form.

Neglect or inaction, when you are responsible for the health and welfare of your parent(s) or charge, is also elder abuse.

Do we tell the elderly: “Sorry, your claim to Human Rights has expired, when you turn 65 years old.”

It is incredible that aside from “so-called” inquiries/reports made by politicians to delay making definitive actions to stop Elder Abuse; nothing much has happened. This is still the scenario.

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Financial Abuse of Elderly Underreported, Study by Professor Shows (USA)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:22:00 +0000

Financial Abuse of Elderly Underreported, Study by Professor Shows

Dec. 15, 2011

Financial exploitation of the elderly is underreported, underinvestigated and underprosecuted — and victims may be particularly vulnerable during the holidays, according to a leading expert on elder abuse at the University of Virginia School of Law.

"Because financial exploitation typically involves family members and is often driven by the financial need of the individual exploiting the victim, I would expect financial exploitation of elderly persons to increase significantly during the holiday season," said Thomas L. Hafemeister, an associate professor at the Law School and an associate professor of medical education in the School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences.

Hafemeister and Shelly Jackson, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, are in the process of publishing a dozen related articles about their research on elder abuse.

They conducted a study in Virginia that examined the financial exploitation of elderly people living in a domestic setting compared to other forms of elder maltreatment, such as physical abuse, neglect, and a combination of financial exploitation and physical abuse or neglect.

They found that adult protective services caseworkers tend to view financial exploitation cases as more difficult to investigate than cases of physical abuse or neglect. And they found that caseworkers believe that police and prosecutors are less likely to pursue incidents of financial exploitation.

Elderly people who were victims of financial exploitation lost a sizable amount of money and assets, with average losses of $87,967, the researchers found.

While it is widely believed that primarily con artists target the elderly's finances, in most cases financial exploitation was actually committed by someone close to the victim, often a family member.

"There's a mistaken assumption that the people who exploit elderly individuals are strangers, are predators; that there is this cadre of individuals out there in the community, roaming around and looking for victims," Hafemeister said. "Well, that's not the way this typically works. Sure, there are some individuals who will move from victim to victim, but that's relatively infrequent. Generally, it's someone very well known to the individual."

Financial exploitation of the elderly can be devastating, Hafemeister said, partly because the lost funds are often essential in helping the senior citizen to maintain independence, and partly because the perpetrators are so often someone the victim trusted and relied upon.

The prevalence of elder abuse — including financial exploitation — is uncertain, according to the U.S. Administration on Aging's National Center on Elder Abuse. According to the best available estimates, roughly 700,000 to 3.5 million older Americans are abused, neglected or exploited each year, the agency reports. And research suggests that as few as one in six cases of elder abuse come to the attention of authorities.

As a result of financial exploitation and abuse, senior citizens across the U.S. lose a minimum of $2.6 billion per year, according to a Metlife Mature Market Institute report in 2009.

By all accounts, the problem is expected to grow worse in the years ahead as the baby boom generation reaches age 65. By 2030, older Americans are projected to make up 20 percent of the nation's population, or roughly double what it was in 2007, according to the U.S. Administration on Aging.

To minimize the chances of becoming a victim of financial exploitation, Hafemeister advises senior citizens to avoid becoming too dependent on a single person, no matter how much they trust that person.

It also helps, Hafemeister said, to have multiple people staying in contact with the elderly person and watching out for warning signs, such as worrisome changes in the senior citizen's behavior, an overreliance on a single person, or a pushing away of family members and others with whom the senior citizen had previously been close.

"Having multiple sets of eyes involved can provide oversight, as well as some checks and balances, to discourage exploitation, and if it occurs, to catch it at a relatively early stage," he said. "Similarly, friends and relatives would be well advised to stay as actively involved in an elderly person's life as possible so that warning signals of financial exploitation can be readily detected and remedial steps taken to minimize losses."

Hafemeister said he is skeptical that new laws specifically targeting financial abuse of the elderly will have a significant impact on the problem. Rather, he said, better training of caseworkers, police and prosecutors might be more effective.

