Aged services threat sparks alarm
September 30, 2008
VICTORIAN hospitals and nursing homes will be placed under massive strain if a proposed federal takeover of aged care reduces home-based services for the elderly to the levels of other states, union and aged care groups warn.
The Australian Services Union backed warnings by the Municipal Association of Victoria in yesterday's Age that services such as meals on wheels, respite care and cleaning would be in jeopardy without the annual $100 million voluntarily contributed by Victorian councils.
Branch secretary Brian Parkinson said Victoria, the only state where home care is provided by local councils, had the best model for providing services to the elderly.
"The proof is we get people out of hospitals and back into their own homes quicker than any other state," he said.
The chief executive of Aged and Community Care Victoria, Gerard Mansour, said the Victorian Government and councils subsidised the Home and Community Care program more than any other state.
"It would be a very disturbing outcome if this was seen as an opportunity to reduce services to the lowest common denominator, for example attempting to make decisions based on price without regard to quality," he said.
Abridged
SOURCE: The Age, Melbourne
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September 30, 2008
Aged Care: Select Committee Recommended Changes (New Zealand)
Select committee recommends changes to aged-care
NZPA
September 29 2008
Parliament's health select committee has made a range of recommendations about funding the aged-care workforce and improving quality of care.
The committee considered a petition organised by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and Service and Food Workers Union and signed by close to 34,000 people.
The unions wanted fair pay for workers comparable to counterparts in public hospitals, adequate staffing levels and funding for appropriate training.
The committee recommended
Abridged
SOURCE : National Business Review
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Proper Aged Care policies and funding are vital to prevention of Elder Abuse.
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NZPA
September 29 2008
Parliament's health select committee has made a range of recommendations about funding the aged-care workforce and improving quality of care.
The committee considered a petition organised by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and Service and Food Workers Union and signed by close to 34,000 people.
The unions wanted fair pay for workers comparable to counterparts in public hospitals, adequate staffing levels and funding for appropriate training.
The committee recommended
Abridged
SOURCE : National Business Review
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Proper Aged Care policies and funding are vital to prevention of Elder Abuse.
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Financial Elder Abuse: Care Worker Sought (Tx. USA)
Health care worker charged with stealing client credit cards
Sep 27, 2008
AUSTIN, TEXAS (KXAN)
Police are looking for a woman suspected in stealing credit cards from the elderly.
There is an arrest warrant out for Sandra Kegler, a care giver at Parsons House assisted living center in North Austin.
According to documents made public Friday, Kegler was identified on security tapes attempting to use credit cards that had been reported missing by residents of Parson's House.
Kegler is charged with injury to an elderly individual.
Abridged
SOURCE: KXAN TV
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Sep 27, 2008
AUSTIN, TEXAS (KXAN)
Police are looking for a woman suspected in stealing credit cards from the elderly.
There is an arrest warrant out for Sandra Kegler, a care giver at Parsons House assisted living center in North Austin.
According to documents made public Friday, Kegler was identified on security tapes attempting to use credit cards that had been reported missing by residents of Parson's House.
Kegler is charged with injury to an elderly individual.
Abridged
SOURCE: KXAN TV
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September 29, 2008
Elder Abuse: A Hidden Problem (Fl. USA)
Abuse of the elderly can all too easily go unspotted
Many seniors stay out of sight; many others hesitant to accept help
By JANINE ZEITLIN
September 28, 2008
Elder neglect can be hidden, hard to prove and even, some worry, underreported in state statistics.
The Department of Children and Families investigates cases involving vulnerable adults as well as reports about children.
The department becomes involved with the most vulnerable adults, those who can't take care of their daily needs.
What's more, seniors isolated in homes or facilities aren't as visible as a school-going child seen daily by people who could spot telltale signs of abuse or neglect. An elder may rarely set foot outside.
Adult-abuse reports have risen in the past three years, swelling about 13 percent. Still, proving neglect played a role in an elder's death is difficult. Since 1998, only two adult death investigations have been verified as neglect in the five Southwest Florida counties the local DCF office handles.
Abridged
SOURCE: The News-Press, Fort Myers
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Many seniors stay out of sight; many others hesitant to accept help
By JANINE ZEITLIN
September 28, 2008
Elder neglect can be hidden, hard to prove and even, some worry, underreported in state statistics.
The Department of Children and Families investigates cases involving vulnerable adults as well as reports about children.
The department becomes involved with the most vulnerable adults, those who can't take care of their daily needs.
What's more, seniors isolated in homes or facilities aren't as visible as a school-going child seen daily by people who could spot telltale signs of abuse or neglect. An elder may rarely set foot outside.
Adult-abuse reports have risen in the past three years, swelling about 13 percent. Still, proving neglect played a role in an elder's death is difficult. Since 1998, only two adult death investigations have been verified as neglect in the five Southwest Florida counties the local DCF office handles.
Abridged
SOURCE: The News-Press, Fort Myers
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Elder Care and Neglect: Care Home Shut Down (UK)
Care home accused of neglect shut down
28 September 2008
A Southampton care home at the centre of an investigation into the deaths of six elderly residents has been shut down.
Police and council staff raided The Briars Retirement Home in Bitterne Park on September 17 amid allegations of neglect and ill-treatment.
Concerns were raised about care at the home following the death of resident Ronald Reed, 81, from natural care uses at Southampton General Hospital on August 9.
"The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) obtained an urgent order from Southampton Magistrates' Court on Friday to shut down the care home.
The order cancels the registration of the privately-owned home which means it can no longer legally operate.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2008
Abridged
SOURCE: Little Hampton Gazette
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28 September 2008
A Southampton care home at the centre of an investigation into the deaths of six elderly residents has been shut down.
Police and council staff raided The Briars Retirement Home in Bitterne Park on September 17 amid allegations of neglect and ill-treatment.
Concerns were raised about care at the home following the death of resident Ronald Reed, 81, from natural care uses at Southampton General Hospital on August 9.
"The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) obtained an urgent order from Southampton Magistrates' Court on Friday to shut down the care home.
The order cancels the registration of the privately-owned home which means it can no longer legally operate.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2008
Abridged
SOURCE: Little Hampton Gazette
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Nursing Home Abuse: Family Offer Reward for Information (Ok. USA)
Family Alleges Abuse At Norman Nursing Home
Relatives Offer Reward After DHS Declines Involvement
September 25, 2008
NORMAN, Okla.
An Oklahoma family is looking for answers after a woman was found covered in bruises while she was staying in a Norman nursing home.
The workers at the Whispering Pines Nursing Home said Carol Crow, 60, was injured when she fell, but the family doesn't believe it.
Crow's family said it is offering a reward for information because the Department of Human Service has declined to investigate.
The Crow family, along with an organization called Perfect Cause, will offer a $2,500 reward for information. They posted signs around Norman and in front of the nursing center.
Abridged
SOURCE: KOCO News
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Relatives Offer Reward After DHS Declines Involvement
September 25, 2008
NORMAN, Okla.
An Oklahoma family is looking for answers after a woman was found covered in bruises while she was staying in a Norman nursing home.
The workers at the Whispering Pines Nursing Home said Carol Crow, 60, was injured when she fell, but the family doesn't believe it.
Crow's family said it is offering a reward for information because the Department of Human Service has declined to investigate.
The Crow family, along with an organization called Perfect Cause, will offer a $2,500 reward for information. They posted signs around Norman and in front of the nursing center.
Abridged
SOURCE: KOCO News
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Financial Elder Abuse: Swindler Jailed for LIfe (Ca. USA)
Swindler of local elderly gets 127 years in prison
By Greg Gross
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
September 27, 2008
How much does a free lunch cost? For Daniel William Heath of Chino Hills, the answer is 127 years in prison.
Heath, the last and biggest of four con artists who targeted the elderly over an 11-year span, drew that sentence yesterday for his part in a scam that swindled more than 1,800 seniors – including many from San Diego – out of $187 million.
Abridged
SOURCE: San Diego Union Tribune
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By Greg Gross
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
September 27, 2008
How much does a free lunch cost? For Daniel William Heath of Chino Hills, the answer is 127 years in prison.
Heath, the last and biggest of four con artists who targeted the elderly over an 11-year span, drew that sentence yesterday for his part in a scam that swindled more than 1,800 seniors – including many from San Diego – out of $187 million.
Abridged
SOURCE: San Diego Union Tribune
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September 28, 2008
Elder Abuse: Law Change Welcomed (New Zealand)
Law change brings more protection
Age Concern New Zealand media release 25 September 2008
Law change brings more protection
The picture of a ruthless friend or relative bulldozing an older person into signing an Enduring Power of Attorney to get control over their care and finances has just got less likely.
Age Concern New Zealand welcomes extra protection which will be built into Enduring Powers of Attorney when the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Amendment Act 2007 comes into force tomorrow.
People making an Enduring Power of Attorney will be better informed, and those granted the power will be more accountable. Everyone's roles and responsibilities are spelled out more clearly new requirement for independent legal advice gives protection for people setting up EPAs. This will make it harder to bulldoze reluctant or confused people into signing.
Age Concern supports the Enduring Power of Attorney concept and says that everyone from 18 to 118 should have them.
"If people don't have an EPA and suddenly can't make decisions, the legal position can be very tangled. It's in everyone's interests to avoid this," Age Concern New Zealand Chief Executive Ann Martin says.
The law changes have come, in part, because of submissions by Age Concern.
"The changes will help us to fight against abuse of older people who are no longer able to make decisions themselves," Ann Martin says. "We have seen cases in which the attorney, the person trusted to make decisions in the older person's best interests, has used their power to commit financial abuse or to neglect their care."
For the first time, Elder Abuse and Neglect Prevention Service workers are recognised in the law as people who can challenge attorneys' decisions.
“For this protection, people will need to meet the legal costs associated with establishing the EPA. However, Community Law centres will provide legal advice without charge and solicitors, who already draft many wills for free, may extend this to include EPAs. Others may decide to do so as part of their total service package.”
Local Age Concern offices have a new free information pamphlet available on the revised EPAs.
SOURCE: Scoop NZ
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Age Concern New Zealand media release 25 September 2008
Law change brings more protection
The picture of a ruthless friend or relative bulldozing an older person into signing an Enduring Power of Attorney to get control over their care and finances has just got less likely.
Age Concern New Zealand welcomes extra protection which will be built into Enduring Powers of Attorney when the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Amendment Act 2007 comes into force tomorrow.
People making an Enduring Power of Attorney will be better informed, and those granted the power will be more accountable. Everyone's roles and responsibilities are spelled out more clearly new requirement for independent legal advice gives protection for people setting up EPAs. This will make it harder to bulldoze reluctant or confused people into signing.
Age Concern supports the Enduring Power of Attorney concept and says that everyone from 18 to 118 should have them.
"If people don't have an EPA and suddenly can't make decisions, the legal position can be very tangled. It's in everyone's interests to avoid this," Age Concern New Zealand Chief Executive Ann Martin says.
The law changes have come, in part, because of submissions by Age Concern.
"The changes will help us to fight against abuse of older people who are no longer able to make decisions themselves," Ann Martin says. "We have seen cases in which the attorney, the person trusted to make decisions in the older person's best interests, has used their power to commit financial abuse or to neglect their care."
For the first time, Elder Abuse and Neglect Prevention Service workers are recognised in the law as people who can challenge attorneys' decisions.
“For this protection, people will need to meet the legal costs associated with establishing the EPA. However, Community Law centres will provide legal advice without charge and solicitors, who already draft many wills for free, may extend this to include EPAs. Others may decide to do so as part of their total service package.”
Local Age Concern offices have a new free information pamphlet available on the revised EPAs.
SOURCE: Scoop NZ
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Elder Abuse: Portland Couple Charged (Sc. USA)
Portlanders charged with abuse of elderly Mo. couple
September 26, 2008
PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland couple who offered to care for a developmentally delayed pair stand accused of defrauding them of more than $50,000 in pension and Social Security payments and physically abusing them for years.
Police say Charles and Tammy Whitworth of St. Louis were virtual indentured servants and endured nearly three years of financial, psychological and physical abuse including strangulation, assaults, and dog bites.
The Whitworths are back home in Missouri thanks in part to an alert Plaid Pantry clerk and collaboration of city and county investigators.
Similar cases often go unreported because victims are kept in isolation, Robinson said. Though Dr. Bennett Blum, an Arizona-based forensic and geriatric psychiatrist who specializes in what he calls undue influence cases, said they are tragically frequent.
He said this case has all the hallmarks: vulnerable adult abuse, isolation, dependency, emotional manipulation and deception.
Daniel Anderson faces 31 counts of criminal mistreatment, 22 counts of theft, three counts of strangulation, seven counts of assault, seven counts of harassment and four counts of coercion.
His wife faces 26 counts of criminal mistreatment, 22 counts of theft, three counts of assault, two counts of criminal mischief, and two counts of harassment and coercion.
Both pleaded not guilty on Monday.
Their trial date is Nov. 12.
Abridged
SOURCED: Fort Mills Times - Fort Mill,SC,USA
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September 26, 2008
PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland couple who offered to care for a developmentally delayed pair stand accused of defrauding them of more than $50,000 in pension and Social Security payments and physically abusing them for years.
Police say Charles and Tammy Whitworth of St. Louis were virtual indentured servants and endured nearly three years of financial, psychological and physical abuse including strangulation, assaults, and dog bites.
The Whitworths are back home in Missouri thanks in part to an alert Plaid Pantry clerk and collaboration of city and county investigators.
Similar cases often go unreported because victims are kept in isolation, Robinson said. Though Dr. Bennett Blum, an Arizona-based forensic and geriatric psychiatrist who specializes in what he calls undue influence cases, said they are tragically frequent.
He said this case has all the hallmarks: vulnerable adult abuse, isolation, dependency, emotional manipulation and deception.
Daniel Anderson faces 31 counts of criminal mistreatment, 22 counts of theft, three counts of strangulation, seven counts of assault, seven counts of harassment and four counts of coercion.
His wife faces 26 counts of criminal mistreatment, 22 counts of theft, three counts of assault, two counts of criminal mischief, and two counts of harassment and coercion.
Both pleaded not guilty on Monday.
Their trial date is Nov. 12.
Abridged
SOURCED: Fort Mills Times - Fort Mill,SC,USA
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September 27, 2008
Elder Abuse: Report cited "angel of death" and Criminal Neglect (IL. USA)
Nursing home employee mixed drug cocktails to quiet residents, report says
By Jeff Long Chicago Tribune reporter
September 25, 2008
An employee of a McHenry County nursing home at the center of an investigation into suspicious deaths mixed drug cocktails to make sure that troublesome residents "would not be bothering her during her shift," according to a state report.
The 130-page report of an investigation by the Illinois Department of Public Health says that improper use of drugs such as morphine sulfate contributed to five suspicious deaths in 2006 at the facility in Woodstock, then called the Woodstock Residence.
A supervisor allegedly told a nurse, "I do not care if you play the angel of death, just don't let me know about it," the report says.
"She won't make it through the day," the report says the nurse told a co-worker, referring to a restless patient. "I made sure of that."
Neither the supervisor nor the nurse is identified in the Department of Public Health report.
