Project Unites Teens and Seniors in Fight Against Elder Abuse (CANADA)

by: University of Guelph

Dec 16th, 2010

It’s not often that you see seniors and teenagers hanging out together, let alone teaming up to create a rap video. But a unique project involving a University of Guelph researcher has brought together these two groups to fight elder abuse.

Under the project, Ontario seniors and local high school students are creating awareness of ageism and elder abuse, said Gillian Joseph, a research associate with U of G’s Centre for Families, Work and Well-Being.

“It’s estimated that more than 10 percent of Canadian older adults have experienced abuse, and that number is expected to significantly increase as our population continues to age,” said Joseph.

Funded by the federal government’s New Horizons for Seniors program, the project involved 14 high school students and 14 seniors, ranging in age from 14 to 87. Meeting three times over the past year, they developed tool kits, including a rap video, to help teach high school students about respecting seniors.

“There are very few opportunities for seniors and high school students to interact,” said Joseph, who worked on the initiative with Prof. Paulette Padanyi, Marketing and Consumer Studies, and Sheli O’Connor from Trellis Mental Health and Development Services based in Fergus, Ont. “We found these two age groups really hit it off. It was like someone opened a door and now they could see from the other group’s perspective.”

Student and senior participants are currently presenting the tool kits to high school students across Wellington County and to teachers for inclusion in lesson plans.

“Developing the tool kits was an equal partnership where the seniors indicated the messages they wanted to convey and the teenagers determined the most effective way to communicate these messages to their age group,” said Joseph.

Participants created a Facebook page called the Intergenerational Project – STOP AGEISM; purple bracelets and T-shirts bearing the logo “Age Strong – Respecting Seniors is Respecting Yourself”; and a rap DVD.

Trey Russell, a student at St. James High School in Guelph, wrote and performed the rap about ageism and respecting seniors. Filmed on the University of Guelph campus, the video shows positive interactions between students and seniors, as well as examples of ageism stereotypes.

“Ageism is when we discriminate against someone because of their age rather than looking at their abilities and skills,” said Joseph. “This essentially excludes seniors from making a contribution, and this lack of respect can put them at risk for elder abuse.”

The video has logged more than 2,000 hits on YouTube since its launch in October.

This fall, it was shown at a conference of the Older Adult Centres’ Association of Ontario, at which Sophia Aggelonitis, Minister Responsible for Seniors, requested a copy to post on the government website. The video has also been posted on websites of the International Federation on Aging and the Canadian i2i Intergenerational Society.

“The project has been enthusiastically received. Plans are now under way to develop a proposal for a new project that will bring seniors and younger age groups together on the same theme in several cities across the province,” said Joseph.

For more information about the tool kit or the project, contact gjoseph@uoguelph.ca.

SOURCE:    The Canada Views
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Inspectors Still Have Issues With Care Home (IRELAND)

Inspectors still have issues with care home

December 16, 2010

By GORDON DEEGAN

A CLARE nursing home which was criticised in an inspectors’ report earlier this year has failed to put in place measures to protect residents from elder abuse, a new inspection has found.

In its report on Kilrush District Hospital in west Clare earlier this year, the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) said it was very concerned for the safety and welfare of residents restrained in 17 Buxton chairs.

In response to the first report, hospital board director John Hehir said the issue of the Buxton chairs was being addressed and new specialist chairs had been ordered. “We provide fantastic care to the elderly of west Clare and we intend to continue to do that. Some aspects of the Hiqa report are disappointing, but we are proud of our record and will continue to provide excellent care,” he said at the time.

However, in a follow-up inspection report just published, Hiqa said unacceptable practices have been found at the home, which is run by a voluntary organisation and has capacity for 53 patients.

The new report said the hospital addressed “some restraint issues” since the previous report. “However, restraint was still being used with residents without considering alternative interventions or use of appropriate assessments. Residents with MRSA were not supported in a consistent way, which increased the risk of cross infection.

“Inspectors observed staff practices and building arrangements that significantly compromised the privacy and dignity of residents . . . Inspectors observed staff providing personal care to a resident without using the screening curtains,” the report said.

In response yesterday, Mr Hehir said all the items in the second Hiqa report had been addressed and there were no outstanding issues.

SOURCE:   The Irish Times


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Care Provider Sentenced for Elder Abuse in Woman's Death (USA)

December 15, 2010

Folsom care provider sentenced for elder abuse in woman's death

By Andy Furillo

A Folsom residential care provider who pleaded guilty to elder abuse in the death of an 82-year-old woman was sentenced today to a year in county jail.

Adriana Catuna, 49, will be allowed to request that she serve the time on home detention under the sentence handed down by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Gary E. Ransom.

The judge also placed Catuna on five years probation and scheduled a restitution hearing for Jan. 26.