In larger cities, he noted, prosecutors have established special units devoted to investigating and pursuing allegations of elder abuse, particularly financial exploitation.

"Either those prosecutors have special training to aid them in examining financial transactions involving elderly persons or they have available to them experts in this field. And that seems to make a big difference," he said. "For smaller communities, however, it can be difficult to find the resources to set up this sort of special unit. Such communities may instead turn to regional training programs and a pooling of resources."

SOURCE: Unversity of Virginia - Law
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Prosecuting Children Who Abandon Parents Won't Do (MALAYSIA)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:16:00 +0000

By Tarani Palani

December 16, 2011

It is the government's duty to place a systematic safety net for the elderly, says National Council of Senior Citizens' Organisations Malaysia

PETALING JAYA

Punishing children who abandoned their parents will not resolve the larger problem of the elderly being neglected, said the National Council of Senior Citizens’ Organisations Malaysia (NACSCOM).

Its president, Lum Kin Tuck, said this in response to DAP chairman Karpal Singh’s recent call to make it illegal for children to abandon their aged parents.

Karpal, the Bukit Gelugor MP, has proposed a Maintenance of Parent’s Act which he will push for in the next parliamentary sitting to arrest the rising number of abandonment of senior citizens.

His proposal came in the wake of a latest survey which showed that 675,000 citizens aged 60 and above have been abandoned and do not receive financial support from their children.

This means that one in three senior citizens have been deserted by their children.

India, Taiwan and Singapore have a similar law in place where punishment includes hefty fines or imprisonment on errant children.

Karpal suggested that Malaysia emulates such countries and punish errant children as it will lessen the burden of the state and taxpayers.

Lum, however, said such a law may not necessarily work and that it was the government’s duty to place a systematic safety net for the elderly.

Lum, who has been advocating the rights of senior citizens for 20 years, said that the law implemented in Singapore was not successful as parents refused to drag their children to court.

He said that the responsibility to care for the elderly fell on society and the government as the senior citizens have contributed to the progress of the country.

“They should be entitled to enjoy the fruits of their labour and not be neglected,” said the 94-year-old Lum, adding that the problem can be tackled systematically via a taxation policy.

He suggested a system akin to a social welfare system where society’s contribution acts as a safety net for the elderly who are less fortunate.

“The government should impose heavier taxes on the high-income group – the millionaires. Karpal also should not be afraid that he has to pay higher income tax because of this.

“When you die, you will not take a single cent with you. Think kindly of the elderly and poor, they should live out their old age with dignity and not allowed to suffer; it is sinful,” he said.

Systematic changes needed

Lum said that the problem of abandonment was prevalent due to the rising cost of living and poor policies such as the lack of a minimum wage, low EPF payout, and low pensions.

“You know we don’t have a minimum wage policy. If you get RM800 a month, how can you take care of your parents?

“The EPF is also a small amount. At the height of my career about 40 years ago, I earned RM1,400. My pension is half that amount.

“Where is it enough to take care of all the expenses a senior citizen may incur? If I depend on my pension, then I cannot survive.

“Senior citizens may want to live alone so as not to be a burden on their children. Then you have medical expenses. A paltry sum is not sufficient to cover these expenses,” he said.

He said that the government had given him a grant of RM2 million to open five senior citizen day-care and two old folks homes which NACSCOM operates.

But despite this readily available grants, Lum said that systematic changes were still vital to solve the issue of abandonment of the elderly.

“Instilling values in the young is important but the systematic changes could guarantee a safety-net to the rising number of ageing population,” said Lum.

“People today may live up to 100 years old with all the advances in medical sciences. You retire at 60, then how are you going to survive for the next 40 years without sufficient funds to live?”

Lawmakers were reserved when asked if they would support such a Bill. Although the issue was worrying, they said they would wait for details of the Bill before responding.

