By PAM DOUGLAS
May 30, 2010
With the population in Brampton and Mississauga aging and a growing awareness, the number of cases of elder abuse reported to Peel Regional Police continued to climb last year.
In 2009, police investigated 71 allegations of elderly residents being abused by someone in a position of trust that the victim relies upon for basic needs, according to a statistical report to the Peel Police Services Board Friday. However, more than half were deemed unfounded.
Of the remaining 28, criminal charges were laid in 18 and 10 investigations are continuing.
Those 71 reports were broken down as follows:
• 32 alleged physical abuse;
• 18 alleged neglect;
• 13 alleged financial abuse;
• 7 alleged psychological abuse;
• 1 alleged sexual assault.
The Peel police elder abuse co-ordinator spoke to 49 groups throughout Brampton and Mississauga last year, educating approximately 1,760 residents, front-line officers and police communications staff about the issues surrounding elder/vulnerable adult abuse. The talks in the community were focused on community agency workers, long-term care providers and residents, private care givers, elders living in their own homes, post-secondary students, volunteers and neighbourhood associations.
The elder abuse co-ordinator also worked to contact the families and caregivers of the 92 elders reported missing in Brampton and Mississauga last year, attempting to steer them toward any necessary community agency support.
Peel police define an “elderly” person as anyone 60 years of age or older. In 2006, the most recent census year, there were 165,325 residents in Brampton and Mississauga who fell into that category, or 14 per cent of the population.
“The increase in reported incidents of elder abuse is indicative of the aging population and the increased awareness of this previously unreported crime,” according to Const. Fiona Thivierge, who wrote the report for the board.
SOURCE: The Brampton Guardian
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May 31, 2010
Unfed and Unwashed: Nursing Home Residents Living in Hell (Australia)
30 May, 2010
ELDERLY patients in nursing homes are being fed cold and inedible food, left sitting in urine and faeces and subjected to cruel and at times inhumane treatment from overworked and underresourced carers.
The Sunday Telegraph worked undercover inside two metropolitan nursing homes for three weeks and found that some of Sydney’s most vulnerable citizens are being mistreated and left to die inside sterile, cold and smelly aged-care facilities.
The high-care homes – run by Bupa Care Services and Domain Principal Group and overseen by the federal Government – advertise superior aged-care offering personal support and respect for the elderly.
However, many miserable, despondent and desperately lonely residents, who pay 85 per cent of their $671.90 fortnightly pension, live in often despicable conditions and are treated with disrespect. Frail but mentally sound residents talked about being “scared”, “lonely” and “waiting to die”.
The Sunday Telegraph witnessed over the course of a month the crisis in our aged-care facilities first hand – nursing homes understaffed and clearly incapable of caring for a mix of elderly residents, some suffering severe dementia, and younger mentally ill patients.
The Sunday Telegraph saw:
- Frail residents incapable of feeding themselves left to negotiate often cold, unappetising meals or left to go hungry.
- Overworked carers ignoring pleas for help to eat, provide blankets or help residents to the toilet or change incontinence pads.
- Patients left sitting in soaking pads, uncleaned for hours, or humiliated when not helped to the toilet quickly.
- Severe lapses in hygiene where staff rush between patients without cleaning hands.
- One worker handling a resident’s head while wearing rubber gloves donned to clean toilets.
- Immobile residents routinely left alone and forced to fend for themselves. Emergency alarm buttons deliberately left out of reach of bed-bound residents.
- Pleas for medical help following falls ignored, brushed off by busy carers who struggle to meet the demands of difficult patients.
- Workers ordered to keep families in the dark about conditions, in the homes, including injuries.
- Elderly residents with overgrown and yellow toenails.
- Troublesome residents, suffering dementia or other mental illness, heavily medicated to make them more manageable.
The Sunday Telegraph also witnessed moments of intense hostility, and at times violence, among patients. There were several examples of hostile interaction between residents and carers.
