County Looks at Creation of Elder Court (USA)

By Malaika Fraley
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Article Launched: 04/24/2008 06:13:52 AM PDT

Contra Costa County is considering the creation of a special Superior Court division that would address a fast-growing crime — financial abuse of the elderly.

Speakers at a forum on financial elder abuse in Martinez on Wednesday said an Elder Court is just one step the county is taking to battle a crime they say is largely unreported and growing at an alarming rate.

Only one in every 100 incidents of financial elder abuse is reported, said Shirley Krohn of the Area Agency on Aging. Statistics show 60 percent of perpetrators are family members, most of them adult children of the victims.

"Shame, embarrassment, dependence on the perpetrator, a lack of understanding and an awareness that the money is gone are all contributors to not reporting," Krohn said.

Abridged
SOURCE: contracostaTimes
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