Editor's note: The News & Record agreed not to use the full name of the victim featured in this story, at her request, to protect her from future abuse.
GREENSBORO — Retirement had been good to May.
She inherited her mother's house in Greensboro and sold her own. She took cruises with friends and traveled to Hawaii.
But then May, 76, fell into a trap that increasingly is snaring her generation.
A telemarketing scam.
May gave away her $100,000 life savings before realizing the "big prize" she was promised didn't exist.
Studies show that elder abuse, like child abuse and sexual abuse, often goes undetected or unreported.
And signs point to an increase in elder abuse, especially financial exploitation — including telemarketing scams and caretakers and family members stealing money or property.
Finding help
In December 2005 two new laws became effective in North Carolina to specifically deal with exploitation of elders.
But elder advocates say they also need more money for programs to help victims. And they want better reporting systems to track neglect, abuse and exploitation.
Legislators have introduced an "Elder Justice Act" in Congress several times since 2002 to address some of those issues. The latest versions sit frozen in subcommittees of both the House and Senate.
Abridged.
SOURCE: newsRecord
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The time and place of such stories may be different, but in essence they are all the same.
More and more people are classified as seniors (usually, those over 65), and the number abused will continue to grow unless more is done about Elder Abuse Awareness and Prevention.
It is a fact that in some countries, the issue is not even acknowledged let alone addressed. "Elder Abuse? What is that".
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