The majority of carers are migrants with a poor grasp of English and unable to communicate effectively with patients.
“I just can’t cope”
At a smaller nursing home in Sydney’s inner west, some of the 55 residents were treated with disrespect by staff who belittled and patronised them. “This one is a pain in the arse,” one nurse said in front of the 52-year-old woman she was referring to.
Residents’ complaints of neglect and fears of dying fell on deaf ears at the facility whose director of nursing would retort with a laugh: “Why don’t you leave?”
Residents recovering from physical injuries were also given little rehabilitation. Most are left for hours in front of TVs or listening to music on repeat.
Neither of the suburban nursing homes where The Sunday Telegraph spent three weeks working undercover as a volunteer carer have ever been warned by the federal Government’s aged-care watchdog.
British-based Bupa, a not-for-profit organisation, earned $12 billion in revenue worldwide last year. DPG is Australia’s largest privately owned aged-care provider with more than 58 facilities.
The Sunday Telegraph spent six days at the Bupa facility which houses 90 residents as young as 34. The daily care is provided by 15 nursing assistants, who shower, shave, toilet, feed and dress some eight patients each.
Abridged
SOURCE: Senior Home Care Information
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ELDERLY patients in nursing homes are being fed cold and inedible food, left sitting in urine and faeces and subjected to cruel and at times inhumane treatment from overworked and underresourced carers.
The Sunday Telegraph worked undercover inside two metropolitan nursing homes for three weeks and found that some of Sydney’s most vulnerable citizens are being mistreated and left to die inside sterile, cold and smelly aged-care facilities.
The high-care homes – run by Bupa Care Services and Domain Principal Group and overseen by the federal Government – advertise superior aged-care offering personal support and respect for the elderly.
However, many miserable, despondent and desperately lonely residents, who pay 85 per cent of their $671.90 fortnightly pension, live in often despicable conditions and are treated with disrespect. Frail but mentally sound residents talked about being “scared”, “lonely” and “waiting to die”.
The Sunday Telegraph witnessed over the course of a month the crisis in our aged-care facilities first hand – nursing homes understaffed and clearly incapable of caring for a mix of elderly residents, some suffering severe dementia, and younger mentally ill patients.
The Sunday Telegraph saw:
- Frail residents incapable of feeding themselves left to negotiate often cold, unappetising meals or left to go hungry.
- Overworked carers ignoring pleas for help to eat, provide blankets or help residents to the toilet or change incontinence pads.
- Patients left sitting in soaking pads, uncleaned for hours, or humiliated when not helped to the toilet quickly.
- Severe lapses in hygiene where staff rush between patients without cleaning hands.
- One worker handling a resident’s head while wearing rubber gloves donned to clean toilets.
- Immobile residents routinely left alone and forced to fend for themselves. Emergency alarm buttons deliberately left out of reach of bed-bound residents.
- Pleas for medical help following falls ignored, brushed off by busy carers who struggle to meet the demands of difficult patients.
- Workers ordered to keep families in the dark about conditions, in the homes, including injuries.
- Elderly residents with overgrown and yellow toenails.
- Troublesome residents, suffering dementia or other mental illness, heavily medicated to make them more manageable.
The Sunday Telegraph also witnessed moments of intense hostility, and at times violence, among patients. There were several examples of hostile interaction between residents and carers.
The majority of carers are migrants with a poor grasp of English and unable to communicate effectively with patients.
“I just can’t cope”
At a smaller nursing home in Sydney’s inner west, some of the 55 residents were treated with disrespect by staff who belittled and patronised them. “This one is a pain in the arse,” one nurse said in front of the 52-year-old woman she was referring to.
Residents’ complaints of neglect and fears of dying fell on deaf ears at the facility whose director of nursing would retort with a laugh: “Why don’t you leave?”
Residents recovering from physical injuries were also given little rehabilitation. Most are left for hours in front of TVs or listening to music on repeat.