But two former nurses—one a supervisor—at the Woodstock Residence were indicted in April on criminal charges alleging they endangered the lives of residents.
The two were charged in April after an investigation by Illinois State Police, but they have never been accused of directly causing resident deaths.
The management of the facility, now called Crossroads Care Center of Woodstock, has changed since 2006.
Abridged
SOURCE: Chicago Tribune
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By Jeff Long Chicago Tribune reporter
September 25, 2008
An employee of a McHenry County nursing home at the center of an investigation into suspicious deaths mixed drug cocktails to make sure that troublesome residents "would not be bothering her during her shift," according to a state report.
The 130-page report of an investigation by the Illinois Department of Public Health says that improper use of drugs such as morphine sulfate contributed to five suspicious deaths in 2006 at the facility in Woodstock, then called the Woodstock Residence.
A supervisor allegedly told a nurse, "I do not care if you play the angel of death, just don't let me know about it," the report says.
"She won't make it through the day," the report says the nurse told a co-worker, referring to a restless patient. "I made sure of that."
Neither the supervisor nor the nurse is identified in the Department of Public Health report.
But two former nurses—one a supervisor—at the Woodstock Residence were indicted in April on criminal charges alleging they endangered the lives of residents.
The two were charged in April after an investigation by Illinois State Police, but they have never been accused of directly causing resident deaths.
The management of the facility, now called Crossroads Care Center of Woodstock, has changed since 2006.
Abridged
SOURCE: Chicago Tribune
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Financial Elder Abuse: DHS Worker Arrested (Ok. USA)
DHS Worker Arrested For Elder Abuse
Posted: Sep 25, 2008 11:55 AM
TULSA, OK -- A 50-year-old woman who is supposed to care for the elderly is arrested and charged with elder abuse.
Debra Roberts works for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. On Wednesday, she was arrested and charged with one count of abusing, exploiting and neglecting a vulnerable adult.
According to court documents Roberts stole thousands of dollars from a 74-year-old mentally disabled man.
SOURCE: News On 6 Tulsa
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Posted: Sep 25, 2008 11:55 AM
TULSA, OK -- A 50-year-old woman who is supposed to care for the elderly is arrested and charged with elder abuse.
Debra Roberts works for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. On Wednesday, she was arrested and charged with one count of abusing, exploiting and neglecting a vulnerable adult.
According to court documents Roberts stole thousands of dollars from a 74-year-old mentally disabled man.
SOURCE: News On 6 Tulsa
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Elder Abuse and Neglect: Couple Charged (NC. USA)
Grand Jury Indicts Several High-Profile Suspects
By Reece Murphy
Reporter 9/24/2008
The Harnett County Grand Jury has re-indicted a former Buies Creek couple charged with elder abuse in the death of his 78-year-old mother.
George Kaneklides, 56, and his wife Ann, 53, were both indicted last week on two counts each of domestic abuse of a disabled or elder adult. The additional indictments come as the state prepares for the couple's trial the week of Oct. 13.
The couple were previously indicted in October 2006 on one count each of abuse of an elder inflicting serious injury in connection with the alleged abuse of Mr. Kaneklides' mother Linda Arab Kaneklides.
According to prosecutors, the Kaneklideses allegedly neglected the elder Kaneklides so bad between Sept. 26, 2003, and Nov. 15, 2005, while she lived in their Keith Hills home, that she suffered serious mental and physical injuries that eventually led to her death at a hospital in Greensboro April 7, 2006.
Abridged
SOURCE: Dunn Daily Record
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By Reece Murphy
Reporter 9/24/2008
The Harnett County Grand Jury has re-indicted a former Buies Creek couple charged with elder abuse in the death of his 78-year-old mother.
George Kaneklides, 56, and his wife Ann, 53, were both indicted last week on two counts each of domestic abuse of a disabled or elder adult. The additional indictments come as the state prepares for the couple's trial the week of Oct. 13.
The couple were previously indicted in October 2006 on one count each of abuse of an elder inflicting serious injury in connection with the alleged abuse of Mr. Kaneklides' mother Linda Arab Kaneklides.
According to prosecutors, the Kaneklideses allegedly neglected the elder Kaneklides so bad between Sept. 26, 2003, and Nov. 15, 2005, while she lived in their Keith Hills home, that she suffered serious mental and physical injuries that eventually led to her death at a hospital in Greensboro April 7, 2006.
Abridged
SOURCE: Dunn Daily Record
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Financial Elder Abuse: Focus of Conference (
Public safety watch: Conference to focus on scams, elder abuse
By Art Campos
September 25, 2008
The Placer County District Attorney's sixth annual conference on how seniors 60 or older can protect themselves against financial scams and physical abuse is scheduled for Oct. 25 at William Jessup University in Rocklin.
The university is at 333 Sunset Blvd., near Highway 65, and the free event will run from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
A free continental breakfast will be provided. Lunch will be available for purchase.
The District Attorney's Office said the purpose of the conference is to educate seniors about the types of abuse being perpetrated locally against the elderly.
"It is a known fact that seniors have become huge targets of abuse," victim advocate Laura Conrad said in a news release. "They hold most of the assets in this country, and perpetrators prey upon their vulnerability and trusting ways."
Twice in recent months in Placer, men posing as water workers asked elderly people if they could inspect faucets. Once in the home, one of the men took money and valuables while the other distracted the resident.
Abridged
SOURCE: Sacramento Bee - CA, USA
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By Art Campos
September 25, 2008
The Placer County District Attorney's sixth annual conference on how seniors 60 or older can protect themselves against financial scams and physical abuse is scheduled for Oct. 25 at William Jessup University in Rocklin.
The university is at 333 Sunset Blvd., near Highway 65, and the free event will run from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
A free continental breakfast will be provided. Lunch will be available for purchase.
The District Attorney's Office said the purpose of the conference is to educate seniors about the types of abuse being perpetrated locally against the elderly.
"It is a known fact that seniors have become huge targets of abuse," victim advocate Laura Conrad said in a news release. "They hold most of the assets in this country, and perpetrators prey upon their vulnerability and trusting ways."
Twice in recent months in Placer, men posing as water workers asked elderly people if they could inspect faucets. Once in the home, one of the men took money and valuables while the other distracted the resident.
Abridged
SOURCE: Sacramento Bee - CA, USA
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September 26, 2008
Financial Elder Abuse: Woman Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison (Me. USA)
Urge to play slots spurred thefts
Woman stole $43,700 from residents of assisted living facility in Bangor
9/25/08
By Judy Harrison
BDN Staff
BANGOR, Maine - The prosecutor called it elder abuse. The defense attorney said it was the result of an illness. Members of Gamblers Anonymous warned the judge to expect more cases just like it.
Lucia Faria, 41, of Bangor was sentenced Wednesday in Penobscot County Superior Court to three years in prison for stealing more than $40,000 from elderly patients at the Bangor facility where she worked and gambling it away at Hollywood Slots.
Abridged
SOURCE: Bangor Daily News
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Woman stole $43,700 from residents of assisted living facility in Bangor
9/25/08
By Judy Harrison
BDN Staff
BANGOR, Maine - The prosecutor called it elder abuse. The defense attorney said it was the result of an illness. Members of Gamblers Anonymous warned the judge to expect more cases just like it.
Lucia Faria, 41, of Bangor was sentenced Wednesday in Penobscot County Superior Court to three years in prison for stealing more than $40,000 from elderly patients at the Bangor facility where she worked and gambling it away at Hollywood Slots.
Abridged
SOURCE: Bangor Daily News
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Elder Abuse: Care Worker to Serve Another Year (Melb. Australia)
More time for nursing home rapist
By Shelley Hadfield
September 25, 2008
AN AGED-care worker who raped an 85-year-old woman will serve another year behind bars after the DPP won an appeal against his sentence.
In March, Henry Alexander, then 36, was jailed for three years. But 2 1/2 years of the sentence was suspended, meaning he only had to serve six months.
The Court of Appeal today quashed the sentence. Justices Frank Vincent, Marcia Neave and Mark Weinberg reimposed a three-year jail term, but ordered that only 18 months of the sentence be suspended.
It means he will have to serve 18 months.
Alexander, of Mt Martha, had already served six months.
In their judgment today, Justices Vincent, Neave and Weinberg said the original sentence was manifestly inadequate.
"It simply did not reflect the seriousness of the conduct involved or the significance of general deterrence in a case of this kind,'' they wrote.
They said there should be no doubt about the community's condemnation of his conduct.
"Obviously through the sentences they impose, the courts must endeavour to deter those who would criminally abuse their position and power in this way.''
Alexander also applied for leave to appeal his conviction, but the Court of Appeal today dismissed the application.
Abridged
SOURCE: Melbourne Herald Sun
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By Shelley Hadfield
September 25, 2008
AN AGED-care worker who raped an 85-year-old woman will serve another year behind bars after the DPP won an appeal against his sentence.
In March, Henry Alexander, then 36, was jailed for three years. But 2 1/2 years of the sentence was suspended, meaning he only had to serve six months.
The Court of Appeal today quashed the sentence. Justices Frank Vincent, Marcia Neave and Mark Weinberg reimposed a three-year jail term, but ordered that only 18 months of the sentence be suspended.
It means he will have to serve 18 months.
Alexander, of Mt Martha, had already served six months.
In their judgment today, Justices Vincent, Neave and Weinberg said the original sentence was manifestly inadequate.
"It simply did not reflect the seriousness of the conduct involved or the significance of general deterrence in a case of this kind,'' they wrote.
They said there should be no doubt about the community's condemnation of his conduct.
"Obviously through the sentences they impose, the courts must endeavour to deter those who would criminally abuse their position and power in this way.''
Alexander also applied for leave to appeal his conviction, but the Court of Appeal today dismissed the application.
Abridged
SOURCE: Melbourne Herald Sun
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September 25, 2008
Financial Elder Abuse: Identity Theft Case (Ca. USA)
Tulare man caught in company ID theft case
September 24, 2008
By GLEN FAISON
THE PORTERVILLE RECORDER
A Tulare man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly using another company’s state contracting license number to conduct business in Tulare County.
Monte Blue Felemi, 40, was arrested by consumer protection investigators of the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office and the California Contractors State License Board on suspicion of a laundry list of alleged criminal offenses including.
The allegations include elder abuse, grand theft, diversion of construction funds, fraudulent use of another’s CSLB license, unlicensed contracting, filing false documents, filing perjured documents and failure to provide workers compensation insurance.
Abridged
SOURCE: Porterville Recorder
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September 24, 2008
By GLEN FAISON
THE PORTERVILLE RECORDER
A Tulare man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly using another company’s state contracting license number to conduct business in Tulare County.
Monte Blue Felemi, 40, was arrested by consumer protection investigators of the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office and the California Contractors State License Board on suspicion of a laundry list of alleged criminal offenses including.
The allegations include elder abuse, grand theft, diversion of construction funds, fraudulent use of another’s CSLB license, unlicensed contracting, filing false documents, filing perjured documents and failure to provide workers compensation insurance.
Abridged
SOURCE: Porterville Recorder
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Elder Abuse: Grandson of Victim Denied Charges (Bermuda)
Grandson defends living conditions of 'Auntie Em'
By Sam Strangeways
September 24, 2008
The grandson of alleged elder abuse victim "Auntie Em" denied yesterday that she ever ate cockroach-infested food, was forbidden from using the bathtub or was uncomfortable around her son-in-law. Patrick Hayward Junior, whose 96-year-old near-blind grandmother Wilhelmina Liburd was removed from the family home due to uninhabitable living conditions, told Magistrates' Court: "There was definitely never roaches in my grandmother's food while she was eating. Even though she has poor eyesight, I'm sure she'd know that she was eating something other than food."
The Royal Gazette revealed a year ago how Auntie Em was removed from the Upland Street home in late 2006 because the filthy, cluttered conditions became detrimental to her health. She is now in the Continuing Care Unit at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.
"There has been much concern over Ms Liburd returning to her home to endure both psychological and emotional abuse and also the reoccurrence of the residence returning to an uninhabitable state after renovations," she wrote. "These concerns constitute a form of elder abuse."
The case was adjourned by Magistrate Tyrone Chin until next Tuesday.
Abridged
SOURCE: Royal Gazette - Hamilton,Bermuda
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By Sam Strangeways
September 24, 2008
The grandson of alleged elder abuse victim "Auntie Em" denied yesterday that she ever ate cockroach-infested food, was forbidden from using the bathtub or was uncomfortable around her son-in-law. Patrick Hayward Junior, whose 96-year-old near-blind grandmother Wilhelmina Liburd was removed from the family home due to uninhabitable living conditions, told Magistrates' Court: "There was definitely never roaches in my grandmother's food while she was eating. Even though she has poor eyesight, I'm sure she'd know that she was eating something other than food."
The Royal Gazette revealed a year ago how Auntie Em was removed from the Upland Street home in late 2006 because the filthy, cluttered conditions became detrimental to her health. She is now in the Continuing Care Unit at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.
"There has been much concern over Ms Liburd returning to her home to endure both psychological and emotional abuse and also the reoccurrence of the residence returning to an uninhabitable state after renovations," she wrote. "These concerns constitute a form of elder abuse."
The case was adjourned by Magistrate Tyrone Chin until next Tuesday.
Abridged
SOURCE: Royal Gazette - Hamilton,Bermuda
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Elder Abuse: Indictments for Accused Abusers (Wv. USA)
Grand Jury Returns 22 True Bills
BY AMY WITSCHEY, Editor
September 24, 2008
(NOTE: only cases relating to Elder Abuse are posted here)
Wetzel County Grand Jurors returned 22 true bills of indictment against 10 defendants for the September term that met Sept. 9. There are an additional four sealed indictments.
With the Honorable Judge John Madden presiding and Prosecutor Tim Haught and Assistant Prosecutor Worthy Paul for the state, defendants appeared in Wetzel County Circuit Court on the Sept. 17 to answer to the charges.
A six-count indictment was returned against Jessica Ash, 22, of 105 North Second Ave., Paden City. She is charged with, counts one and two, misappropriation of funds of an elder person; counts three and four, forgery; and counts five and six, uttering.
The charges stem from the alleged forgery and cashing of two checks on or about Feb. 25 and 26 in the amounts of $200 and $267 made out to Sally Ellington from the account of Jean D. Dailey.
Ash pleaded not guilty during her formal arraignment Sept. 22. Defense attorney David White of the Public Defender Corporation is requesting discovery. The state is to respond by Oct. 10. The defense will respond to any state discovery requests by Oct. 31. A return date of Nov. 3 at 1:30 p.m. was set. Ash was released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.
An identical six-count indictment was returned against Melissa A. Lallathin, 45, of P. O. Box 53, Proctor. Defense Attorney Fred Gardner entered a not guilty plea Sept. 17 on his client’s behalf. The state is to respond to the defense discovery request by Oct. 3. The defense will respond to any state discovery requests by Oct. 17. A return date of Oct. 24 at 9 a.m. was set. Lallathin’s $5,000 personal recognizance bond set in Wetzel County Magistrate Court was continued, with the additional provision that she have no contact with Dailey.
