Task force refines ways to protect seniors
Team of police detectives, bankers, social service workers works to stop financial abuse of the elderly
September 12, 2009
By JOHN DARLING
Mail Tribune
As the wave of Baby Boomers hits 65 — and many retire to the Rogue Valley — they can become vulnerable to financial abuse by relatives, caretakers, housekeepers and a range of handymen and helpers.
In response, the Southern Oregon Financial Fraud and Security Team, a consortium of social service workers, bankers and police detectives are honing methods for early detection and intervention and, if needed, for prosecuting the abuse as a crime, rather than a civil matter to be pursued by the victim.
"The barriers that have been thrown up to impede prosecution and investigation are coming down," said elder abuse expert Paul Greenwood, a deputy district attorney in San Diego and the main speaker Friday at an Elder Abuse Seminar for professionals at Rogue Valley Medical Center.
Caregivers who have "undue influence" and who take money from an elder by deception can be prosecuted for criminal mistreatment, said Campbell, in an interview, noting that most violators, when confronted with the evidence and potential prosecution, agree to a plea bargain and repay the money.
The new statutes have helped bank officials become the first line of defense against elder financial abuse, said Teena Larette, vice president of Evergreen Federal Bank in Grants Pass.
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