Elder Abuse On The Rise In Frederick (MD. USA)

March 14, 2010 

by Pam Rigaux
The Frederick News-Post

Deputy Jason Hansberger spotted an elderly Hispanic woman walking between a store and a carwash one day last fall. She looked bewildered and upset.

Hansberger investigated and learned two of the woman's adult daughters stole their mother's medicine and used it to get high, according to the Frederick County Sheriff's Office Oct. 11, 2009, incident report. He learned the husband of one of the daughters used heroin, according to the report.

The woman didn't want to move into a nursing home, according to the report. She just wanted to live in her house with her children.

Seniors often don't want to discuss problems with outside agencies, yet more and more older Americans are being treated cruelly. Often their abusers are the very people who are supposed to their closest allies: their family and friends.

Crimes against seniors in Frederick County shot up 21 percent, from 714 in 2007 to 863 in 2008, according to statistics from Frederick County law enforcement agencies.

According to Frederick County courthouse records, seniors have had their faces scratched. They've been threatened. They've been bilked out of thousands of dollars because they trusted someone who was untrustworthy.

Police believe funding to help reinforce awareness and training of personnel who work with seniors would be helpful. U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and a cadre of senators have proposed legislation that would give police agencies more tools to use to combat abuse and exploitation of seniors.

Abridged
SOURCE:    WTOP.COM

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