Abridged
SOURCE: FreeMalaysia Today
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Elderly Abuse Incidence On the Rise (USA)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:12:00 +0000

by: Daisy Jane, RN, MN

December 15, 2011

Sad to say, but elder abuse in nursing homes is not as uncommon in California as was thought, and even in other areas across the United States. To prove this matter, one such terrible scenario can be accounted of what happened just outside of California which has attracted the attention to the matter. Sadly, it was the very caretaker of the elderly woman who was the one behind the maltreatment.

Not too long ago, a woman, 68 years old, was discovered in her apartment in Indianapolis, Indiana gagged, beaten, and tied up. Apparently, this elderly woman has been bound for two days already in her apartment well before the neighbors realized the woman was hitting the walls of her apartment as a cry for help. Based on the statement given by the police, the elderly woman’s caregiver, who is also her roommate, cracked the threats by telling her that she was going to cut up the woman’s body with a chainsaw and then bury her dead body just behind the house. The caregiver was said to have taken an insurance policy with a worth of $10,000 on the client’s account.

Officials gave statements that for each elder abuse case that has been reported to them, there are about 25 cases that do not get reported to them too, which simply means that this amount of victims go through such experience in silence and with no help coming to them. The usual preys of elder abuse are those elderly ones who are suffering from dementia. In one nursing home abuse case coming from Michigan, there were three men who kidnapped an elderly man who was at a long term care facility. Based on wxyz.com, the three men kidnapped a man, who was 90 years old and was suffering from dementia, from the nursing home where the man supposedly lived. A surveillance video of the event showed of two men picking up the elderly man and then lifting him up over the wall of the nursing home where he has been a resident.

The reason as to why the men kidnapped the 90-year-old man is still not apparent or whether or not the kidnappers were somehow related to this elderly patient. This 90-year-old who is going through dementia was discovered at a motel in a town just around the area. These two tales very well emphasize the possible susceptibility of elderly people who require care and attention and the cruelty of the culprit who perform abuse on the elderly.

SOURCE: The Nursing Crib
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Family Often Behind Financial Abuse of Seniors

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:41:00 +0000

Family often behind financial abuse

By Chris Traber

Dec 14, 2011

The financial abuse of seniors will be one of society’s most significant issues in the next decade, Canadian Centre for Elder Law national director Laura Watts predicted.
An aging population, increased forms of dementia and widespread economic illiteracy are factors in an inevitable “tsunami of financial abuse”, a federal report on the care of vulnerable Canadians published in November stated.

Elder financial abuse is most often perpetuated by family members and close caregivers, the Parliamentary Committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care report, Not To be Forgotten, said. Conditions for a “perfect storm” of financial abuse are becoming more obvious as the first of the baby boomer generation, largely less well off than their parents, begin to retire.

Of the 35 cases of reported elder abuse in York Region in 2011, half were financial abuse related, York Regional Police seniors safety officer Const. Robyn Kassam said.
Financial abuse of an elderly person can take many forms, Const. Kassam said.
Warning signs include money going missing from bank accounts, wills and powers of attorney being changed unexpectedly and safety deposit boxes being emptied. Other red flags are persons befriending an elderly widow or widower, title being changed, unusual transactions on credit cards, multiple bank accounts and property or securities going missing.
It doesn’t stop there, she said.
If cheques are being written and cashed, signatures forged, mail not coming to the home or if someone changes the amount on cheques, a senior is being swindled.
According to Toronto Police Services, seniors, their caregivers and those familiar with their circumstances should be vigilant when an elderly person is suddenly short of money to pay for living expenses or if the senior has been brought to sign legal documents they say they don’t understand.

Elder abuse, including senior financial abuse, is on the rise, but remains a largely hidden scourge, experts said.
Most of the reports submitted and investigated in York Region had no criminal charges laid, Const. Kassam said.
That’s not to say related charges can’t be pursued. These include theft, theft by persons holding power of attorney, misappropriation of money held under direction, forgery, fraud, extortion, stopping mail with intent and false pretenses.
Punishment, subject to the value or amount of money involved, ranges from two to 10 years in jail.
The intricacies and consequences of a will and power of attorney deserve expert scrutiny, Mr. Kotzer said. Without protection against misappropriation of assets, you can literally be out on the street.