Neither of the suburban nursing homes where The Sunday Telegraph spent three weeks working undercover as a volunteer carer have ever been warned by the federal Government’s aged-care watchdog.
British-based Bupa, a not-for-profit organisation, earned $12 billion in revenue worldwide last year. DPG is Australia’s largest privately owned aged-care provider with more than 58 facilities.
The Sunday Telegraph spent six days at the Bupa facility which houses 90 residents as young as 34. The daily care is provided by 15 nursing assistants, who shower, shave, toilet, feed and dress some eight patients each.
Abridged
SOURCE: Senior Home Care Information
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Investigations Underway Into Aged Care Facilities (AUSTRALIA)
May 30, 2010
The Federal Government has defended its system for checking on the quality and standards of aged care homes.
Two investigations are now underway into allegations of mistreatment at two different Sydney nursing homes.
The Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot, says she was not aware of the allegations before they were published in a Sydney newspaper on Sunday.
But she says any complaints that are made will be investigated.
"We have in place a system of accreditation and also our complaints investigation scheme, we have announced and unannounced visits that occur right throughout our nursing homes," she said.
"We're very strict when it comes to accountability and the protections in place for our older Australians."
The Government is urging anyone with concerns about standards in aged care facilities to report them to authorities.
Ms Elliot says the aged care accreditation authority and a complaints investigation scheme are now investigating.
"We have nearly 3,000 nursing homes right across the country, and indeed the majority of those have very high standards of care," she said.
"But we have a very strong focus on ensuring there are high standards in all our nursing homes at all times and that's why we need people to tell us if they have any concerns."
The Government says it has increased funding to the aged care sector by 30 per cent since it came to office.
But the Opposition's Health spokesman Peter Dutton says that has not translated to new beds or better services.
"This is a government out of all the money that they've gone and spent on the stimulus packages, all of the money that they've gone into debt for, not one cent has gone into aged care," he said.
"The cries have been long and loud for the last two and a half years to the Rudd government and nothing has been done."
SOURCE: ABC.NET.AU
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The Federal Government has defended its system for checking on the quality and standards of aged care homes.
Two investigations are now underway into allegations of mistreatment at two different Sydney nursing homes.
The Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot, says she was not aware of the allegations before they were published in a Sydney newspaper on Sunday.
But she says any complaints that are made will be investigated.
"We have in place a system of accreditation and also our complaints investigation scheme, we have announced and unannounced visits that occur right throughout our nursing homes," she said.
"We're very strict when it comes to accountability and the protections in place for our older Australians."
The Government is urging anyone with concerns about standards in aged care facilities to report them to authorities.
Ms Elliot says the aged care accreditation authority and a complaints investigation scheme are now investigating.
"We have nearly 3,000 nursing homes right across the country, and indeed the majority of those have very high standards of care," she said.
"But we have a very strong focus on ensuring there are high standards in all our nursing homes at all times and that's why we need people to tell us if they have any concerns."
The Government says it has increased funding to the aged care sector by 30 per cent since it came to office.
But the Opposition's Health spokesman Peter Dutton says that has not translated to new beds or better services.
"This is a government out of all the money that they've gone and spent on the stimulus packages, all of the money that they've gone into debt for, not one cent has gone into aged care," he said.
"The cries have been long and loud for the last two and a half years to the Rudd government and nothing has been done."
SOURCE: ABC.NET.AU
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May 30, 2010
Elder Abuse On The Rise, Police Warn (Ottawa, CANADA)
Elder abuse on the rise, police warn
Everyone must be alert to danger, former detective says
By Robert Sibley, The Ottawa Citizen
May 29, 2010
Police worry that, unless the public becomes more knowledgeable about elder abuse, the problem will reach epidemic proportions as the baby boom generation heads into its retirement years.
"It's going to be right off the scale," Acting Sgt. Christina Wolf said Friday. "There's way more coming."
