Ombudsman to hold elder abuse conference
Friday, May 02, 2008
By Bethany A. Monk
Up to 5 million people in the U.S. fall victim to elder abuse each year, according to the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging.
In efforts to fight the issue locally, the Mother Lode Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program will present its third annual "Elder Abuse Awareness Conference" from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. May 7 at the Jackson Rancheria & Conference Center in Jackson.
"Sadly, it's often family members, adult children" who take advantage of or "scam" their parents, said Laurie Webb, executive director of the Amador Senior Center, a sponsor of the event. "Older children will fall on hard times, lose their jobs, move in with their parents ... take a little money" out of their mom or dad's ATM account. Some might get their parents to sign the title of their house over to them, she added.
Other elder abuse, such as physical abuse, is not as common as financial abuse in Amador County, said Webb, who is also the secretary for the Amador County Commission on Aging, another conference sponsor.
The conference will cover an array of topics and will provide information on the latest home improvement scams in the foothill communities, marketing scams and identity theft, according to the conference pamphlet. Conference participants will also get an overview of the Adult Protective Services from Matt Zanze, program manager of the county Department of Social Services. Prescott Cole, a senior staff attorney for the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, will give a presentation on "unscrupulous 'estate planners'" and "deconstruct a predatory senior sales pitch and offer tips on how to avoid being ripped off."
Other conference speakers include Carl Vega, a California State Contractor's Association investigator; Kipp Loving, a criminal investigator and Stanislaus district attorney; and Elizabeth Edgerly, Ph.D., of the Alzheimer's Association.
"It's a good seminar," Webb said, adding that it will show seniors and caregivers what to "look out for" in terms of elder abuse.
Money generated from the conference will be used to support the Mother Lode Ombudsman Program, which advocates for residents of long-term care facilities in Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, Alpine and Tuolumne counties.
Conference tickets, which include breakfast and lunch, are $40 for the general public and $25 for senior citizens. For more information about the program or to request tickets for the conference call 532-7632. Sponsorship tickets may be available to seniors who qualify.
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