Abridged
SOURCE: The York Region News
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The Season to be Wary of Elder Financial Abuse

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:36:00 +0000

posted on: december 14, 2011

If this year's holiday period is anything like the last, seniors should be advised that, along with seasonal elevations of joy and good cheer, the risk of falling victim to elder financial abuse is also increasing. Older adults need to know the warning signals of financial abuse and exploitation, how to prevent it, and what to do if it does occur.

According to research conducted by Karen A. Roberto, director of the Center for Gerontology at Virginia Tech, of the 1,128 news articles on elder abuse published from November 2010 through January 2011, 31 percent dealt with abuse of a financial nature. Although slightly more than one-quarter of these events were identified as singular random acts incurring relatively minor financial losses, a high level of brutality and disregard for human life characterized these crimes. Even more disturbing is the revelation that family, friends, and neighbors were identified as perpetrators in 45 percent of these cases and the overall dollar losses at the hands of family and friends were higher than from any other category of perpetrators.

"Our findings support what service providers have long suspected, older adults are particularly vulnerable to financial abuse during the holidays," said Roberto, who also serves as a professor of human development in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. "This might be due to the increase in the frequency of visitors in- and-out of their homes, money flowing more freely, and distractions that take them out of their normal routines."

10 tips for seniors to consider now and throughout the year

Preventing financial abuse begins with the elder. Some key considerations in avoiding such a situation include:

Stay active and engage with others; isolation increases both vulnerability and opportunity for victimization.
Monitor your financial affairs. Even if assistance is needed, you or a trusted friend or family member should double check bank and credit card statements and other financial transactions. It is advisable to use direct deposit when possible and to sign your own checks if able.
Stay organized. Know where your financial documents are (including wills, trusts, and power of attorney). Keep them safe and review annually; update as circumstances change.
Discuss benefits of appointing a Power of Attorney with your attorney so that your directives can be adhered to even if you become incapable of stating them yourself.
Be cautions in making financial decisions. Do not allow anyone to pressure you into making a hasty decision. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Never give out bank account, social security or credit account numbers to solicitors.
Protect your passwords. Do not share banking, computer or ATM passwords with others, and notify company or bank if you notice any questionable charges or transactions.
Beware of telephone solicitations. It is not rude to hang up when an unknown caller tries to talk you into doing something you don't want to do or buying something you don't want. Hang up! Then call the National Do Not Call Registry at 1-888-382-1222 to reduce the number of solicitation calls you receive.
Be careful of individuals who may take advantage of you. Elder financial abuse can be committed by anyone, including caregivers or family members. Be wary if anyone pressures you to do something with your money or possessions that you are not sure you want to do (e.g. adding their name to your bank accounts or property titles). Be especially careful of someone who tries to keep you isolated from others, and call a trusted family member or the police.
Recognize potential financial abusers. Most abusers are very persuasive in convincing the elder of their trustworthiness. Again, never make a monetary decision without talking it over with someone you are sure has your best interests at heart.
Know what to do if you believe you are a victim of financial abuse. Put aside your fear or embarrassment and discuss your concerns with someone you trust, be it another family member, clergyman, bank manager, or attorney.

Abridged

Source: Virginia Tech

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Suspect in Scams Faces Multiple Charges (USA)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:19:00 +0000

Joe Quick, 45, 1528 Shenta Drive in Norcross faces multiple charges after police say he approached elderly women claiming their cars were broken before demanding to fix them on the spot.

A Norcross man arrested Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011, suspected of scamming local elderly women faces multiple charges.

Joe Quick, 45, 1528 Shenta Drive, has been charged with two counts of theft by deception, two counts of robbery by intimidation, three counts of criminal attempt to commit theft by deception and four counts of elder abuse — exploitation.