Wolf, a former detective in the Ottawa Police elder abuse section, points to one of her own investigations as typical of this growing social concern. The case involves a man in his 70s and a 78-year-old woman who, between them, were defrauded of about $50,000 over several years by a man they regarded as "angel" for helping them.
The man was their neighbour in a City of Ottawa mixed-age apartment complex that has low-income seniors sharing a building with people on social assistance, most of whom are younger.
Wolf regards such mixed-age arrangements as all too often a setting for crime: "We see this as very dangerous. It makes them (seniors) really easy prey."
Richard Dean Broome, 48, is to appear Monday in the Elgin Street courthouse on 2009 charges that allege he defrauded an elderly woman of thousands of dollars over four years after establishing "a relationship of trust." He
is charged with theft under $5,000, fraud exceeding $5,000, 25 counts of uttering a forged document, unauthorized use of credit-card data and criminal breach of trust.
Broome also faces charges from 2008 of defrauding a man in his 70s of several thousand dollars. In this case, he is charged with fraud exceeding $5,000, false pretenses, obstructing justice and breach of probation.
Earlier this week, two women who had worked in a retirement home in Cumberland -- Mary Joanne Ireanne Talbot-Brisson, 46, and her daughter Mary Joanne Josée Brisson, 22 -- were charged with defrauding seniors of about $346,000.
Such cases underscore police concerns about elder-abuse crimes. Wolf said about 700 cases of elder abuse -- from physical abuse and neglect to emotional and financial abuse -- have been reported to the elder abuse section since it was established in January 2005. She suspects many more go unreported, either out of fear or embarrassment.
"We're seeing the tip of the iceberg right now. I know there's more in the building but they aren't coming forward," Wolf said in reference to the mixed-age apartment building.
In many cases, she said, the seniors involved are frail and vulnerable to anyone who appears willing to offer companionship or help them do things they are no longer easily able to do themselves.
The 78-year-old woman, for example, is a frail invalid who needs considerable caregiving. A seemingly friendly neighbour offered to do errands for her and gradually gained her trust, to the point where she turned over her bank card so he could purchase things on her behalf.
"She thought he was a great guy, an angel," Wolf said. Over a period of three years, he gradually emptied her bank account.
Something similar happened to the elderly man, although this time his seemingly helpful neighbour started asked for "loans" after subjecting him to various hardluck stories. Eventually, when the money was never repaid, the senior confronted his younger neighbour, only to be punched in the chest.
Wolf is anxious that people become more aware of these kinds of crimes. But it is not only seniors and their families who need an education. All of those who deal with seniors -- bankers, lawyers, doctors, nurses, social workers and hospital administrators -- have to be on the watch for signs and symptoms of elder abuse.
"People can't be allowed to get away with this kind of stuff. If something has happened to you (as a senior) or you know a senior who might be a victim of this kind of thing, please tell us," Wolf said.
"Privacy is important, but it should be outweighed by concern for the person's well-being," said Wolf, pointing out that privacy laws contain provisions that protect people who act reasonably and in good faith from criminal and civil liability.
The situation of the elderly woman is, perhaps, a case in point. "Somebody (at the bank) should have wondered why this woman's life savings, which had always been intact, were suddenly being depleted, and then asked a few questions."
As it was, police only learned of the woman's situation after someone who works with elderly clients tipped them to the problem. "They alerted us to the fact that there were several seniors in the building who were being defrauded. There was some intimidation, lots of bullying, lots of manipulation and lots of money going (missing)."
Unfortunately, Wolf said, it took years before anyone -- victim or witness -- came forward. In the meantime, "these people were absolutely devastated when their little nest eggs were wiped out."
Anyone with information about elder abuse and/or fraud is asked to call the Ottawa police elder abuse section at 613-236-1222, ext. 5650, or Crime Stoppers at 613-233-8477.
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen
SOURCE: The Ottawa Citizen
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Everyone must be alert to danger, former detective says
By Robert Sibley, The Ottawa Citizen
May 29, 2010
Police worry that, unless the public becomes more knowledgeable about elder abuse, the problem will reach epidemic proportions as the baby boom generation heads into its retirement years.