Krista Dawn Dennis, 22, of 265 Virginia St., New Martinsville, received a one-count indictment for abuse of an elderly person, alleging she abused Katherine Muncie, a female person over the age of 65, by striking her in the head with her hand. Attorney Kevin Neiswonger has been retained to represent Dennis, so her file was transferred from Gardner to Neiswonger’s law partner, White, in court Sept. 17. The matter was passed until Oct. 3 at 9 a.m. for formal arraignment.
Abridged
SOURCE: Wetzel Chronicle
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BY AMY WITSCHEY, Editor
September 24, 2008
(NOTE: only cases relating to Elder Abuse are posted here)
Wetzel County Grand Jurors returned 22 true bills of indictment against 10 defendants for the September term that met Sept. 9. There are an additional four sealed indictments.
With the Honorable Judge John Madden presiding and Prosecutor Tim Haught and Assistant Prosecutor Worthy Paul for the state, defendants appeared in Wetzel County Circuit Court on the Sept. 17 to answer to the charges.
A six-count indictment was returned against Jessica Ash, 22, of 105 North Second Ave., Paden City. She is charged with, counts one and two, misappropriation of funds of an elder person; counts three and four, forgery; and counts five and six, uttering.
The charges stem from the alleged forgery and cashing of two checks on or about Feb. 25 and 26 in the amounts of $200 and $267 made out to Sally Ellington from the account of Jean D. Dailey.
Ash pleaded not guilty during her formal arraignment Sept. 22. Defense attorney David White of the Public Defender Corporation is requesting discovery. The state is to respond by Oct. 10. The defense will respond to any state discovery requests by Oct. 31. A return date of Nov. 3 at 1:30 p.m. was set. Ash was released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.
An identical six-count indictment was returned against Melissa A. Lallathin, 45, of P. O. Box 53, Proctor. Defense Attorney Fred Gardner entered a not guilty plea Sept. 17 on his client’s behalf. The state is to respond to the defense discovery request by Oct. 3. The defense will respond to any state discovery requests by Oct. 17. A return date of Oct. 24 at 9 a.m. was set. Lallathin’s $5,000 personal recognizance bond set in Wetzel County Magistrate Court was continued, with the additional provision that she have no contact with Dailey.
Krista Dawn Dennis, 22, of 265 Virginia St., New Martinsville, received a one-count indictment for abuse of an elderly person, alleging she abused Katherine Muncie, a female person over the age of 65, by striking her in the head with her hand. Attorney Kevin Neiswonger has been retained to represent Dennis, so her file was transferred from Gardner to Neiswonger’s law partner, White, in court Sept. 17. The matter was passed until Oct. 3 at 9 a.m. for formal arraignment.
Abridged
SOURCE: Wetzel Chronicle
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Elder Care: Budget Cuts Affecting APS (Ca. USA)
By Frank D. Russo
There is a stark disconnect between the promise that Arnold Schwarzenegger ran on and was elected and re-elected on as Governor—that California has a “spending problem” and all that rhetoric and the brutal reality of the final round of budget cutting that was completed yesterday by the Governor before he signed the state’s budget—the basic moral document for the fiscal year that shows where our values are.
Adult Protective Services (APS) is a state-mandated program to protect elder and dependent adults who have been physically or mentally abused, financially abused, or neglected. Counties operate this program on behalf of the state. Yesterday, an additional 10% was cut. Understand that this program was not fully funded when it was created in 1999, and funding has been frozen since 2002-03, seriously eroding the ability of the counties to respond to these emergency situations. The cut will leave counties unable to fully respond to 18,775 reports of abuse and neglect, putting the lives of elder and dependent adults at risk. This is the only program that responds 24 hours a day, seven days a week to reports of abuse and neglect against these vulnerable adults. You’ll be reading about some of those stories in your local papers in the next year.
Cathi Grams, Director of Employment and Social Services in Butte County had this to say about the APS cuts: “It’s another example of cuts in one area leading to costs in another. Law enforcement, hospitals, and nursing homes are going to see these same people when their conditions are worse and much more expensive. And they will be the lucky ones – studies show that elder abuse victims are three times more likely to die than the average senior. The human toll of these cuts cannot be overstated.”
Abridged
SOURCE: California Progress Report
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September 24, 2008
Elder Abuse: Law Requires Suspected EA to be Investigated (De. USA)
Law requires suspected elder abuse be investigated
By Barbara E. Riley
9/23/2008
There is no single pattern of elder abuse in the home, and it isn’t just infirm or mentally impaired older adults who are abused. While seniors who are ill, frail, disabled, mentally impaired or depressed are at greater risk of abuse, even active, healthy seniors can find themselves in abusive situations and relationships.
Sometimes, abuse is a continuation of an existing situation within the family. If a wife has been abused by her husband throughout their marriage, it probably will not stop as they get older. Caregiver stress is also a major factor in senior abuse. As living situations change and finances become tighter, an older person’s growing frailty and dependence on others for meeting basic needs can push a caregiver to extremes.
Shame, embarrassment, family loyalty and even love can keep victims from reporting their abuse. They don’t want anyone to know that such events occur in their families. They are also part of a generation that felt that family matters are private and “dirty laundry” should not be aired in public. In many cases, the abused person is completely dependent upon the abuser and is afraid to complain for fear of reprisal or abandonment.
Authorities can not investigate abuse incidents it if they don’t know about them. If you suspect an older person is being abused, report it to Adult Protective Services, which is usually housed in your county Department of Job and Family Services. If you suspect an older person who lives in a long-term care facility is being abused, you can call the Ohio Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman at 1-800-282-1206.
Ohio law requires that reported abuse of people age 60 and older must be investigated. When you call, be ready to give the senior’s name, address, contact information and details about why you are concerned. You may be asked for your name and contact information, but most agencies will honor your request to remain anonymous. Also, to encourage people to report abuse, Ohio law includes provisions that protect those who make reports from civil and criminal liability and retaliation from their employer. The records of such reports are confidential.
Overwhelmed caregivers can contact their local area agency on aging at 1-866-243-5678 for help and support. Respite care and other services for caregivers are available to help reduce stress and burn out, which can lead to abuse out of frustration.
No one should be abused. By working together and watching out for each other, we can help keep older Ohioans safe.
Abridged
SOURCE: Wilminton News Journal
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
By Barbara E. Riley
9/23/2008
There is no single pattern of elder abuse in the home, and it isn’t just infirm or mentally impaired older adults who are abused. While seniors who are ill, frail, disabled, mentally impaired or depressed are at greater risk of abuse, even active, healthy seniors can find themselves in abusive situations and relationships.
Sometimes, abuse is a continuation of an existing situation within the family. If a wife has been abused by her husband throughout their marriage, it probably will not stop as they get older. Caregiver stress is also a major factor in senior abuse. As living situations change and finances become tighter, an older person’s growing frailty and dependence on others for meeting basic needs can push a caregiver to extremes.
Shame, embarrassment, family loyalty and even love can keep victims from reporting their abuse. They don’t want anyone to know that such events occur in their families. They are also part of a generation that felt that family matters are private and “dirty laundry” should not be aired in public. In many cases, the abused person is completely dependent upon the abuser and is afraid to complain for fear of reprisal or abandonment.
Authorities can not investigate abuse incidents it if they don’t know about them. If you suspect an older person is being abused, report it to Adult Protective Services, which is usually housed in your county Department of Job and Family Services. If you suspect an older person who lives in a long-term care facility is being abused, you can call the Ohio Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman at 1-800-282-1206.
Ohio law requires that reported abuse of people age 60 and older must be investigated. When you call, be ready to give the senior’s name, address, contact information and details about why you are concerned. You may be asked for your name and contact information, but most agencies will honor your request to remain anonymous. Also, to encourage people to report abuse, Ohio law includes provisions that protect those who make reports from civil and criminal liability and retaliation from their employer. The records of such reports are confidential.
Overwhelmed caregivers can contact their local area agency on aging at 1-866-243-5678 for help and support. Respite care and other services for caregivers are available to help reduce stress and burn out, which can lead to abuse out of frustration.
No one should be abused. By working together and watching out for each other, we can help keep older Ohioans safe.
Abridged
SOURCE: Wilminton News Journal
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Elder Care: Melbourne Nursing Home Shut Down (Melb. Australia)
Melbourne nursing home shut down
24 September 2008
ABC NEWS
Melbourne nursing home is being shut down because of serious concerns about the care and safety of its residents.
The Federal Government has decided to move the 55 residents of the Rosden Private Nursing Home, at Burwood East, after a surprise audit that began last week.
It is the fifth Victorian nursing home to be sanctioned by the Federal Government since July.
Checks revealed residents had been forced to share eight-bedroom wards, and had inadequate and dirty bathrooms.
There were also a series of safety hazards.
The Federal Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot, says the checks revealed a string of serious safety problems.
"Some of these concerns are residents sharing an eight-bedroom ward, which of course doesn't meet minimum privacy and space requirements," she said.
"There's also concerns about safety issues, and also lots of issues in relation to personal care and dignity as well."
The Rosden home's management says the building is old and makes it difficult to provide the highest quality care.
A multi-million dollar redevelopment was due to begin in six weeks.
The Rosden home is run by TCL Nominees, which has links with the company operating the Lakes Entrance Aged Care Facility, which has also had tough sanctions imposed.
SOURCE: ABC Net
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24 September 2008
ABC NEWS
Melbourne nursing home is being shut down because of serious concerns about the care and safety of its residents.
The Federal Government has decided to move the 55 residents of the Rosden Private Nursing Home, at Burwood East, after a surprise audit that began last week.
It is the fifth Victorian nursing home to be sanctioned by the Federal Government since July.
Checks revealed residents had been forced to share eight-bedroom wards, and had inadequate and dirty bathrooms.
There were also a series of safety hazards.
The Federal Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot, says the checks revealed a string of serious safety problems.
"Some of these concerns are residents sharing an eight-bedroom ward, which of course doesn't meet minimum privacy and space requirements," she said.
"There's also concerns about safety issues, and also lots of issues in relation to personal care and dignity as well."
The Rosden home's management says the building is old and makes it difficult to provide the highest quality care.
A multi-million dollar redevelopment was due to begin in six weeks.
The Rosden home is run by TCL Nominees, which has links with the company operating the Lakes Entrance Aged Care Facility, which has also had tough sanctions imposed.
SOURCE: ABC Net
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Elder Abuse: Woman Gets Probation (Pa. USA)
Pa. woman gets probation in mother-in-law's death
September 23, 2008
YORK, Pa. — A south-central Pennsylvania woman was sentenced to two years probation and credited with time served in the death of her elderly mother-in-law.
Frances Donohue, 61, was convicted last month of involuntary manslaughter in the May 2004 death of Bernadette Leiben, 87, who lived with her son and Donohue in Airville. An autopsy determined the bedridden woman died of multiple infections that were brought on by neglect.
The jury acquitted Donohue of first- and third-degree murder charges. Her husband, 73-year-old William Donohue, was acquitted of all charges.
Senior York County Prosecutor Timothy Barker argued at trial that the Donohues secluded Leiben in a second-floor room where she was confined to a bed and denied medical treatment. He said the couple sold Leiben's assets and allowed her to die so they could keep the money.
The case showed how the penalties for elder abuse need to be stiffened, he said.
Abridged
SOURCE: Fort Mills Times - Fort Mill,SC,USA
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September 23, 2008
YORK, Pa. — A south-central Pennsylvania woman was sentenced to two years probation and credited with time served in the death of her elderly mother-in-law.
Frances Donohue, 61, was convicted last month of involuntary manslaughter in the May 2004 death of Bernadette Leiben, 87, who lived with her son and Donohue in Airville. An autopsy determined the bedridden woman died of multiple infections that were brought on by neglect.
The jury acquitted Donohue of first- and third-degree murder charges. Her husband, 73-year-old William Donohue, was acquitted of all charges.
Senior York County Prosecutor Timothy Barker argued at trial that the Donohues secluded Leiben in a second-floor room where she was confined to a bed and denied medical treatment. He said the couple sold Leiben's assets and allowed her to die so they could keep the money.
The case showed how the penalties for elder abuse need to be stiffened, he said.
Abridged
SOURCE: Fort Mills Times - Fort Mill,SC,USA
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Financial Elder Abuse: Workshop to Counter Scams (Ca. USA)
Workshop for Seniors on Preventing Fraud and Scams
San Francisco District Attorney, Kamala Harris, to Provide the Keynote Address
Sept. 22, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
(MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- A seminar titled "Be Wise: Avoid Scams, Fraud and Identity Theft" will be held on Wednesday, October 1 from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. at the West Bay Conference Center, 1290 Fillmore Street. The free program will help seniors learn how to protect themselves from becoming victims of financial exploitation. San Francisco District Attorney, Kamala Harris, will be the keynote speaker.
The event is free of charge with handouts, lunch and door prizes provided. Seating is limited with registration required by September 26. Please call 415.749.6470 to reserve a seat.
It is estimated that nearly 250,000 elders are victims of financial abuse in California each year; experts call elder financial abuse the "crime of the 21st century." According to the California Welfare Directors Association, only one in 100 cases are actually reported due to lack of awareness, isolation and fear of retaliation or loss of independence.
EFPN is an award-winning non-profit organization that works to prevent financial abuse of elders through community education and the training of financial professionals in identifying and reporting suspected abuse. For more information, visit www.bewiseonline.org or call 415.956.5556. To report suspected elder abuse, call toll free 1-888-436-3600 (24 hours). Reports of suspected abuse are kept strictly confidential.
Abridged
SOURCE: Market Watch USA
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San Francisco District Attorney, Kamala Harris, to Provide the Keynote Address
Sept. 22, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
(MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- A seminar titled "Be Wise: Avoid Scams, Fraud and Identity Theft" will be held on Wednesday, October 1 from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. at the West Bay Conference Center, 1290 Fillmore Street. The free program will help seniors learn how to protect themselves from becoming victims of financial exploitation. San Francisco District Attorney, Kamala Harris, will be the keynote speaker.
The event is free of charge with handouts, lunch and door prizes provided. Seating is limited with registration required by September 26. Please call 415.749.6470 to reserve a seat.
It is estimated that nearly 250,000 elders are victims of financial abuse in California each year; experts call elder financial abuse the "crime of the 21st century." According to the California Welfare Directors Association, only one in 100 cases are actually reported due to lack of awareness, isolation and fear of retaliation or loss of independence.
EFPN is an award-winning non-profit organization that works to prevent financial abuse of elders through community education and the training of financial professionals in identifying and reporting suspected abuse. For more information, visit www.bewiseonline.org or call 415.956.5556. To report suspected elder abuse, call toll free 1-888-436-3600 (24 hours). Reports of suspected abuse are kept strictly confidential.
Abridged
SOURCE: Market Watch USA
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September 23, 2008
Elder Abuse: Call for Elder Care Board (Barbados)
Call for elder care board
9/16/08.
LEGISLATION is needed to protect Barbados' seniors from physical, sexual and financial abuse.
This recommendation was made Tuesday by medical social worker Pauline Morris, in a talk on elder abuse at Black Rock Polyclinic as part of Senior Citizen's Month observance under the theme, Celebrating Our Seniors.