According to police, Quick would approach elderly women and claim the driver's car was broken before demanding to fix it on the spot.

The Winder Police Department's public information officer, Chris Cooper, said five victims

came forward after an initial press release was picked up by local and regional media outlets. The victims were females ranging in age from 60 to 78.

Cooper said in an e-mail that Quick had an extensive criminal history of similar offenses in Georgia and Florida and was also found to be on felony probation out of Dekalb County for the same type offenses.

Since the arrest, the Winder Police Department has gotten calls from several surrounding metro area counties that have seen reports of similar type encounters from elderly females and those jurisdictions are now looking at Quick as a potential suspect.

SOURCE: The Barrrow.Patch
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Caregiver Charged with Embezzlement, Murder of Detroit Man, 79 (USA)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:25:00 +0000

Dec. 14, 2011

By Joe Swickard
Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

A caregiver was ordered held without bond today on charges of murder, elder abuse, embezzlement and identity theft in connection with the death of his 79-year-old client in Detroit.

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s office charged Gerald Nash, 67, today with killing William Houston, 79, in August at the Riverfront Apartments in Detroit.

Nash is accused of killing Houston through medical neglect and taking financial advantage of the older man.

Nash was arraigned in Detroit 36th District Court on charges of felony murder — carrying a mandatory life sentence without parole — second-degree murder, first and second degree abuse of a vulnerable adult, identity theft, check fraud, embezzlement of a vulnerable adult and taking $1,000-$5,000 under false pretenses.

He was jailed without bond pending a Dec. 28 preliminary examination.

SOURCE: Detroit Free Press
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Advocates Sue Over Backlog of Vt. Elder Abuse Probes (USA)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:19:00 +0000

By Susie Steimle

Montpelier, Vermont - December 14, 2011

The state is not doing enough to protect vulnerable adults from abuse-- that's the allegation in a lawsuit filed Wednesday by Vermont Legal Aid and Disability Rights Vermont.

The advocates first raised this issue a year ago. They say Adult Protective Services has failed to respond in a timely manner to abuse allegations and is carrying a backlog of more than 300 cases.

Among the specific shortcomings-- a lack of emergency coverage on nights and weekends, and a case load for investigators that is twice the national standard. "Vulnerable adults are people incapable of protecting themselves from the nephew who steals the Social Security check or the caregiver who leaves the woman with physical and cognitive limitations sitting in her feces," said Barbara Prine of the Disability Law Project.

State officials did not respond to our requests for an interview. Back in June, they said they had put in place new procedures to help improve response time and eliminate the backlog. But they say a lack of funding limits what the agency can do.

The advocates for the elderly and disabled say Vermont should have a system in place for Adult Protective Services that functions at the same speed as Child Protective Services.

SOURCE: WCAX
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Plea Bargain Reached in Elder Abuse Case (USA)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:25:00 +0000

Plea bargain reached in elder abuse case

BY SARAH BURGE

STAFF WRITER

12 December 2011

A 46-year-old widow charged with multiple felonies against her elderly husband, including grand theft and neglect, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors in a deal with prosecutors.

Investigators said Shawna Verdugo, of Oceanside, stole and was given a total of $500,000 belonging to her husband, Johannes Holzel, of Temecula, who died in 2010 at age 74.

Verdugo pleaded guilty Friday to neglect and eavesdropping and was sentenced to community service, three days in jail and probation, court records show.

Verdugo admitted secretly recording conversations with her husband.

Married in 2008, the couple never lived together. In 2009, Holzel lost a leg to gangrene because he did not receive timely medical care.

Investigators said Verdugo drained her ailing husband’s bank accounts. But the defense said, with Holzel deceased, the prosecution could not prove she obtained the money fraudulently.

SOURCE: The Press-Enterprise
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Elder Abuse Up 10pc on Last Year and Rising (IRELAND)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:18:00 +0000

Elder abuse up 10pc on last year and rising

December 13 2011

ELDER abuse in Ireland is on the increase with over 2,000 cases of alleged elder abuse reported to the Health Service Executive in 2010 - ,an increase of 10pc from 2009.