"It's going to be right off the scale," Acting Sgt. Christina Wolf said Friday. "There's way more coming."
Wolf, a former detective in the Ottawa Police elder abuse section, points to one of her own investigations as typical of this growing social concern. The case involves a man in his 70s and a 78-year-old woman who, between them, were defrauded of about $50,000 over several years by a man they regarded as "angel" for helping them.
The man was their neighbour in a City of Ottawa mixed-age apartment complex that has low-income seniors sharing a building with people on social assistance, most of whom are younger.
Wolf regards such mixed-age arrangements as all too often a setting for crime: "We see this as very dangerous. It makes them (seniors) really easy prey."
Richard Dean Broome, 48, is to appear Monday in the Elgin Street courthouse on 2009 charges that allege he defrauded an elderly woman of thousands of dollars over four years after establishing "a relationship of trust." He
is charged with theft under $5,000, fraud exceeding $5,000, 25 counts of uttering a forged document, unauthorized use of credit-card data and criminal breach of trust.
Broome also faces charges from 2008 of defrauding a man in his 70s of several thousand dollars. In this case, he is charged with fraud exceeding $5,000, false pretenses, obstructing justice and breach of probation.
Earlier this week, two women who had worked in a retirement home in Cumberland -- Mary Joanne Ireanne Talbot-Brisson, 46, and her daughter Mary Joanne Josée Brisson, 22 -- were charged with defrauding seniors of about $346,000.
Such cases underscore police concerns about elder-abuse crimes. Wolf said about 700 cases of elder abuse -- from physical abuse and neglect to emotional and financial abuse -- have been reported to the elder abuse section since it was established in January 2005. She suspects many more go unreported, either out of fear or embarrassment.
"We're seeing the tip of the iceberg right now. I know there's more in the building but they aren't coming forward," Wolf said in reference to the mixed-age apartment building.
In many cases, she said, the seniors involved are frail and vulnerable to anyone who appears willing to offer companionship or help them do things they are no longer easily able to do themselves.
The 78-year-old woman, for example, is a frail invalid who needs considerable caregiving. A seemingly friendly neighbour offered to do errands for her and gradually gained her trust, to the point where she turned over her bank card so he could purchase things on her behalf.
"She thought he was a great guy, an angel," Wolf said. Over a period of three years, he gradually emptied her bank account.
Something similar happened to the elderly man, although this time his seemingly helpful neighbour started asked for "loans" after subjecting him to various hardluck stories. Eventually, when the money was never repaid, the senior confronted his younger neighbour, only to be punched in the chest.
Wolf is anxious that people become more aware of these kinds of crimes. But it is not only seniors and their families who need an education. All of those who deal with seniors -- bankers, lawyers, doctors, nurses, social workers and hospital administrators -- have to be on the watch for signs and symptoms of elder abuse.
"People can't be allowed to get away with this kind of stuff. If something has happened to you (as a senior) or you know a senior who might be a victim of this kind of thing, please tell us," Wolf said.
"Privacy is important, but it should be outweighed by concern for the person's well-being," said Wolf, pointing out that privacy laws contain provisions that protect people who act reasonably and in good faith from criminal and civil liability.
The situation of the elderly woman is, perhaps, a case in point. "Somebody (at the bank) should have wondered why this woman's life savings, which had always been intact, were suddenly being depleted, and then asked a few questions."
As it was, police only learned of the woman's situation after someone who works with elderly clients tipped them to the problem. "They alerted us to the fact that there were several seniors in the building who were being defrauded. There was some intimidation, lots of bullying, lots of manipulation and lots of money going (missing)."
Unfortunately, Wolf said, it took years before anyone -- victim or witness -- came forward. In the meantime, "these people were absolutely devastated when their little nest eggs were wiped out."