Morris who is attached to the Geriatric Hospital told the more than 60 seniors gathered for the day's activities that it was not just a case of being hit physically; a number of them were being taken advantage of with their money, especially with the use of ATM cards.
She said many aged people who were losing their memories, gave their ID numbers to people they trusted who then withdrew from their bank accounts more money than what was agreed to be taken off.
Morris did not have statistics to show but said a number of cases were being reported.
She said an elder care board should be set up to specifically deal with the situation. (WB)
SOURCE: Nation News - Barbados
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9/16/08.
LEGISLATION is needed to protect Barbados' seniors from physical, sexual and financial abuse.
This recommendation was made Tuesday by medical social worker Pauline Morris, in a talk on elder abuse at Black Rock Polyclinic as part of Senior Citizen's Month observance under the theme, Celebrating Our Seniors.
Morris who is attached to the Geriatric Hospital told the more than 60 seniors gathered for the day's activities that it was not just a case of being hit physically; a number of them were being taken advantage of with their money, especially with the use of ATM cards.
She said many aged people who were losing their memories, gave their ID numbers to people they trusted who then withdrew from their bank accounts more money than what was agreed to be taken off.
Morris did not have statistics to show but said a number of cases were being reported.
She said an elder care board should be set up to specifically deal with the situation. (WB)
SOURCE: Nation News - Barbados
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Elder Abuse: Campaign Deals With Psychological Abuse (UK)
Age Concern Wirral steps up its elder abuse campaign with new poster
by Sue McCann,
Birkenhead News
AGE Concern Wirral has embarked on the next stage of its hard-hitting poster campaign.
As part of its PEACE campaign - Preventing Elder Abuse and Changing Experiences - which was launched in June, the charity has this week released the second poster.
It depicts victim “Mary” whose story deals with psychological abuse - one of the most difficult forms of abuse to identify.
It is the second poster from a series of five which highlight the five main forms of elder abuse.
Campaign manager Shirley Tyler said: “Psychological abuse can manifest itself in many ways, such as shouting or swearing at someone, bullying or humiliating them, ignoring them or making them feel frightened or afraid.”
Age Concern Wirral has prepared a leaflet which outlines elder abuse and gives contact numbers for advice.
Anyone wanting a copy can pick one up from their local Age Concern office or phone Shirley at the Market Street headquarters in Birkenhead on 666 2220.
Shirley is also holding a series of talks over the coming months at various venues in Wirral. Contact her for more details.
SOURCE: Wirrel News (UK)
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by Sue McCann,
Birkenhead News
AGE Concern Wirral has embarked on the next stage of its hard-hitting poster campaign.
As part of its PEACE campaign - Preventing Elder Abuse and Changing Experiences - which was launched in June, the charity has this week released the second poster.
It depicts victim “Mary” whose story deals with psychological abuse - one of the most difficult forms of abuse to identify.
It is the second poster from a series of five which highlight the five main forms of elder abuse.
Campaign manager Shirley Tyler said: “Psychological abuse can manifest itself in many ways, such as shouting or swearing at someone, bullying or humiliating them, ignoring them or making them feel frightened or afraid.”
Age Concern Wirral has prepared a leaflet which outlines elder abuse and gives contact numbers for advice.
Anyone wanting a copy can pick one up from their local Age Concern office or phone Shirley at the Market Street headquarters in Birkenhead on 666 2220.
Shirley is also holding a series of talks over the coming months at various venues in Wirral. Contact her for more details.
SOURCE: Wirrel News (UK)
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Elder Care: Actions to Improve Aborigines Care Homes (Australia)
23 September 2008
The Australian Government has taken action to improve resident care in two far North Queensland Aboriginal nursing homes.As part of the plan, the Department of Health and Ageing is supporting the consolidation of the two services in one location as they are about one hour apart.The nursing homes are:
Fred Leftwich Rest Home, a 15 place low care service, which has eight residents in Mareeba; and
Dija Meta Aged and Disabled Hostel, a 40 place hostel service with 33 residents in Cairns.Both nursing homes are operated by the same approved provider - Aborigines and Islanders Alcohol Relief Services Ltd (AIARS). (On July 31, the Department of Health and Ageing appointed a funds administrator to assist AIARS – due to financial viability concerns.)
As accredited nursing homes, Fred Leftwich Rest Home and Dija Meta Aged and Disabled Hostel are covered by the Aged Care Act 1997 and must meet 44 outcomes as assessed by the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency – the independent watchdog.
Last week, the Accreditation Agency revoked the accreditation of Fred Leftwich Rest Home in Mareeba – effective from November 14, 2008.
Source: Minister of Aging Website
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The Australian Government has taken action to improve resident care in two far North Queensland Aboriginal nursing homes.As part of the plan, the Department of Health and Ageing is supporting the consolidation of the two services in one location as they are about one hour apart.The nursing homes are:
Fred Leftwich Rest Home, a 15 place low care service, which has eight residents in Mareeba; and
Dija Meta Aged and Disabled Hostel, a 40 place hostel service with 33 residents in Cairns.Both nursing homes are operated by the same approved provider - Aborigines and Islanders Alcohol Relief Services Ltd (AIARS). (On July 31, the Department of Health and Ageing appointed a funds administrator to assist AIARS – due to financial viability concerns.)
As accredited nursing homes, Fred Leftwich Rest Home and Dija Meta Aged and Disabled Hostel are covered by the Aged Care Act 1997 and must meet 44 outcomes as assessed by the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency – the independent watchdog.
Last week, the Accreditation Agency revoked the accreditation of Fred Leftwich Rest Home in Mareeba – effective from November 14, 2008.
The Accreditation Agency found that Fred Leftwich Rest Home was non-compliant in 27 outcomes out of 44 and the home was not adequately working to improve its performance.
The issues of concern at Fred Leftwich Rest Home include:
- Managing residents with aggressive behaviour;
- Residents’ clinical care needs;
- Medication management;
- Information systems involving infection control; and
- Safe physical environment such as fire safety and protection for residents who may wander.
Yesterday, the Australian Government announced a major package to improve Aboriginal flexible aged care services in remote areas. This included $46.2 million which will fund and support a quality framework to improve resident care, training and capital works.
(pls. go to source for more details)
AbridgedSource: Minister of Aging Website
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Nursing home closed amid inquiry
An investigation by police and social services is under way after 33 elderly people were moved out of a nursing home "for their own protection".
Rotherham Council has closed Highfield Nursing Home in North Anston, South Yorkshire, to all placements.
Most of the privately-run home's 33 residents have been moved to nearby Parkstone House nursing home.
The action was taken after medical staff contacted social services when a resident was admitted to hospital.
Rotherham councillor Darren Hughes, who represents the ward in which the nursing home lies, said doctors were concerned about the resident's physical condition.
The council investigation will examine "serious concerns over management and care standards".
South Yorkshire Police have confirmed they are investigating the home's management, including "potential neglect and financial aspects".
Abridged
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
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An investigation by police and social services is under way after 33 elderly people were moved out of a nursing home "for their own protection".
Rotherham Council has closed Highfield Nursing Home in North Anston, South Yorkshire, to all placements.
Most of the privately-run home's 33 residents have been moved to nearby Parkstone House nursing home.
The action was taken after medical staff contacted social services when a resident was admitted to hospital.
Rotherham councillor Darren Hughes, who represents the ward in which the nursing home lies, said doctors were concerned about the resident's physical condition.
The council investigation will examine "serious concerns over management and care standards".
South Yorkshire Police have confirmed they are investigating the home's management, including "potential neglect and financial aspects".
Abridged
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
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Financial Elder Abuse: Californian Pleads Guilty (Ca. USA)
Californian pleads to swindling Kansas parents
Sep 18, 2008
WICHITA
Kansas, September 18, 2008 (AP)
A California man admits to swindling his parents and friends in Kansas out of more than a half million dollars by falsely claiming he needed money for his business and to pay entertainer Barbra Streisand.
David Burkholder, 55, pleaded guilty Thursday to 24 counts of wire fraud.
Abridged
SOURCE: KSN
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Sep 18, 2008
WICHITA
Kansas, September 18, 2008 (AP)
A California man admits to swindling his parents and friends in Kansas out of more than a half million dollars by falsely claiming he needed money for his business and to pay entertainer Barbra Streisand.
David Burkholder, 55, pleaded guilty Thursday to 24 counts of wire fraud.
Abridged
SOURCE: KSN
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Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act (USA)
A recent column of mine addressed the rise in the number of elder abuse cases and spoke about abandonment as one of the issues on the increase. I received a fair amount of response from that column, but none sadder than the two-page letter from a Wisconsin woman whose father endured years of financial, physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his own son.
The office of Sen. Kohl, D-Wis., provided me with a copy of the nine-page document that provides the background on this important act and the justification for such legislation.
1. Frail elders are highly vulnerable people who often lack the ability to give consent or defend themselves. Since the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, individuals with histories of abuse pose a definite risk to patients and residents of long-term facilities.
2. Every month, there are stories in the media of health care employees who commit criminal misconduct on the job and are later found, through a background check conducted after the fact, to have a history of convictions for similar crimes.
3. A 2006 study conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services determined: Criminal background checks are a valuable tool for employers during the hiring process; the use of criminal background checks does not limit the pool of potential job applicants; and a correlation exists between criminal history and incidents of abuse. The long-term care industry supports the practice of conducting background checks on potential employees in order to reduce the likelihood of hiring someone who has the potential to harm residents.
Passage of Sen. Kohl's Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act of 2008 is worthy of our attention and well past its time for passage.
Barbara Quirk is a Madison geriatric nurse practitioner.
Abridged
SOURCE: The Capital Times - Madison,WI,USA
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The office of Sen. Kohl, D-Wis., provided me with a copy of the nine-page document that provides the background on this important act and the justification for such legislation.
1. Frail elders are highly vulnerable people who often lack the ability to give consent or defend themselves. Since the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, individuals with histories of abuse pose a definite risk to patients and residents of long-term facilities.
2. Every month, there are stories in the media of health care employees who commit criminal misconduct on the job and are later found, through a background check conducted after the fact, to have a history of convictions for similar crimes.
3. A 2006 study conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services determined: Criminal background checks are a valuable tool for employers during the hiring process; the use of criminal background checks does not limit the pool of potential job applicants; and a correlation exists between criminal history and incidents of abuse. The long-term care industry supports the practice of conducting background checks on potential employees in order to reduce the likelihood of hiring someone who has the potential to harm residents.
Passage of Sen. Kohl's Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act of 2008 is worthy of our attention and well past its time for passage.
Barbara Quirk is a Madison geriatric nurse practitioner.
Abridged
SOURCE: The Capital Times - Madison,WI,USA
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Elder Care: Aged Care Failings Spotlighted ( Nt. Australia)
Docker River death puts aged care failings in spotlight
By Suzanne Smith for Lateline (exclusive)
Sep 22, 2008
It was bitterly cold during the night of June 14 2007, in the remote Aboriginal community of Docker River, 300 kilometres from Uluru in the Northern Territory.
Dementia sufferer Dulcie Brumby, 72, was one of the residents at the community's aged care home.
Coroner's findings
The findings by Northern Territory deputy coroner, Doctor Celia Kemp, into Dulcie Brumby's death were obtained by ABC TV's Lateline program for this story.Her report revealed that residents at the home were unsupervised from 6pm until 6am because the home did not provide staff to care for patients
Questions raised
The Docker River aged care facility is one of 30 special Indigenous homes across the country.
Dulcie Brumby's death raises serious questions about how the Commonwealth Government could have funded this facility despite the fact there was no overnight supervision of patients.
Lilian Jeter, executive director of the Elder Abuse Prevention Association, says the situation in Docker River is against the law.
Abridged
SOURCE: ABC Online Australia
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By Suzanne Smith for Lateline (exclusive)
Sep 22, 2008
It was bitterly cold during the night of June 14 2007, in the remote Aboriginal community of Docker River, 300 kilometres from Uluru in the Northern Territory.
Dementia sufferer Dulcie Brumby, 72, was one of the residents at the community's aged care home.
Coroner's findings
The findings by Northern Territory deputy coroner, Doctor Celia Kemp, into Dulcie Brumby's death were obtained by ABC TV's Lateline program for this story.Her report revealed that residents at the home were unsupervised from 6pm until 6am because the home did not provide staff to care for patients
Questions raised
The Docker River aged care facility is one of 30 special Indigenous homes across the country.
Dulcie Brumby's death raises serious questions about how the Commonwealth Government could have funded this facility despite the fact there was no overnight supervision of patients.
Lilian Jeter, executive director of the Elder Abuse Prevention Association, says the situation in Docker River is against the law.
Abridged
SOURCE: ABC Online Australia
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
Elder Care: Nursing Home Fined in Connection with Death (Ca. USA)
Placerville nursing home fined in connection with death
By Cynthia Hubert
September 18, 2008
State regulators have fined a Placerville nursing home $21,000 for violations that led to the death of a World War II veteran nearly two years ago.
Donald Forseth, 86, of Pollock Pines, died in November 2006 after becoming severely dehydrated at El Dorado Care Center, where he had lived for four months.
An investigation by the state Department of Health Services found that the facility failed to monitor the man's fluid intake, which led to severe dehydration, kidney failure and death. It also faulted the center for staffing deficiencies and other problems.
Abridged
SOURCE: SacBee
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By Cynthia Hubert
September 18, 2008
State regulators have fined a Placerville nursing home $21,000 for violations that led to the death of a World War II veteran nearly two years ago.
Donald Forseth, 86, of Pollock Pines, died in November 2006 after becoming severely dehydrated at El Dorado Care Center, where he had lived for four months.
An investigation by the state Department of Health Services found that the facility failed to monitor the man's fluid intake, which led to severe dehydration, kidney failure and death. It also faulted the center for staffing deficiencies and other problems.
Abridged
SOURCE: SacBee
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September 21, 2008
Financail Elder Abuse: Man Gets 28 Months (Tn. USA)
Man gets 28 months in elder abuse case
Thursday, September 18, 2008 11:30 PM PDT
By Leslie Slape
At his sentencing Thursday in Cowlitz County Superior Court, Tom Sigea told Judge Jill Johanson he was in over his head when he took charge of his elderly parents’ finances and care.
Investigators said Tom Sigea lived the high life for three years at his parents’ $400,000 Kalama home while neglecting the care of Albert and Lila Sigea, who were in their 80s and suffered from dementia. Using his power of attorney, Tom Sigea squandered his parents’ money while the elderly couple with $1 million in assets lived downstairs in filth and poverty.
Lila Sigea has since died, and Albert Sigea now lives with a grandson in California.
Johanson followed the recommendation of the prosecution and defense and gave Tom Sigea an exceptional sentence of 28 months in prison. The standard range is nine to 12 months.
Abridged
SOURCE: The Daily News
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Thursday, September 18, 2008 11:30 PM PDT
By Leslie Slape
At his sentencing Thursday in Cowlitz County Superior Court, Tom Sigea told Judge Jill Johanson he was in over his head when he took charge of his elderly parents’ finances and care.
