Seniors increasingly targeted by abusers
By NICOLE C. BRAMBILA
THE DESERT SUN
JULY 18, 2009
Mom wasn't always given a bath and was permitted to wear her pajamas in public. The caretaker, although a live-in, couldn't always be found in the middle of the night for emergencies. Expensive jewelry, collected over a lifetime, went missing.
The abuse was apparent, but without a power of attorney over her elderly parents' health care or executive power over the family trust, Kathleen Jonas felt helpless to do anything.
“It was a nightmare. I knew what was going down, but my big mistake was not going to the police. It didn't occur to me,” said the Palm Desert resident, who has parents that require around-the-clock care.
Jonas' story is far from unique.
Roughly, 200,000 California seniors are victims of elder abuse each year.
The National Center on Elder Abuse in Newark, Del., estimates that more than 1 million seniors suffer abuse or neglect each year.
Consumers are bilked of nearly $40 million every year in telemarketing scams, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Seniors account for more than half of those scams.
Advocates say being proactive is the best defense.
“Trust your gut,” Walsh said. “That's the bottom line. If you think something's wrong, it probably is.”
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1 comment:
This is a very important blog that highlights an often forgotten problem affecting the elderly. Sadly it seems a universal situation that those who are vulnerable are abused and taken advantage of. Whether by their fellow seniors, the staff of nursing homes or their own children, these people are too often victims.
With the coming wave of baby boomers, the sheer number of abuse possibilities will only get worse and with the large number of boomers eventually entering a limited number of resident homes, the percentage of those affected may also sadly increase under the strain to ensure everyone receives care.
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