Anyone with information about elder abuse and/or fraud is asked to call the Ottawa police elder abuse section at 613-236-1222, ext. 5650, or Crime Stoppers at 613-233-8477.
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen
SOURCE: The Ottawa Citizen
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May 28, 2010
Seniors and Elder Abuse (WA. AUSTRALIA)
Seniors and elder abuse
Older people are entitled to:
live safely in their own homes without fear of abuse, violence or exploitation;
make their own decisions on matters affecting their lives;
comprehensive, accurate and accessible information and advice about their rights and options, to enable them to make informed decisions;
be provided with assistance which is culturally and linguistically appropriate;
autonomy and dignity.
See Safety tips for Seniors for help with:
home security
safer shopping
using public transport
using your telephone
What is elder abuse?
Any act occurring within a relationship where there is an implication of trust (family and friends), which results in harm to an older person. There are also ways other than violence that older people feel abused.
Types of abuse:
physical (including sexual abuse)
financial
psychological
neglect
The most important thing is to tell somebody
In many situations, a crime has been committed against senior members of the community who are unable to escape, report or even acknowledge their mistreatment.
Often the perpetrator is a family member.
Even though you may be reluctant, it will help your overall confidence and wellbeing if you tell someone and ask for help.
If you are a family member and think an elder member is or has been abused, do seek assistance.
Where to get help
Advocare
Advocare's Abuse Prevention Program supports older adults who are being abused or are at risk of being abused by family or friends. This program provides appropriate advocacy support, promoting the rights of older adults and working with the older adult to develop strategies, which may be used to overcome the abuse.
Advocacy support from the Advocare's Abuse Prevention Program is free, confidential and the older adult or the representative can remain anonymous.
Advocare Western Australia
Perth
1/190 Abernethy Road
Belmont WA 6104
Tel: (08) 9479 7566
Fax: (08) 9479 7599
Freecall: 1800 655 566
rights@advocare.org.au
http://www.advocare.org.au/
Geraldton
Lotteries House
180 Marine Terrace
Geraldton WA 6530
Tel: (08) 9964 4887
SOURCE: Police WA, Australia
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Older people are entitled to:
live safely in their own homes without fear of abuse, violence or exploitation;
make their own decisions on matters affecting their lives;
comprehensive, accurate and accessible information and advice about their rights and options, to enable them to make informed decisions;
be provided with assistance which is culturally and linguistically appropriate;
autonomy and dignity.
See Safety tips for Seniors for help with:
home security
safer shopping
using public transport
using your telephone
What is elder abuse?
Any act occurring within a relationship where there is an implication of trust (family and friends), which results in harm to an older person. There are also ways other than violence that older people feel abused.
Types of abuse:
physical (including sexual abuse)
financial
psychological
neglect
The most important thing is to tell somebody
In many situations, a crime has been committed against senior members of the community who are unable to escape, report or even acknowledge their mistreatment.
Often the perpetrator is a family member.
Even though you may be reluctant, it will help your overall confidence and wellbeing if you tell someone and ask for help.
If you are a family member and think an elder member is or has been abused, do seek assistance.
Where to get help
Advocare
Advocare's Abuse Prevention Program supports older adults who are being abused or are at risk of being abused by family or friends. This program provides appropriate advocacy support, promoting the rights of older adults and working with the older adult to develop strategies, which may be used to overcome the abuse.
Advocacy support from the Advocare's Abuse Prevention Program is free, confidential and the older adult or the representative can remain anonymous.
Advocare Western Australia
Perth
1/190 Abernethy Road
Belmont WA 6104
Tel: (08) 9479 7566
Fax: (08) 9479 7599
Freecall: 1800 655 566
rights@advocare.org.au
http://www.advocare.org.au/
Geraldton
Lotteries House
180 Marine Terrace
Geraldton WA 6530
Tel: (08) 9964 4887
SOURCE: Police WA, Australia
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Rodeo Residents Arrested In Vallejo Elder Abuse Case (USA)
By Lanz Christian Bañes
Vallejo Times-Herald
05/27/2010
Two people from Rodeo have been arrested for their alleged part in an elder abuse case that left one man dead.