Investigators said Tom Sigea lived the high life for three years at his parents’ $400,000 Kalama home while neglecting the care of Albert and Lila Sigea, who were in their 80s and suffered from dementia. Using his power of attorney, Tom Sigea squandered his parents’ money while the elderly couple with $1 million in assets lived downstairs in filth and poverty.
Lila Sigea has since died, and Albert Sigea now lives with a grandson in California.
Johanson followed the recommendation of the prosecution and defense and gave Tom Sigea an exceptional sentence of 28 months in prison. The standard range is nine to 12 months.
Abridged
SOURCE: The Daily News
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Elder Abuse: New Laws to Reduce Abuse of EPAs (New Zealand)
Tighter rules curb abuse of powers of attorney
By ROB STOCK
Sunday Star Times
Sunday, 21 September 2008
Laws designed to reduce the abuse of enduring powers of attorney (EPAs) come in this week, and the Public Trust is urging people to use them.
The laws, brought in under the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Amendment Act, for the first time put a duty of care on attorneys to act in the best interests of those they are acting for and not to use their power for their own ends.
Richard Calvert, chief legal counsel at Public Trust, says that will make it easier for the courts and police to act when reports reach them of elder abuse, and financial wrongdoing by attorneys.
Until now, Calvert says, the police have dubbed family financial abuse as a civil matter, and elected to do nothing about it.
EPAs are legal documents which people (called donors under the law) draw up like wills when they are still of sound mind. They grant someone else, often one of their children, the power to act on their behalf if they are incapable, perhaps because of age or illness, to look after their financial affairs and personal welfare.
Some of the new safeguards apply only to new EPAs, such as stricter requirements on witnesses, designed to stop unscrupulous children conspiring with unethical lawyers to plunder aged parents' assets.
Others cover EPAs already in place, such as the duty for attorneys to keep records of their actions so the courts, police and family can inspect them.The new laws also allow a variety of people to challenge a donor if they suspect abuse.
Abridged
SOURCE: StuffCo NZ
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By ROB STOCK
Sunday Star Times
Sunday, 21 September 2008
Laws designed to reduce the abuse of enduring powers of attorney (EPAs) come in this week, and the Public Trust is urging people to use them.
The laws, brought in under the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Amendment Act, for the first time put a duty of care on attorneys to act in the best interests of those they are acting for and not to use their power for their own ends.
Richard Calvert, chief legal counsel at Public Trust, says that will make it easier for the courts and police to act when reports reach them of elder abuse, and financial wrongdoing by attorneys.
Until now, Calvert says, the police have dubbed family financial abuse as a civil matter, and elected to do nothing about it.
EPAs are legal documents which people (called donors under the law) draw up like wills when they are still of sound mind. They grant someone else, often one of their children, the power to act on their behalf if they are incapable, perhaps because of age or illness, to look after their financial affairs and personal welfare.
Some of the new safeguards apply only to new EPAs, such as stricter requirements on witnesses, designed to stop unscrupulous children conspiring with unethical lawyers to plunder aged parents' assets.
Others cover EPAs already in place, such as the duty for attorneys to keep records of their actions so the courts, police and family can inspect them.The new laws also allow a variety of people to challenge a donor if they suspect abuse.
Abridged
SOURCE: StuffCo NZ
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Elder Care: Nursing Home Sanctioned (Vic. Australia)
Vic nursing home sanctioned lack of care
Sep 19 2008
Another Victorian nursing home has been sanctioned by the Department of Health and Ageing for lack of care causing serious risk to its residents.
The 75-bed Lakes Entrance Aged Care Facility in Gippsland East is the fourth nursing home in Victoria named by the department since July.
A total of 10 nursing homes have been sanctioned nationally.
The Accreditation Agency found cases of missed medications, overmedications of paracetamol, antibiotics not given for two days and unacceptable waits for assistance, including one where a resident waited for 90 minutes to receive help going to the toilet.
Measures taken against the facility include the appointment of a specialist nurse for six months to supervise the clinical activity and suspending Commonwealth subsidies for new residents for six months.
The centre is also to be continuously monitored by the department and will have daily visits by the Accreditation Agency while the risk remains.
Health and Ageing Minister Justine Elliot said the situation at Lakes Entrance Aged Care was entirely unacceptable.
"The Australian government's first priority is the safety, health and welfare of frail and aged residents," Mrs Elliot said.
Officers from the department were meeting with the operators of the facility on Friday.
A formal meeting of residents and family members is being arranged for September 24 at the home.
The other nursing homes under sanction in Victoria are Parkdale House in Melbourne's south-east, Kirralee Residential Aged Care Facility in Ballarat, Patricia Gladwell Aged Care Home in Brunswick.
Another facility, Bridgewater Aged Care Facility in Roxburgh Park, is being monitored by the department.
SOURCE: NineMSN
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Sep 19 2008
Another Victorian nursing home has been sanctioned by the Department of Health and Ageing for lack of care causing serious risk to its residents.
The 75-bed Lakes Entrance Aged Care Facility in Gippsland East is the fourth nursing home in Victoria named by the department since July.
A total of 10 nursing homes have been sanctioned nationally.
The Accreditation Agency found cases of missed medications, overmedications of paracetamol, antibiotics not given for two days and unacceptable waits for assistance, including one where a resident waited for 90 minutes to receive help going to the toilet.
Measures taken against the facility include the appointment of a specialist nurse for six months to supervise the clinical activity and suspending Commonwealth subsidies for new residents for six months.
The centre is also to be continuously monitored by the department and will have daily visits by the Accreditation Agency while the risk remains.
Health and Ageing Minister Justine Elliot said the situation at Lakes Entrance Aged Care was entirely unacceptable.
"The Australian government's first priority is the safety, health and welfare of frail and aged residents," Mrs Elliot said.
Officers from the department were meeting with the operators of the facility on Friday.
A formal meeting of residents and family members is being arranged for September 24 at the home.
The other nursing homes under sanction in Victoria are Parkdale House in Melbourne's south-east, Kirralee Residential Aged Care Facility in Ballarat, Patricia Gladwell Aged Care Home in Brunswick.
Another facility, Bridgewater Aged Care Facility in Roxburgh Park, is being monitored by the department.
SOURCE: NineMSN
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September 19, 2008
Caregiver Accused of Elder Abuse (Fl. USA)
Caregiver Accused of Elder abuse
17 September, 2008
BRADENTON, FL – A Manatee County caregiver has been taken into custody on charges she physically abused an elderly resident of a Bradenton care facility.
Gerda Tervil was arrested by law enforcement officers with the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Tervil, 31, a certified nursing assistant, was formerly employed by the Bradenton Health Care Center and was assigned to care for the 80-year old victim, who is blind and unable to communicate. The victim is also unable to assist with his movement and requires the assistance of two certified nursing assistants when being transferred from his bed to his wheelchair.
According to witnesses, Tervil slapped the victim in the back of the head after completing such a transfer. Tervil has since been fired from her position as caregiver.
Tervil has been charged with one count of battery of an elderly person, a third-degree felony. In addition to a potential five year prison sentence, Tervil could receive up to $10,000 in fines. The case is being prosecuted by the State Attorney for the 12th Judicial Circuit in Manatee County. 9-17-08
SOURCE: North County Gazette
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
17 September, 2008
BRADENTON, FL – A Manatee County caregiver has been taken into custody on charges she physically abused an elderly resident of a Bradenton care facility.
Gerda Tervil was arrested by law enforcement officers with the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Tervil, 31, a certified nursing assistant, was formerly employed by the Bradenton Health Care Center and was assigned to care for the 80-year old victim, who is blind and unable to communicate. The victim is also unable to assist with his movement and requires the assistance of two certified nursing assistants when being transferred from his bed to his wheelchair.
According to witnesses, Tervil slapped the victim in the back of the head after completing such a transfer. Tervil has since been fired from her position as caregiver.
Tervil has been charged with one count of battery of an elderly person, a third-degree felony. In addition to a potential five year prison sentence, Tervil could receive up to $10,000 in fines. The case is being prosecuted by the State Attorney for the 12th Judicial Circuit in Manatee County. 9-17-08
SOURCE: North County Gazette
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Medical Centre Accused of Negligence and Elder Abuse (
City of Angels Accused of Negligence and Elder Abuse in Case of Missing Man
Sept. 17, 2008
LOS ANGELES
PRNewswire
A complaint alleging elder abuse and negligence was filed today against City of Angels Medical Center -- Downtown Campus in Los Angeles County Superior Court (Case #BC398305) on behalf of a 76-year-old man with the mental capabilities of a six-year-old child who has been missing from the hospital since Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008.
Anyone who might have information about or think they've seen Lawrence Garcia to call the Los Angeles Police Department, Rampart Division, at 213.485.5381.
Abridged
SOURCE: Market Watch
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
Sept. 17, 2008
LOS ANGELES
PRNewswire
A complaint alleging elder abuse and negligence was filed today against City of Angels Medical Center -- Downtown Campus in Los Angeles County Superior Court (Case #BC398305) on behalf of a 76-year-old man with the mental capabilities of a six-year-old child who has been missing from the hospital since Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008.
Anyone who might have information about or think they've seen Lawrence Garcia to call the Los Angeles Police Department, Rampart Division, at 213.485.5381.
Abridged
SOURCE: Market Watch
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
Elder Care and Elder Abuse in India
The problem of old age in India
There are 81million older people in India-11 lakh in Delhi itself. According to an estimate nearly 40% of senior citizens living with their families are reportedly facing abuse of one kind or another, but only 1 in 6 cases actually comes to light. Although the President has given her assent to the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act which punishes children who abandon parents with a prison term of three months or a fine, situation is grim for elderly people in India.
Many of them suffer in silence as they fear humiliation or are too scared to speak up. According to them a phenomenon called 'grand dumping' is becoming common in urban areas these days as children are being increasingly intolerant of their parents' health problems.
Rights of the Elderly
Under section 125 of the CrPC,a magistrate can order a child to maintain his old parents under the Maintenance of Parents Act. The Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act say an aged parent can demand maintenance from children in the same way that a wife can demand it from her husband. The Domestic Violence Act too provides parents with the right to seek relief from any kind of abuse.
There are 81million older people in India-11 lakh in Delhi itself. According to an estimate nearly 40% of senior citizens living with their families are reportedly facing abuse of one kind or another, but only 1 in 6 cases actually comes to light. Although the President has given her assent to the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act which punishes children who abandon parents with a prison term of three months or a fine, situation is grim for elderly people in India.
Many of them suffer in silence as they fear humiliation or are too scared to speak up. According to them a phenomenon called 'grand dumping' is becoming common in urban areas these days as children are being increasingly intolerant of their parents' health problems.
Rights of the Elderly
Abridged
SOURCE: Azad India Foundation
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder AbuseElder Care: Report- Gay Seniors Shunned by Carers (Australia)
19 September 2008
La Trobe University
Many of the interviewees expressed some form of grief or depression and a longing for
Intimacy. La Trobe University researcher Dr Catherine Barrett and Melbourne-based gay rights groups have gone public with a shocking report on the social health landscape for gay and other non-heterosexual seniors in Victoria.
The researchers have published their initial findings from a qualitative study of the experiences of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender seniors receiving aged care services in Victoria.
The report, My People – a Project exploring the experiences of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Seniors in Aged Care Services, foreshadows a blueprint for urgent reform in defence of the human rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals and inter-sex seniors dealing with discrimination and invisibility in Australia’s aged care sector.
You can view the full report in PDF format.
Abridged
SOURCE: Science Alert
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
La Trobe University
Many of the interviewees expressed some form of grief or depression and a longing for
Intimacy. La Trobe University researcher Dr Catherine Barrett and Melbourne-based gay rights groups have gone public with a shocking report on the social health landscape for gay and other non-heterosexual seniors in Victoria.
The researchers have published their initial findings from a qualitative study of the experiences of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender seniors receiving aged care services in Victoria.
The report, My People – a Project exploring the experiences of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Seniors in Aged Care Services, foreshadows a blueprint for urgent reform in defence of the human rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals and inter-sex seniors dealing with discrimination and invisibility in Australia’s aged care sector.
You can view the full report in PDF format.
Abridged
SOURCE: Science Alert
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
September 17, 2008
Elder Abuse: Scams Targetting Elderly (Ca. USA)
Phony AAA employees try to dupe elderly couple in Santa Cruz
By JENNIFER SQUIRES - Sentinel Staff Writer
09/15/2008
SANTA CRUZ - Two men posing as AAA employees tried to scam an elderly couple out of almost $4,000 by telling them their car had a wobbly wheel.
Sheriff's Sgt. Fred Plageman said the Thursday afternoon incident was attempted elder abuse and credited a vigilant bank manager for scaring off the would-be thieves.
The couple, from Scotts Valley, had just finished a shopping trip to Costco in Santa Cruz and were driving out of the parking lot around 2 p.m. Thursday when a man flagged them down, according to the Sheriff's Office. He identified himself as a AAA employee, said there were mechanical problems with the couple's 1997 Toyota Camry, then shook the right rear tire and told the couple it wobbled, Plageman said.
The man then told the couple he could fix it for them but that they had to go elsewhere because he couldn't perform car repairs in the Costco parking lot. He said it would cost $3,800 up front and said that the couple could get a rebate later, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Anyone who knows anything should call the Sheriff's Office investigators at 454-3211.
Contact Jennifer Squires at 429-2449 or jsquires@santacruzsentinel.com.
Abridged
SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
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By JENNIFER SQUIRES - Sentinel Staff Writer
09/15/2008
SANTA CRUZ - Two men posing as AAA employees tried to scam an elderly couple out of almost $4,000 by telling them their car had a wobbly wheel.
Sheriff's Sgt. Fred Plageman said the Thursday afternoon incident was attempted elder abuse and credited a vigilant bank manager for scaring off the would-be thieves.
The couple, from Scotts Valley, had just finished a shopping trip to Costco in Santa Cruz and were driving out of the parking lot around 2 p.m. Thursday when a man flagged them down, according to the Sheriff's Office. He identified himself as a AAA employee, said there were mechanical problems with the couple's 1997 Toyota Camry, then shook the right rear tire and told the couple it wobbled, Plageman said.
The man then told the couple he could fix it for them but that they had to go elsewhere because he couldn't perform car repairs in the Costco parking lot. He said it would cost $3,800 up front and said that the couple could get a rebate later, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Anyone who knows anything should call the Sheriff's Office investigators at 454-3211.
Contact Jennifer Squires at 429-2449 or jsquires@santacruzsentinel.com.
Abridged
SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
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Taking Action on Elder Abuse (Ca. USA)
By Ron Sokol, Ask the Lawyer
09/15/2008
Q uestion: We have a neighbor who is almost 90. We are convinced her caretaker is ripping her off, but none of her kids live in California. Who can bring an action, if the elderly person is reluctant or unwilling to do so?
- G.B.
Hermosa Beach
Answer: The Elder Abuse Act is remedial in nature, created in part "to enable interested persons to engage attorneys to take up the cause of abused elderly persons." Unfortunately there is no definition of "interested persons" in the statute, and, unless the Legislature acts to change that, the elderly person must act on his or her own.