Abridged
SOURCE:     SACBEE.COM
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Care Facilities Operator Charged With Embezzlement (USA)

Care facilities operator charged with embezzlement

BY JANET LAVELLE

DECEMBER 15, 2010

The operator of three residential care facilities in Chula Vista and El Cajon has been arraigned on 26 felony counts after allegedly embezzling almost $665,000 from the bank accounts of two residents shortly before and after their deaths.

Maria Corazon Park, 54, is accused of financial elder abuse, forgery, money laundering and other charges. She was arraigned Dec. 9 in San Diego Superior Court and is being held on $500,000 bond at Las Colinas Detention Facility. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

Deputy Attorney General Carlos Chavarria, who is prosecuting the case, said Park endeared herself to Fred Figueroa, 91, and George Vickey, 89, to obtain access to their finances. The alleged frauds were uncovered by a suspicious Wells Fargo Bank employee, according to a state investigator’s report.

Abridged
SOURCE:     SignOnSanDiego
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New Homecare Regulations Promised (IRELAND)

New homecare regulations promised

December 14, 2010

By LUKE CASSIDY

Statutory regulation to control standards in the private homecare services sector may be in place next year, Minister of State with responsibility for Older People Áine Brady said earlier today.

Ms Brady said the Department of Health is examining regulation for the sector and while she couldn’t put a time frame on a completion date, she expects it “sometime next year”.

She was speaking after details emerged last night of substandard and inappropriate levels of care in the sector.

The Health Service Executive has begun a review of homecare services supplied to 65,000 older people following a series of complaints and a television news report.

The executive said it was “taking seriously” allegations that a number of private providers were failing to meet basic standards in the provision of care.

An investigation by RTÉ’s Prime Time  showed several instances where it appeared that vulnerable elderly people had received inadequate care, and, in at least one case, had been mistreated by a member of staff.

The programme showed an elderly woman apparently being force fed by a care attendant working for Clontarf Home Care Services. The company said three members of staff had been suspended on full pay pending an investigation.

The company said it was a not-for-profit community-based health care provider and had been proving homecare help for 38 years.

Ms Brady said it was clear the behaviour and practices highlighted in the programme constituted “an unacceptable” breach of trust.

“I am particularly concerned at the effects that any breach of trust has on the care recipients and their families and loved ones,” she said.

Ms Brady said there were 150 private providers catering for around 6,000 elderly people in their homes across the country.

While the Health Information and Quality Authority regulates standards in private nursing homes, the home care sector remains unregulated and there is no legal obligation on the providers to vet staff.

Abridged
SOURCE:     The Irish Times
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Homecare Services Spark Litany of Complaints to HSE (IRELAND)

Homecare services spark litany of complaints to HSE

December 14, 2010

By EITHNE DONNELLAN, Health Correspondent

FAMILIES USING a number of private homecare providers have been complaining to the HSE for more than three years about the quality of care provided to their loved ones, it has emerged.

The complaints have revolved around staff such as home helps and homecare assistants not turning up, turning up late, being verbally abusive to older people, giving the wrong medication, having very poor English and very poor skills to do their job.

Details of the complaints have been released under the Freedom of Information Act to Dermot Kirwan of the Friends of the Elderly organisation.

He said yesterday the letters of complaint released to him covered the greater Dublin area and were mainly about homecare services provided by private companies.

Thousands of families are given homecare packages every year under which they can buy home help and other services from private providers. There are now about 150 such providers in the State.

One complainant alleged an elderly lady was left soiled in her bed all weekend because the homecare assistant never turned up. When the family phoned the homecare company’s office there was nobody there.

Another said her doubly-incontinent mother “had three different carers in six days”, which meant there could be no continuity of care.

A third said a carer visited 15 times but didn’t give their relative a shower.

Mr Kirwan said the whole area needed to be regulated. “The threat of random checks would change things considerably,” he said.

“These people who are caring for the housebound or bed-bound elderly behind closed doors in the most personal and intimate way are unregistered, unregulated and unsupervised,” he said.

“It is a national disgrace, if I want to run a nursing home I need a licence, if I want to be a taxi driver I need a licence, yet I can start a homecare company without notifying anyone apart from the companies office . . . if something is not done soon, we will have another Leas Cross on our hands.”

Abridged
SOURCE:   The Irish Times


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Elder Abuse Awareness

Elder Abuse Awareness

A task force in Ingham County is spreading awareness and investigating cases of elder abuse.

Dec 14, 2010

By Meaghan M. Norman

If a child is being neglected it's much easier for Protective Services to go into the home than it is with an adult.
"The adult world is very different from the child world," said Sgt. Traci Ruiz with the Lansing Police Department. "It's much easier to hide that crime because they'll cancel doctor's appointments, there's not much food in the home -- medications not being distributed."
Sgt. Ruiz is the co-chair of the Elder Death Review Task Force which monitors abuse in those 60 years old and up.
"By us coming together at the table, helps us save resources, time and money," said Sgt. Ruiz.


