Abused, Neglected And Conned (GA. USA)

Abused, neglected and conned

By Robbie Schwartz
The Walton Tribune

March 21, 2010

It was a crime scene like no other when law enforcement officials arrived at the home of Alberta Defillipo on Nov. 8. A day earlier, the 84-year-old woman had been remanded to intensive care because her core body temperature was below normal, she was dehydrated and had low blood pressure. Her clothes had to be peeled off her body in places and an infected injury about the size of a baseball was oozing on her leg.

Doctors did not like what they saw. Law enforcement officials deemed it cruelty to the elderly.

“In 23 years of law enforcement, that was the filthiest place I have ever seen,” Walton County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Chris Cannon said at the time. “And I hope I don’t see anything like this again.”

Despite more than 40 trash bags filled with items linked to the home, the four-bedroom trailer still had pots, pans and dishes piled up in the sink with roaches everywhere. Clothes were strewn throughout the hallways and bedrooms — as high as 3 feet in some places. The bathroom had pots and pans in the tub, again littered with roaches and clothes.

Defillipo was living with her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren at the time. Warrants have been issued for Marianne and Matthew Fonseca and Marlon Fonseca, all who remain on the lam.

While instances like this are few and far between in Walton County, it sheds light on one of the most underreported social problems in the country — the elderly in the country being taken advantage of, abused or neglected. 

As the population grows older as a result of the Baby Boomers retiring, the likelihood instances of elderly abuse and neglect is a reality. Diversity in the types of care facilities and even those providing the care add potential complications to the mix. While it is believed elderly abuse is underreported, an estimated half-million instances are reported to law enforcement while millions go unreported.

It is a social problem.

It is a public health threat.

It is a human rights issue.


Abridged
SOURCE:      The Walton Tribune

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