There are some exceptions, such as if the elderly person has a recognized legal representative (such as a guardian ad litem or conservator); or, the assets are in a Trust and the Trustee can take up the battle; or, if the individual has passed away, then the personal representative (the person in charge of his or her property) could have standing.
It you are convinced wrongful conduct is taking place, such as theft, you may want to talk it over with the local police. Also, I know it can be "touchy" to get involved in someone else's affairs, but letting one or more of the children hear what you believe is happening would be something to seriously consider as well.
SOURCE: Daily Breeze - Torrance,CA,USA
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
09/15/2008
Q uestion: We have a neighbor who is almost 90. We are convinced her caretaker is ripping her off, but none of her kids live in California. Who can bring an action, if the elderly person is reluctant or unwilling to do so?
- G.B.
Hermosa Beach
Answer: The Elder Abuse Act is remedial in nature, created in part "to enable interested persons to engage attorneys to take up the cause of abused elderly persons." Unfortunately there is no definition of "interested persons" in the statute, and, unless the Legislature acts to change that, the elderly person must act on his or her own.
There are some exceptions, such as if the elderly person has a recognized legal representative (such as a guardian ad litem or conservator); or, the assets are in a Trust and the Trustee can take up the battle; or, if the individual has passed away, then the personal representative (the person in charge of his or her property) could have standing.
It you are convinced wrongful conduct is taking place, such as theft, you may want to talk it over with the local police. Also, I know it can be "touchy" to get involved in someone else's affairs, but letting one or more of the children hear what you believe is happening would be something to seriously consider as well.
SOURCE: Daily Breeze - Torrance,CA,USA
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
Elder Abuse: Event Focus on Abuse of Seniors (Canada)
Event focus on abuse of seniors
By DAVE FLAHERTY, LINDSAY POST REPORTER
17 September 2008
LINDSAY -The Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes Elder Abuse Prevention Network is looking to spread the word when it comes to elder abuse.
It will be holding a one-day educational event, "Let's Get Talking: Breaking the Silence of Elder Abuse" on October 16 at the Oliver's Nest Golf and Country Club. The keynote speaker will be professor Robert Solomon of the faculty of law at the University of Western Ontario.
"I've had heard him speak before, he speaks on the topic of consent for seniors," said Karen Anderson of Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes. "He made it interesting and informative, he has a little bit of humour. He's a great speaker."
The full-day event has limited seating, Anderson estimates around 70 spots, and the cost of $25 includes lunch.
"It will give people an opportunity to discuss elder abuse," said Anderson. "We assume spaces will go very quickly."
All the speakers for the day will focus on different issues surrounding elder abuse, including; consent and capacity to consent, RBC's role in the fight against elder abuse, the Conspiracy of Silence -when we don't speak up about elder abuse, and a speaker from the OPP's senior assistance team.
Anyone interested in attending this education session can contact Anderson at 324-7323 ex. 502 or by e-mail at KAnderson@community-care. on.ca.
"Contact me ASAP, so I can e-mail out a registration form," advised Anderson.
SOURCE: Lindsay Daily Post
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By DAVE FLAHERTY, LINDSAY POST REPORTER
17 September 2008
LINDSAY -The Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes Elder Abuse Prevention Network is looking to spread the word when it comes to elder abuse.
It will be holding a one-day educational event, "Let's Get Talking: Breaking the Silence of Elder Abuse" on October 16 at the Oliver's Nest Golf and Country Club. The keynote speaker will be professor Robert Solomon of the faculty of law at the University of Western Ontario.
"I've had heard him speak before, he speaks on the topic of consent for seniors," said Karen Anderson of Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes. "He made it interesting and informative, he has a little bit of humour. He's a great speaker."
The full-day event has limited seating, Anderson estimates around 70 spots, and the cost of $25 includes lunch.
"It will give people an opportunity to discuss elder abuse," said Anderson. "We assume spaces will go very quickly."
All the speakers for the day will focus on different issues surrounding elder abuse, including; consent and capacity to consent, RBC's role in the fight against elder abuse, the Conspiracy of Silence -when we don't speak up about elder abuse, and a speaker from the OPP's senior assistance team.
Anyone interested in attending this education session can contact Anderson at 324-7323 ex. 502 or by e-mail at KAnderson@community-care. on.ca.
"Contact me ASAP, so I can e-mail out a registration form," advised Anderson.
SOURCE: Lindsay Daily Post
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
Financial Elder Abuse: Carer Faces Scam Charge (Qld. Australia)
Dementia carer faces scam charge
By Renee Redmond
September 16th, 2008
A PARADISE Point woman took a holiday in Rome after allegedly scamming a dementia patient out of her half-a-million-dollar home, Southport Magistrates Court was told yesterday.
Francesca Jean Marzella, 53, was arrested at Brisbane Airport after arriving home from Italy with her two sons on Saturday.
It is alleged Ms Marzella had befriended an 89-year-old dementia patient at the Gold Coast Homestead Nursing Centre at Coomera in May this year and had taken her on 12 day trips.
The trips included a visit to the Commonwealth Bank at Runaway Bay where the elderly woman, Marguereite Stewart, cancelled her great nephew's power of attorney.
Police allege Ms Marzella then took Mrs Stewart to a Justice of the Peace, where ownership of her house at Hope Island, valued at $500,000, was transferred to Ms Marzella.
Ms Marzella allegedly used the Property Act's 'natural love and affection' provision to take ownership of the house before she sold it to a young couple.
At 5pm yesterday, Ms Marzella was still in custody waiting for her bail to be posted. The matter was adjourned for mention on September 26.
Abridged
SOURCE: Gold Coast News
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
By Renee Redmond
September 16th, 2008
A PARADISE Point woman took a holiday in Rome after allegedly scamming a dementia patient out of her half-a-million-dollar home, Southport Magistrates Court was told yesterday.
Francesca Jean Marzella, 53, was arrested at Brisbane Airport after arriving home from Italy with her two sons on Saturday.
It is alleged Ms Marzella had befriended an 89-year-old dementia patient at the Gold Coast Homestead Nursing Centre at Coomera in May this year and had taken her on 12 day trips.
The trips included a visit to the Commonwealth Bank at Runaway Bay where the elderly woman, Marguereite Stewart, cancelled her great nephew's power of attorney.
Police allege Ms Marzella then took Mrs Stewart to a Justice of the Peace, where ownership of her house at Hope Island, valued at $500,000, was transferred to Ms Marzella.
Ms Marzella allegedly used the Property Act's 'natural love and affection' provision to take ownership of the house before she sold it to a young couple.
At 5pm yesterday, Ms Marzella was still in custody waiting for her bail to be posted. The matter was adjourned for mention on September 26.
Abridged
SOURCE: Gold Coast News
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September 16, 2008
Financial Elder Abuse: Addiction Led to Cash Fraud (UK)
13 September 2008
By Staff Copy
A COURT heard how a woman's addiction to TV auction channels drove her to defraud the elderly brother of a multi-millionaire living at the Woodlands Nursing Home in Primrose Valley.
Carol Harrison, 52, of Willow Dell Close in Bridlington, had, together with a solicitor, been placed in joint control of the finances of her 85-year-old friend who she described as being “like a father to her” – but she used £2,451 of his money to buy jewellery and clothing from the TV auctions.
Harrison, who claims disability living allowance and is the carer for her chronically ill husband, had previously pleaded guilty before Teesside Crown Court to a charge of fraud.
A confiscation order was also made for the money she has spent, the court hearing that in total Harrison had been in possession of £10,000 of her friend’s estate and had handed it all over to the police so it could be returned to him.
Abridged
SOURCE: The Scarborough News
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
By Staff Copy
A COURT heard how a woman's addiction to TV auction channels drove her to defraud the elderly brother of a multi-millionaire living at the Woodlands Nursing Home in Primrose Valley.
Carol Harrison, 52, of Willow Dell Close in Bridlington, had, together with a solicitor, been placed in joint control of the finances of her 85-year-old friend who she described as being “like a father to her” – but she used £2,451 of his money to buy jewellery and clothing from the TV auctions.
Harrison, who claims disability living allowance and is the carer for her chronically ill husband, had previously pleaded guilty before Teesside Crown Court to a charge of fraud.
A confiscation order was also made for the money she has spent, the court hearing that in total Harrison had been in possession of £10,000 of her friend’s estate and had handed it all over to the police so it could be returned to him.
Abridged
SOURCE: The Scarborough News
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
Elder Abuse: Elderly Often Victimized by Own Children (Canada)
City safe house a refuge from financial, emotional abuse, conference hears
By Jennifer Yang
The Edmonton Journal
September 10, 2008
EDMONTON - Bernice Sewell has heard countless tales of seniors being abused, but there's one in particular that stands out.
This year, she met an immigrant woman who explained why -- at the age of 80 -- she had finally decided to leave her husband.
"She said, 'As a woman in my country, I was born a slave. I will not die a slave,' " said Sewell, who as director of operations for the Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton runs the city's only safe house for abused elders.
"It just made the hair on the back of my neck stand up."
On Tuesday, Sewell shared that story in a workshop entitled Shelter Innovations to Support Seniors. The workshop was one of dozens held at the World Conference of Women's Shelters in Edmonton, the first international conference of its kind.
Elder abuse is defined as any action or inaction that causes harm to a senior citizen, and about 60 per cent of victims are women.
Senior women are three times less likely to report abuse than younger women are, and also have fewer resources available to them.
Most women's shelters are geared toward younger clients, and elderly women facing abusive situations often have nowhere to turn.
Tuesday's workshop sought to address such issues and featured presentations from two organizations in B.C. and Calgary, each employing strategies for addressing abuse against elderly women.
"I believe that elder abuse is beginning to get recognized," Sewell said. "As the need continues to grow, we will need more services, more resources."
Copyright © 2008 CanWest Interactive
Abridged
SOURCE: The Edmonton Journal
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By Jennifer Yang
The Edmonton Journal
September 10, 2008
EDMONTON - Bernice Sewell has heard countless tales of seniors being abused, but there's one in particular that stands out.
This year, she met an immigrant woman who explained why -- at the age of 80 -- she had finally decided to leave her husband.
"She said, 'As a woman in my country, I was born a slave. I will not die a slave,' " said Sewell, who as director of operations for the Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton runs the city's only safe house for abused elders.
"It just made the hair on the back of my neck stand up."
On Tuesday, Sewell shared that story in a workshop entitled Shelter Innovations to Support Seniors. The workshop was one of dozens held at the World Conference of Women's Shelters in Edmonton, the first international conference of its kind.
Elder abuse is defined as any action or inaction that causes harm to a senior citizen, and about 60 per cent of victims are women.
Senior women are three times less likely to report abuse than younger women are, and also have fewer resources available to them.
Most women's shelters are geared toward younger clients, and elderly women facing abusive situations often have nowhere to turn.
Tuesday's workshop sought to address such issues and featured presentations from two organizations in B.C. and Calgary, each employing strategies for addressing abuse against elderly women.
"I believe that elder abuse is beginning to get recognized," Sewell said. "As the need continues to grow, we will need more services, more resources."
Copyright © 2008 CanWest Interactive
Abridged
SOURCE: The Edmonton Journal
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Elder Abuse: Man Sentenced to 5 to 10 Years (Pa. USA)
CHAMBERSBURG
Wednesday, Sept. 10
A Chambersburg man convicted in July in an elder abuse case was sentenced today to five to 10 years in a state prison.
David Baine, 42, was convicted by a jury of neglecting his mother, 87-year-old Agnes "Aggie" Baine, to the point she almost died last year.
In handing down the sentence, Franklin County Judge Carol Van Horn also inserted a "no-contact" clause that prohibits David Baine from contacting or seeing his mother, who is now a long-term care patient at a local nursing home.
SOURCE: The Public Opinion
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Wednesday, Sept. 10
A Chambersburg man convicted in July in an elder abuse case was sentenced today to five to 10 years in a state prison.
David Baine, 42, was convicted by a jury of neglecting his mother, 87-year-old Agnes "Aggie" Baine, to the point she almost died last year.
In handing down the sentence, Franklin County Judge Carol Van Horn also inserted a "no-contact" clause that prohibits David Baine from contacting or seeing his mother, who is now a long-term care patient at a local nursing home.
SOURCE: The Public Opinion
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Aged Care At Risk (Wa. Australia)
Aged care at risk with too few beds and staff
By Peter Kerr
15th September 2008
The staff shortage gripping aged care in WA is set to worsen because of a lack of government funding, putting residents at risk of injury, according to industry leaders. And with up to 60 per cent of nursing homes operating at a loss, the shortage of beds in the industry will continue, with waiting lists likely to grow. Investigations by The West Australian have revealed that staff shortages are forcing some nursing homes to operate with one carer for up to 50 residents.
There are no government staffing limits for the industry. Chief executive of Amaroo Village nursing home in Gosnells, David Fenwick, said yesterday he had closed beds and refused to take more patients in the past to ensure staff ratios were maintained for the safety of residents and to ensure staff were not overworked. “Families are not fully aware of the staffing shortages in the industry,” he said.
Mr Fenwick said there were serious implications from even one employee becoming sick.
Abridged
SOURCE: The West Australian
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By Peter Kerr
15th September 2008
The staff shortage gripping aged care in WA is set to worsen because of a lack of government funding, putting residents at risk of injury, according to industry leaders. And with up to 60 per cent of nursing homes operating at a loss, the shortage of beds in the industry will continue, with waiting lists likely to grow. Investigations by The West Australian have revealed that staff shortages are forcing some nursing homes to operate with one carer for up to 50 residents.
There are no government staffing limits for the industry. Chief executive of Amaroo Village nursing home in Gosnells, David Fenwick, said yesterday he had closed beds and refused to take more patients in the past to ensure staff ratios were maintained for the safety of residents and to ensure staff were not overworked. “Families are not fully aware of the staffing shortages in the industry,” he said.
Mr Fenwick said there were serious implications from even one employee becoming sick.
Abridged
SOURCE: The West Australian
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Elder Care: Addressing Needs of an Aging Population (Sri Lanka)
The family is the main support of old people, but there are signs of emerging strains in the traditional support system. As in other countries, elderly who receive pensions (or have other assets) receive less informal support, relieving the burden on poor families, but are more important in household decision making.
The elderly are by and large satisfied with current arrangements and expect these to continue in the future (as do their children). Will these arrangements, including co-residence rates, decline, as they did in Korea, Japan and the US? Predictions are difficult, and expectations of family- based support may not materialize (e.g., Japan).
However, the report finds some signs that the traditional system is under strain. Primary caregivers, mainly women, who both work and care for both children and parents, including providing support for assisted living, report considerable stress in their lives.
Despite being the last resort, institutionalization of elderly has reportedly increased. Many institutionalized elderly note that demanding working lives of their children and preference for living independently were responsible for their institutionalization. There is also some evidence that, as in higher income countries, those elderly who can afford to do so prefer to live alone with their spouse.
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The elderly are by and large satisfied with current arrangements and expect these to continue in the future (as do their children). Will these arrangements, including co-residence rates, decline, as they did in Korea, Japan and the US? Predictions are difficult, and expectations of family- based support may not materialize (e.g., Japan).