The number of referrals of alleged elder abuse has increased every year since 2008 – when it began collecting data - the HSE said.

Provisional figures for 2011 up to the end of September show that 1,511 cases of alleged elder abuse were referred to the HSE this year.

Of the reported cases 65pc related to women and in 95pc of cases the abuse occurred where the person lived.

The main abuse categories were psychological at 29pc, financial at 20pc, self neglect (17pc) and neglect (16pc).

Most alleged perpetrators were a son or daughter (45pc) with 17pc cited as other relatives and a partner (husband or wife) accounted for 16pc of the alleged cases. Alleged abuse by care staff was 8pc.

Eamon Timmins of Age Action Ireland said people need to be alert to the warning signs of possible abuse.

Consultant in geriatric medicine at Tallaght Hospital Professor Des O'Neill said the real number of cases of alleged abuse is probably closer to 25,000 a year, based on research.

SOURCE: The Independent.IE
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Abandoned by Children, Elderly Couple Fasts for Justice

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:07:00 +0000

Abandoned by children, elderly couple fasts for justice

December 9, 2011

Pune

Harassed, tortured and abandoned by their children, an ailing elderly couple sat on a hunger strike for four days demanding justice before police intervened and the couple smilingly went back home to their village in Maharashtra.

The couple – Waman D. Sonawane, 75, and wife Tarru, 71 – sat on the pavement outside the sub-district office in Shirur Tuesday and ended their indefinite strike friday.

Speaking to reporters, the duo said they had divided their farmland and other belongings and handed over every thing to their two sons — Ramesh and Dattatray — a few years ago.

“After that, our life became miserable. Our sons made us live separately and forced us to go out and work. At our age, it was not possible for us to do any hard work or manual labour. We feel ashamed to have such unworthy children,” Waman said with tears streaming down his cheeks.

Tarru, also is tears, said they made several attempts to get justice from their village Shirasgaonkata, but the gram panchayat ignored their plight.

“Many times they did not give us food. Even what they gave was barely sufficient to fill our stomachs. We were forced to sit on a hunger strike in public because the village panchayat did not bother to listen to us and take action against our children under the harassment laws,” Tarru said.

The local media coverage finally moved the police to summon the two sons.

When questioned on their parents’ plight, the two first blamed each other and then reportedly said they could not afford to look after them.

The police checked their financial status and found that they could jointly look after their parents.

“The two have now agreed to contribute Rs.1,500 each per month and deposit the amount in a local bank account in their parents names. The parents, who live separately in another house, would look after themselves and lead a comfortable life,” police inspector Shirur Ashok Kshirsagar told IANS.

The police have warned the two sons against any further harassment.

Following the amicable settlement, the Sonawane couple wearily smiled before a large crowd which sympathised with them, called off their hunger strike and returned to their village, around 60 km from here.

SOURCE: Northern Voices Online, INDIA
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Elderly Abuse Cases Hit Record High (JAPAN)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:03:00 +0000

07 December 2011]

Abuse of the elderly is increasing in Japan amid the rapid aging of the country's society.

The welfare ministry says the number of elderly people abused by family members and caregivers hit a record high last year.

The ministry says the number of such cases reported in the year through March was over 16,700, up more than 1,000 from the previous year. The annual rise is the 4th in a row since related surveying began in 2006.

Physical abuse was reported in 63 percent of the cases, followed by verbal abuse at 39 percent.

Twenty-six percent of the cases involved neglect, such as extended failure to feed or attend to victims.

Among family members responsible for abuse, 43 percent were sons, 17 percent husbands and 16 percent daughters.

The survey also shows that nearly half of the victims had symptoms of dementia.

Japan's population aged 65 or older has reached nearly 30-million, for a record high of over 23 percent as of September 2011.

via NHK

SOURCE: The House of Japan
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