About 75 percent of all elder abuse cases take place in the home, behind closed doors. Nursing homes like the Senior Care and Rehab Center in Holt do what they can to promote awareness and has a checks and balances system in place to guard against abuse.
Wendy Briggs is the activity director at the Holt Rehab facility and says there is a board made up of interdepartmental members and even residents that investigate any claims of abuse. And awareness is the first step in reporting neglect, which Sgt. Ruiz says is not necessarily on the rise, but the more people know, the more cases the task force investigates.
"The first case we investigated resulted in a homicide."


That case was back in 2007 of 94 year old Margaret Robinson. Police say her caretaker of 16 years, Ira Gudith killed her Gudith was convicted of second degree murder and is currently serving a 15 year sentence. An autopsy is what alluded officials to her suspicious death.


"We did the team approach and we had the medical examiner's office on board where they actually did order autopsies and that's where we've been able to determine and find a lot of these crimes, is through the autopsies."
December is the four year anniversary of the task force. The committee meets once a month and is made up of representatives from law enforcement, the attorney general's office, health officials and adult protective services.


SOURCE:    WLIX
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Bupa Care Home Staff Tormented Dementia Victims (UK)

Bupa care home staff tormented dementia victims and recorded their 'despicable' acts on their mobile phones

By CHRIS BROOKE

15th December 2010

They were elderly, suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s Disease and needed the best possible care at their Bupa nursing home.

Instead the frail residents were bullied, assaulted and terrorised by care workers who recorded their ‘despicable’ behaviour on their mobile phones for fun.

Yesterday the ‘appalling’ video footage of a vulnerable 99-year-old woman and a man of 86 being mistreated by their three carers led to the carers being jailed.

The five minutes of blurred video, which was played at Bradford Crown Court, shows the carers laughing at the helpless pensioners, grabbing and poking them, taunting them and shoving phones into their face and mouth.

The elderly man, Kenneth Costigan, has an expression of ‘stark terror’ on his face, and is shown ‘cowering’ and burying his head in his hands in ‘utter despair’

Edith Askham, who died later aged 100, is shown being bullied and treated roughly as she sits helplessly on the floor pleading ‘help me…I am frightened’.

Recorder Richard Mansell, QC, was clearly outraged by the defendants’ actions, which he described as ‘inhuman and degrading’.

The judge said supervisor Paul Poole, 26, and assistant care workers Jolene Hullah, 21, and Tanzeela Safdar, 23, had committed a ‘gross breach of trust’.

Earlier, when it was suggested that Hullah, who was 19 at the time, had not received adequate training, the judge was barely able to conceal his fury commenting: ‘You don’t need training in ordinary human decency.

The judge made a point of stressing that the care home owners and management were in no way to blame for what happened.

Abridged

SOURCE:     The Daily Mail UK

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Human Cost of Threatened Care Home Closures (WALES)

Human cost of threatened care home closures

Dec 12 2010 

by Sion Morgan, Wales On Sunday

Here, as the High Court prepares to stand in judgement this week, Sion Morgan explores the human cost of the threatened closure of care homes...

Vulnerable residents at Pencoed care home rejoiced in a song and dance on Armistice Day.

Forgetting their age and physical ailments, the frail grandmums and granddads donned military uniforms and clothing from their youth to remember The Fallen.

Their faces told the story of a group enjoying a new lease of life in familiar and comfortable surroundings.

And yet, unknown to these war heroes, community pillars and beloved elders, men in suits are working in council offices and courtrooms to decide on their future.

More than 80 elderly residents face losing their care because four independent homes in Pembrokeshire, including Pencoed, are under threat of closure.

The homes’ owners have won the right to a High Court judicial review to investigate their claim that the county council is “chronically under paying” fees for the service.

The residents’ families have now spoken out in a desperate bid to have their elderly loved ones’ fears voiced.

Abridged

SOURCE:        WalesOnline

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Nursing Home Inspection Data Cryptic, Hard to Find (USA)

BY FRANK X. MULLEN JR

DECEMBER 12, 2010

In Nevada, it's easier to find out about complaints against a home improvement contractor than it is to look up complaints about nursing homes.

The state's Aging and Disability Services Division opened 661 nursing home cases in the fiscal year that ended in September, with a total of 1,173 complaints investigated within those cases. Complaints regarding allegations of elder abuse are referred to the Elder Protective Service program.

But those complaints, except for the aggregate numbers, aren't public record. Last week, the Aging and Disability Services Division was unable to provide information about the disposition of individual nursing home-related complaints to the Reno Gazette-Journal by press time.

"Hospitals, nursing homes and all health care facilities need to be accountable to the public they serve."

Abridged
SOURCE:    RGJ.COM
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