However, the report finds some signs that the traditional system is under strain. Primary caregivers, mainly women, who both work and care for both children and parents, including providing support for assisted living, report considerable stress in their lives.
Despite being the last resort, institutionalization of elderly has reportedly increased. Many institutionalized elderly note that demanding working lives of their children and preference for living independently were responsible for their institutionalization. There is also some evidence that, as in higher income countries, those elderly who can afford to do so prefer to live alone with their spouse.
Abridged
SOURCE: Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)An interesting report. Please go to source for more details
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Elder Care and Abuse: Linking Generations for Change (Japan)
Respect for the Aged Day
September 16, 2008
Today is Respect-for-the-Aged Day, and it is quite sad to hear depressing tales of grandchildren who steal from, or even kill their grandparents. And due to the shortage of young workers, the elderly are forced to rely increasingly on foreign workers to provide their nursing and home care. As long as the nuclear family displaces the extended family, and people live longer, the gulf between generations will continue to widen. And as the income gap increases, young low-income earners and the elderly will suffer the most.
In the October issue of "Sekai" magazine, psychiatrist Inada Nada and author Karin Amamiya have called on young people and the elderly to join hands to "change Japan," and are urging that more respect be given to the spirit of mutual assistance rather than the concept of self-responsibility.
In this summer's hit movie, "Ponyo on the Edge of a Cliff by the Sea," there is a nursery school situated right next to a nursing home for the aged. The director Hayao Miyazaki apparently believes that "mutual support between generations" begins with exchanges between children and the elderly. To respect the aged is to sustain the hope to live.
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SOURCE: Mainichi Daily News
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September 16, 2008
Today is Respect-for-the-Aged Day, and it is quite sad to hear depressing tales of grandchildren who steal from, or even kill their grandparents. And due to the shortage of young workers, the elderly are forced to rely increasingly on foreign workers to provide their nursing and home care. As long as the nuclear family displaces the extended family, and people live longer, the gulf between generations will continue to widen. And as the income gap increases, young low-income earners and the elderly will suffer the most.
In the October issue of "Sekai" magazine, psychiatrist Inada Nada and author Karin Amamiya have called on young people and the elderly to join hands to "change Japan," and are urging that more respect be given to the spirit of mutual assistance rather than the concept of self-responsibility.
In this summer's hit movie, "Ponyo on the Edge of a Cliff by the Sea," there is a nursery school situated right next to a nursing home for the aged. The director Hayao Miyazaki apparently believes that "mutual support between generations" begins with exchanges between children and the elderly. To respect the aged is to sustain the hope to live.
Abridged
SOURCE: Mainichi Daily News
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September 15, 2008
Elder Abuse: Report Highlights Increase Cases (UK)
'Sickening' OAP abuse levels rise
SELBY MP John Grogan has welcomed a report that highlights an increase in abuse against elderly people in North Yorkshire.
An annual report by the North Yorkshire and York Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board revealed the number of investigated cases of alleged abuse against vulnerable adults rose from 70 in 2006/07 to 88 in 2007/08 – a 51 per cent increase since 2005/06, when 58 cases were investigated.
The pattern of abuse remained similar to previous years, with physical abuse occurring in 36 per cent of cases, but with financial abuse continuing to rise from 25 per cent in 2006/07 to 33 per cent in 2007/08.
Mr Grogan said: "There is nothing more sickening than hearing about elderly people, who have helped build our society and some of whom fought for our country, being exploited and abused.
"They deserve our respect and recognition, rather than mistreatment.
"The board is to be commended for highlighting this important issue. "The report also found most cases of abuse occurred in the person's own home, but a significant number took place in residential and nursing homes.
The revelations follow two high-profile cases of abuse against vulnerable people by carers from Selby district. In April, care home worker Alison Bellhouse, from Brayton, was found guilty of ill-treating dementia patients in her charge. The mum-of-two was given a six-month suspended sentence, ordered to complete 80 hours unpaid work and prevented from ever working with vulnerable people again.
In May, just two weeks later, Margaret Wilde, from Eggborough, was given a nine-month suspended sentence and ordered to complete 150 hours unpaid work for punching and standing on the foot of a mentally ill patient at Temple Manor Nursing Home in Temple Hirst, where she had worked for eight years.
The report recommends extra staff should be recruited to take responsibility for safeguarding adults, to reflect the increasing number of referrals for adult protection. Training and awareness raising also remain a focal point of the work on adult protection, and the board requires all partners to sign up to a certain level of training for their staff.
SOURCE: Selby Times
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SELBY MP John Grogan has welcomed a report that highlights an increase in abuse against elderly people in North Yorkshire.
An annual report by the North Yorkshire and York Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board revealed the number of investigated cases of alleged abuse against vulnerable adults rose from 70 in 2006/07 to 88 in 2007/08 – a 51 per cent increase since 2005/06, when 58 cases were investigated.
The pattern of abuse remained similar to previous years, with physical abuse occurring in 36 per cent of cases, but with financial abuse continuing to rise from 25 per cent in 2006/07 to 33 per cent in 2007/08.
Mr Grogan said: "There is nothing more sickening than hearing about elderly people, who have helped build our society and some of whom fought for our country, being exploited and abused.
"They deserve our respect and recognition, rather than mistreatment.
"The board is to be commended for highlighting this important issue. "The report also found most cases of abuse occurred in the person's own home, but a significant number took place in residential and nursing homes.
The revelations follow two high-profile cases of abuse against vulnerable people by carers from Selby district. In April, care home worker Alison Bellhouse, from Brayton, was found guilty of ill-treating dementia patients in her charge. The mum-of-two was given a six-month suspended sentence, ordered to complete 80 hours unpaid work and prevented from ever working with vulnerable people again.
In May, just two weeks later, Margaret Wilde, from Eggborough, was given a nine-month suspended sentence and ordered to complete 150 hours unpaid work for punching and standing on the foot of a mentally ill patient at Temple Manor Nursing Home in Temple Hirst, where she had worked for eight years.
The report recommends extra staff should be recruited to take responsibility for safeguarding adults, to reflect the increasing number of referrals for adult protection. Training and awareness raising also remain a focal point of the work on adult protection, and the board requires all partners to sign up to a certain level of training for their staff.
SOURCE: Selby Times
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September 14, 2008
Assault case adds to woes of educator
Ex-principal already facing theft charges
BY J.D. GALLOP
FLORIDA TODAY
September 12, 2008
It was a stark change from the child-filled hallways of Palm Bay Elementary.
On Thursday, former principal Victoria Barkwell stood before a judge in a jail courtroom. The educator, who was arrested earlier this week on grand theft and fraud charges, wore a gray jail uniform and gave only darting glances at her attorneys. She was facing new charges: assault and battery on a person over 65.
The elder abuse report was from an incident in January, the day before Barkwell's husband, Anthony, died after a long bout with cancer, police said.
Police said family members allege that Barkwell argued with the older woman, then shoved her and yanked away her walker. The woman fell backward into a recliner as Barkwell grabbed a stick and yelled curses, police report.
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SOURCE: Florida Today
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Ex-principal already facing theft charges
BY J.D. GALLOP
FLORIDA TODAY
September 12, 2008
It was a stark change from the child-filled hallways of Palm Bay Elementary.
On Thursday, former principal Victoria Barkwell stood before a judge in a jail courtroom. The educator, who was arrested earlier this week on grand theft and fraud charges, wore a gray jail uniform and gave only darting glances at her attorneys. She was facing new charges: assault and battery on a person over 65.
The elder abuse report was from an incident in January, the day before Barkwell's husband, Anthony, died after a long bout with cancer, police said.
Police said family members allege that Barkwell argued with the older woman, then shoved her and yanked away her walker. The woman fell backward into a recliner as Barkwell grabbed a stick and yelled curses, police report.
Abridged
SOURCE: Florida Today
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September 11, 2008
Woman to be Arraigned in Elder Abuse Trial (USA)
September 9, 2008
Arraignment is scheduled in Vista Tuesday for the granddaughter of a 74-year-old woman found strangled last week under a bookcase in her Fallbrook apartment.
Amy Jo Mitchell, 32, was arrested Thursday and booked on suspicion of financial abuse of an elderly person. She remains jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office declined to name the dead woman. An official said her next of kin had not been notified.
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SOURCE: CBS8 News
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Arraignment is scheduled in Vista Tuesday for the granddaughter of a 74-year-old woman found strangled last week under a bookcase in her Fallbrook apartment.
Amy Jo Mitchell, 32, was arrested Thursday and booked on suspicion of financial abuse of an elderly person. She remains jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office declined to name the dead woman. An official said her next of kin had not been notified.
Abridged
SOURCE: CBS8 News
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Elder Abuse: Redlands Man Answers for Murder (Ca. USA)
Redlands man answers for murder, elder abuse
By JESSE B. GILL, Staff Writer
09/09/2008 10:15:18 AM PDT
SAN BERNARDINO - A Redlands man was held to answer for murder and elder abuse in San Bernardino County Superior Court on Monday.
Shannon Lee McDonald, 34, was in court Monday for an arraignment on information in the death of Charles Bosley of Redlands. McDonald was held to answer for one count of murder and one count of elder abuse.
Deputy District Attorney Tristan Svare said McDonald's court appearance was a pre-trial motion in which a judge determines if there is enough evidence to proceed with a trial.
McDonald will be back in court on Sept. 17 for a pre-trial, Svare said.
City spokesman Carl Baker said McDonald assaulted Bosley, then 71, in Bosley's Florida Street home early in the morning of June 24, 2007. At the time, McDonald was an employee of Bosley's business and had been living in Bosley's home for several months.
"Bosley died in June 2008," Baker said.
Abridged
SOURCE: Redlands Daily Facts
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By JESSE B. GILL, Staff Writer
09/09/2008 10:15:18 AM PDT
SAN BERNARDINO - A Redlands man was held to answer for murder and elder abuse in San Bernardino County Superior Court on Monday.
Shannon Lee McDonald, 34, was in court Monday for an arraignment on information in the death of Charles Bosley of Redlands. McDonald was held to answer for one count of murder and one count of elder abuse.
Deputy District Attorney Tristan Svare said McDonald's court appearance was a pre-trial motion in which a judge determines if there is enough evidence to proceed with a trial.
McDonald will be back in court on Sept. 17 for a pre-trial, Svare said.
City spokesman Carl Baker said McDonald assaulted Bosley, then 71, in Bosley's Florida Street home early in the morning of June 24, 2007. At the time, McDonald was an employee of Bosley's business and had been living in Bosley's home for several months.
"Bosley died in June 2008," Baker said.
Abridged
SOURCE: Redlands Daily Facts
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September 10, 2008
Elder Abuse Case Changed to Homicide (Kansas City, USA)
Elder Abuse Case Changed to Homicide
Last Update: 9/08 4:20 pm
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - An apparent case of elder abuse is now considered a homicide.In March, officers found 85-year-old Hazel Byes lying in dry human feces in her east Kansas City home. She died a few days later.They say she was bedridden, overweight and allowed to lie in her own waste for years.Her three adult children were questioned.So far, no charges have been filed.
SOURCE: NBC News
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Last Update: 9/08 4:20 pm
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - An apparent case of elder abuse is now considered a homicide.In March, officers found 85-year-old Hazel Byes lying in dry human feces in her east Kansas City home. She died a few days later.They say she was bedridden, overweight and allowed to lie in her own waste for years.Her three adult children were questioned.So far, no charges have been filed.
SOURCE: NBC News
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Elder Abuse: A Presentation (Al. Canada)
Elder abuse session coming to Edson
Posted 1 day ago
By Ed Moore
Elder abuse is more prevalent than you think, but fear and shame often prevent victims from coming forward, according to an Aspen Mental Health spokesman.
"That's one of the biggest barriers is the shame," Aspen Mental Health Promotions Facilitator Trevor Haas said.
"The shame of saying my daughter or son or granddaughter or grandson are abusing me."
Haas will give a presentation on elder abuse — the different forms it can take and ways to prevent it — on Sept. 30, 7 p.m. at the Pioneer Cabin in Edson. Admission cost for the presentation is $10 for singles and family.
He said he got the idea to make a presentation when he became aware that, even though elder abuse happens, it seldom gets reported. Haas, added he was spurred on to spread the word when he was informed the Alberta Elder Abuse Network announced they were constructing a website last year. The website can be accessed at albertaelderabuse.ca.
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SOURCE: The Edison Leader
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Posted 1 day ago
By Ed Moore
Elder abuse is more prevalent than you think, but fear and shame often prevent victims from coming forward, according to an Aspen Mental Health spokesman.
"That's one of the biggest barriers is the shame," Aspen Mental Health Promotions Facilitator Trevor Haas said.
"The shame of saying my daughter or son or granddaughter or grandson are abusing me."
Haas will give a presentation on elder abuse — the different forms it can take and ways to prevent it — on Sept. 30, 7 p.m. at the Pioneer Cabin in Edson. Admission cost for the presentation is $10 for singles and family.
He said he got the idea to make a presentation when he became aware that, even though elder abuse happens, it seldom gets reported. Haas, added he was spurred on to spread the word when he was informed the Alberta Elder Abuse Network announced they were constructing a website last year. The website can be accessed at albertaelderabuse.ca.
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SOURCE: The Edison Leader
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Elder Abuse: Daughter Charged (Or. USA)
Daughter charged with bilking mom out of $40,000
by Maxine Bernstein, The Oregonian
September 08, 2008
A 59-year-old Portland woman moved in with her ailing mother three years ago to help care for her.
Instead, police say, the daughter obtained at least six fraudulent credit cards in her mother's name and charged more than $40,000 to the accounts.
Now, the daughter, Elizabeth Marie Patterson, faces a 74-count indictment accusing her of multiple identity theft, forgery, criminal mistreatment and theft charges.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges at her arraignment in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Monday.
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SOURCE: The Oregonian
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by Maxine Bernstein, The Oregonian
September 08, 2008
A 59-year-old Portland woman moved in with her ailing mother three years ago to help care for her.
Instead, police say, the daughter obtained at least six fraudulent credit cards in her mother's name and charged more than $40,000 to the accounts.
Now, the daughter, Elizabeth Marie Patterson, faces a 74-count indictment accusing her of multiple identity theft, forgery, criminal mistreatment and theft charges.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges at her arraignment in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Monday.
Abridged
SOURCE: The Oregonian
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Elder Abuse: New Laws Proposed to Combat EA (USA)
New laws proposed to combat elder abuse in Washington
A new state initiative aims to make it easier to identify, prevent and prosecute abuse of elderly and vulnerable adults in Washington.
By Susan Kelleher
Seattle Times consumer affairs reporter
Elder-abuse information
To see whether a prospective caretaking hire is on the state's APS Abuse Registry, call 360-725-2528.
For more information about the state's Vulnerable Adult statutes, including where to report suspected abuse, go to: www.washington-guardianship.com/Vulnerable-Adult-FAQ.htm.
Additional information on preventing abuse is available from the National Center for Elder Abuse, www.ncea.aoa.gov/NCEAroot/Main_Site/Index.aspx.
New laws to protect the fast-growing number of seniors in Washington state are in the works, following a yearlong initiative aimed at making it easier to identify, prevent and prosecute abuse of elderly and vulnerable adults.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
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SOURCE: The Seattle Times
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A new state initiative aims to make it easier to identify, prevent and prosecute abuse of elderly and vulnerable adults in Washington.
By Susan Kelleher
Seattle Times consumer affairs reporter
Elder-abuse information
To see whether a prospective caretaking hire is on the state's APS Abuse Registry, call 360-725-2528.
For more information about the state's Vulnerable Adult statutes, including where to report suspected abuse, go to: www.washington-guardianship.com/Vulnerable-Adult-FAQ.htm.
Additional information on preventing abuse is available from the National Center for Elder Abuse, www.ncea.aoa.gov/NCEAroot/Main_Site/Index.aspx.
New laws to protect the fast-growing number of seniors in Washington state are in the works, following a yearlong initiative aimed at making it easier to identify, prevent and prosecute abuse of elderly and vulnerable adults.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
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SOURCE: The Seattle Times
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September 7, 2008
Financial Elder Abuse: Huge Problem (UK)
Financial abuse of elderly 'huge'
6 September 2008
Thousands of elderly people are having their life-savings, possessions and homes stolen by members of their own family, a charity has claimed.
The scale of the problem was "huge and terrifying" with cash and property worth tens of millions of pounds taken last year, Action on Elder Abuse said.
Solicitors say the rise in financial abuse is partly due to substantial rises in property values.
Charities say a lack of awareness of the problem makes such crimes easy.
'Widescale problem'
Action on Elder Abuse says it has seen a rise in the number of people who contact its helpline because of financial abuse.
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SOURCE: BBC UK
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6 September 2008
Thousands of elderly people are having their life-savings, possessions and homes stolen by members of their own family, a charity has claimed.
The scale of the problem was "huge and terrifying" with cash and property worth tens of millions of pounds taken last year, Action on Elder Abuse said.
Solicitors say the rise in financial abuse is partly due to substantial rises in property values.
Charities say a lack of awareness of the problem makes such crimes easy.
'Widescale problem'
Action on Elder Abuse says it has seen a rise in the number of people who contact its helpline because of financial abuse.
- Charities say a lack of awareness of the problem makes such crimes easy.
'Widescale problem'
Action on Elder Abuse says it has seen a rise in the number of people who contact its helpline because of financial abuse.
But Daniel Blake, policy manager at the charity, believed that the cases it was aware of were only the tip of the iceberg.
"What we know is that this affects hundreds of thousands of older people," he said.
"The amounts of money are in the tens of millions of pounds being taken, stolen or defrauded from older people.
"We're not saying this happens in every family, but this is a widescale problem involving massive amounts of money that actually mean a lot to older people and has a severe impact on their quality of life."
The charity found that financial abuse can include: - The direct theft of money and/or other possessions from an older person
- Benefits belonging to the older person being withheld by family members
- Older people being forced to sell their homes
Abridged
SOURCE: BBC UK
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Elder Abuse: Man to Serve One Year in Jail (UT. USA)
Man who assaulted grandma to serve one year in jail
By Lynn Wilde II
DeserEt News
Published: Friday, Sept. 5, 2008
A man who bit and assaulted his grandmother in her Cottonwood Heights apartment then left her for dead was sentenced Friday to spend more than a year in jail.
Most of that sentence, however, was for an unrelated DUI charge.
David Aaron Wilson beat his grandmother until he thought she was dead, at which time he tried to poke and bite her eyes out, then bit her on her arms, fingers, head and face, according to a letter the woman's daughters wrote to the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.
Third District Judge Michele Christiansen sentenced Wilson Friday to prison sentences of 1-15 years for elderly abuse and zero to five years for the no-contact order.
On the recommendation of Wilson's grandmother, the judge also agreed to rescind the no-contact order.
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SOURCE: Deseret News
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By Lynn Wilde II
DeserEt News
Published: Friday, Sept. 5, 2008
A man who bit and assaulted his grandmother in her Cottonwood Heights apartment then left her for dead was sentenced Friday to spend more than a year in jail.
Most of that sentence, however, was for an unrelated DUI charge.
David Aaron Wilson beat his grandmother until he thought she was dead, at which time he tried to poke and bite her eyes out, then bit her on her arms, fingers, head and face, according to a letter the woman's daughters wrote to the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.
Third District Judge Michele Christiansen sentenced Wilson Friday to prison sentences of 1-15 years for elderly abuse and zero to five years for the no-contact order.
On the recommendation of Wilson's grandmother, the judge also agreed to rescind the no-contact order.
Abridged
SOURCE: Deseret News
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September 5, 2008
Elder Abuse and Neglect: Elderly at Risk in Filthy Nursing Home (Mel. Australia)
Elderly at risk in filthy nursing home
By Jill Stark
September 4, 2008
ELDERLY residents at a Melbourne nursing home were put at "serious and immediate risk" by filthy conditions and staff who were "too busy" to feed people gave out the wrong medication and failed to report violent assaults.
Faeces was found in bedrooms at the Patricia Gladwell Aged Care Home in Brunswick during a Federal Government inspection that discovered residents had been left to wet themselves and staff lacked basic training.
The home faces closure after a damning report revealed it had breached 30 of 44 minimum standards, resulting in "widespread risk to residents' health, safety and wellbeing".
Hygiene control was so bad that the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency warned of the potential for a serious outbreak of a food-related illness such as gastroenteritis. They found a trolley that was used for food delivery, waste disposal and dirty linen.
One resident was repeatedly taken to hospital to have a catheter changed because staff at the 60-bed facility did not know how to. Overworked employees were found to be too busy to deliver food or medication on time. Some residents were given incorrect or excessive prescribed drugs.
Staff also failed to act when violence broke out in the home. When one resident punched another in the face, the only action was to move the attacker so they could "settle down".
Procedures for evacuation in the event of an emergency such as a fire were also found to be flawed. "The enormity of systems and process failures across all standards has created an environment in which residents' clinical care is seriously compromised," the report said.
The audit, carried out two weeks ago, comes after the owners of the home failed to act on complaints that relatives claim date back to its opening in 2005.
Action was taken only when complaints were forwarded to the Department of Health and Ageing. The home has sacked its senior staff and appointed a specialist nursing adviser for six months, as ordered by the department. All remaining staff must undergo training in clinical care, medication management, food safety, infection control and elder abuse reporting.
Greg Prouse, who owns the home and the attached Vaucluse Hospital, cannot take on any new residents over this period and the facility could be shut down if all standards are not met.
A relative whose 73-year-old mother is a resident told The Age the problems were "systemic" at the home, which had had eight directors of nursing in three years.
"Basic care was lacking, there didn't appear to be any training for staff, they didn't even know how to change my mother's catheter," said Katrina, who did not want to give her surname.
At a meeting on Tuesday night, about 50 relatives were told of the sanctions against the home.
Acting chief executive Diane Sullivan said the home had hired external cleaners and staff were receiving training.
Source: The Age
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By Jill Stark
September 4, 2008
ELDERLY residents at a Melbourne nursing home were put at "serious and immediate risk" by filthy conditions and staff who were "too busy" to feed people gave out the wrong medication and failed to report violent assaults.
Faeces was found in bedrooms at the Patricia Gladwell Aged Care Home in Brunswick during a Federal Government inspection that discovered residents had been left to wet themselves and staff lacked basic training.
The home faces closure after a damning report revealed it had breached 30 of 44 minimum standards, resulting in "widespread risk to residents' health, safety and wellbeing".
Hygiene control was so bad that the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency warned of the potential for a serious outbreak of a food-related illness such as gastroenteritis. They found a trolley that was used for food delivery, waste disposal and dirty linen.
One resident was repeatedly taken to hospital to have a catheter changed because staff at the 60-bed facility did not know how to. Overworked employees were found to be too busy to deliver food or medication on time. Some residents were given incorrect or excessive prescribed drugs.
Staff also failed to act when violence broke out in the home. When one resident punched another in the face, the only action was to move the attacker so they could "settle down".
Procedures for evacuation in the event of an emergency such as a fire were also found to be flawed. "The enormity of systems and process failures across all standards has created an environment in which residents' clinical care is seriously compromised," the report said.
The audit, carried out two weeks ago, comes after the owners of the home failed to act on complaints that relatives claim date back to its opening in 2005.
Action was taken only when complaints were forwarded to the Department of Health and Ageing. The home has sacked its senior staff and appointed a specialist nursing adviser for six months, as ordered by the department. All remaining staff must undergo training in clinical care, medication management, food safety, infection control and elder abuse reporting.
Greg Prouse, who owns the home and the attached Vaucluse Hospital, cannot take on any new residents over this period and the facility could be shut down if all standards are not met.
A relative whose 73-year-old mother is a resident told The Age the problems were "systemic" at the home, which had had eight directors of nursing in three years.
"Basic care was lacking, there didn't appear to be any training for staff, they didn't even know how to change my mother's catheter," said Katrina, who did not want to give her surname.
At a meeting on Tuesday night, about 50 relatives were told of the sanctions against the home.
Acting chief executive Diane Sullivan said the home had hired external cleaners and staff were receiving training.
Source: The Age
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September 3, 2008
Financial Elder Abuse: Probate and Switch (Tx. USA)
Probate and switch
Probate and Switch
Lou Ann Anderson
September 1, 2008
www.EstateofDenial.com
Bait-and-switch tactics have long been part of America’s commercial landscape. While routinely associated with retail categories ranging from electronics to cars, other industries including travel, real estate and even financial institutions (subprime lenders) have earned well-documented reputations for engaging in these actions. One having escaped the bait-and-switch tag yet increasingly deserving of the designation is the legal industry – especially with regard to probate or estate issues.
The culture surrounding probate and other applicable venues must also be changed. Attorneys and judges must face real accountability and consequences for misconduct. Estate disputes should be moved from civil to the criminal venues in which they belong and where appropriate punishment can be applied. Legal professionals, their associates as well as government officials (often with a background in the legal profession) know the realities, but the lucrative status quo provides no incentive for change. Government will take the side of the people only when the people demand it and re-election may seem in peril.
EstateofDenial.com will continue to “shine light on the dark side of estate management” in hopes of educating more people regarding the dangers ahead. Our exposure of greedy wannabe beneficiaries/heirs allied with legal charlatans masquerading as estate planning professionals only to perpetrate “probate and switch” actions will continue. It’s not sanitized, civilized, reasonable or rational, but it’s a story that needs to be told.
Lou Ann Anderson is producer of The Lynn Woolley Show, a Texas-based talk radio program. She also is an advocate working to create awareness regarding the Texas probate system and its surrounding culture. Lou Ann may be contacted at info@estateofdenial.com.
Abridged
SOURCE: Estate of Denial
Another excellent article by Lou Ann. Pls. go to source to view the full text.
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
Probate and Switch
Lou Ann Anderson
September 1, 2008
www.EstateofDenial.com
Bait-and-switch tactics have long been part of America’s commercial landscape. While routinely associated with retail categories ranging from electronics to cars, other industries including travel, real estate and even financial institutions (subprime lenders) have earned well-documented reputations for engaging in these actions. One having escaped the bait-and-switch tag yet increasingly deserving of the designation is the legal industry – especially with regard to probate or estate issues.
The culture surrounding probate and other applicable venues must also be changed. Attorneys and judges must face real accountability and consequences for misconduct. Estate disputes should be moved from civil to the criminal venues in which they belong and where appropriate punishment can be applied. Legal professionals, their associates as well as government officials (often with a background in the legal profession) know the realities, but the lucrative status quo provides no incentive for change. Government will take the side of the people only when the people demand it and re-election may seem in peril.
EstateofDenial.com will continue to “shine light on the dark side of estate management” in hopes of educating more people regarding the dangers ahead. Our exposure of greedy wannabe beneficiaries/heirs allied with legal charlatans masquerading as estate planning professionals only to perpetrate “probate and switch” actions will continue. It’s not sanitized, civilized, reasonable or rational, but it’s a story that needs to be told.
Lou Ann Anderson is producer of The Lynn Woolley Show, a Texas-based talk radio program. She also is an advocate working to create awareness regarding the Texas probate system and its surrounding culture. Lou Ann may be contacted at info@estateofdenial.com.
Abridged
SOURCE: Estate of Denial
Another excellent article by Lou Ann. Pls. go to source to view the full text.
------------------------------------------------------
More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
Elder Abuse On the Rise, but.. (WI. USA)
Elder abuse on rise, but so is response
By Barbara Quirk — 9/01/2008
It's enough to make a grown man cry.
A new study conducted at the University of Chicago concludes that nearly 13 percent of America's older adults suffer some form of abuse. Specifically, 9 percent reported they have suffered from verbal mistreatment, 3.5 percent from financial mistreatment, and 0.2 percent from physical mistreatment.
What this study cannot illustrate is the pain, ruin, shame and despair that are inflicted on some of our most vulnerable citizens. Our papers are full of stories of child abuse, horrific in detail. Domestic abuse is often described after someone is brutally injured or murdered. Even animal abuse is covered in the media. The dirty little secret that receives so little attention is elder abuse. An older person is seen bruised, broken or bleeding and even medical personnel, who should know better, don't question the source. Old people fall and get injured, right?
Sadly, abuse comes from many places, including fellow residents in nursing homes, personal attendants and scammers who bilk vulnerable older citizens out of millions of dollars each year. Even more tragic is the abuse that comes at the hands of family. In times of financial uncertainty, one can expect financial abuse to be on the rise. The problem is complex because the older person is often too embarrassed or ashamed to admit that a son or daughter or, God forbid, a grandchild may be abusing them in some way.
If you are being abused or suspect someone you know is being abused, call the Elder Abuse Helpline: 261-9933.
(Barbara Quirk is a Madison geriatric nurse practitioner.)
Abridged
SOURCE: The Capital Times
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More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
By Barbara Quirk — 9/01/2008
It's enough to make a grown man cry.
A new study conducted at the University of Chicago concludes that nearly 13 percent of America's older adults suffer some form of abuse. Specifically, 9 percent reported they have suffered from verbal mistreatment, 3.5 percent from financial mistreatment, and 0.2 percent from physical mistreatment.
What this study cannot illustrate is the pain, ruin, shame and despair that are inflicted on some of our most vulnerable citizens. Our papers are full of stories of child abuse, horrific in detail. Domestic abuse is often described after someone is brutally injured or murdered. Even animal abuse is covered in the media. The dirty little secret that receives so little attention is elder abuse. An older person is seen bruised, broken or bleeding and even medical personnel, who should know better, don't question the source. Old people fall and get injured, right?
Sadly, abuse comes from many places, including fellow residents in nursing homes, personal attendants and scammers who bilk vulnerable older citizens out of millions of dollars each year. Even more tragic is the abuse that comes at the hands of family. In times of financial uncertainty, one can expect financial abuse to be on the rise. The problem is complex because the older person is often too embarrassed or ashamed to admit that a son or daughter or, God forbid, a grandchild may be abusing them in some way.
If you are being abused or suspect someone you know is being abused, call the Elder Abuse Helpline: 261-9933.
(Barbara Quirk is a Madison geriatric nurse practitioner.)
Abridged
SOURCE: The Capital Times
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