The nearly year-old case began July 1 when emergency personnel responded to a medical call for Charles Frank, 62, Vallejo police said in a statement issued Thursday.
Frank, a dependent adult, was living in an unlicensed board and care home in the 200 block of Mica Drive, police said.
Frank died of his injuries, and a subsequent autopsy by the Solano County Coroner's Office found evidence of severe neglect, police said.
The exact nature of the injuries is unclear.
Vallejo police and the state Department of Social Services Community Care and Licensing Division launched an investigation. The Solano County District Attorney's Office issued a warrant for the arrest of the care home manager and business owner, police said.
Wednesday, police arrested Patricia Ronquillo, 42, and Gene Bambao, 43, on suspicion of dependent adult abuse involving death.
The two were booked into Solano County Jail on $25,000 bail each, according to jail records.
Vallejo police expect more arrests in the case. Anyone with information can call detectives Theodore Postolaki or John Whitney at 707-651-7146 or 800-488-9386. Anonymous tips can be left at 707-644-STOP (7867).
SOURCE: Mercury News
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Vallejo Times-Herald
05/27/2010
Two people from Rodeo have been arrested for their alleged part in an elder abuse case that left one man dead.
The nearly year-old case began July 1 when emergency personnel responded to a medical call for Charles Frank, 62, Vallejo police said in a statement issued Thursday.
Frank, a dependent adult, was living in an unlicensed board and care home in the 200 block of Mica Drive, police said.
Frank died of his injuries, and a subsequent autopsy by the Solano County Coroner's Office found evidence of severe neglect, police said.
The exact nature of the injuries is unclear.
Vallejo police and the state Department of Social Services Community Care and Licensing Division launched an investigation. The Solano County District Attorney's Office issued a warrant for the arrest of the care home manager and business owner, police said.
Wednesday, police arrested Patricia Ronquillo, 42, and Gene Bambao, 43, on suspicion of dependent adult abuse involving death.
The two were booked into Solano County Jail on $25,000 bail each, according to jail records.
Vallejo police expect more arrests in the case. Anyone with information can call detectives Theodore Postolaki or John Whitney at 707-651-7146 or 800-488-9386. Anonymous tips can be left at 707-644-STOP (7867).
SOURCE: Mercury News
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Caregiver Sentenced For Elder Abuse and Torture (CA. USA)
May 26, 2010
A former caregiver convicted of torture and elder abuse of dementia patients was sentenced Wednesday to six years to life in prison for the 2007 torture of a 80-year-old resident and abuse of three other patients.
Cesar Ulloa, 22, was sentenced after several family members of the victims talked about their loss and anger. In April, a jury found Ulloa guilty of torture and seven counts of elder abuse.
All the victims lived at an upscale facility in Calabasas, the Silverado Senior Living, which specializes in caring for Alzheimer's and other dementia patients.
Ulloa was arrested in October 2008, after an 11-month-long investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Authorities were alerted after a worker at the home made an anonymous call to the widow of Elmore Kittower, 80, who died in November 2007. The caller told her Kittower, a retired engineer, died as a result of abuse. The investigation revealed Kittower was abused for months before his death.
Ulloa, of Reseda, worked at Silverado Senior Living from February to November 2007.
(Copyright ©2010 KABC-TV/DT.)
SOURCE: ABCLOCAL.GO.COM
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A former caregiver convicted of torture and elder abuse of dementia patients was sentenced Wednesday to six years to life in prison for the 2007 torture of a 80-year-old resident and abuse of three other patients.
Cesar Ulloa, 22, was sentenced after several family members of the victims talked about their loss and anger. In April, a jury found Ulloa guilty of torture and seven counts of elder abuse.
All the victims lived at an upscale facility in Calabasas, the Silverado Senior Living, which specializes in caring for Alzheimer's and other dementia patients.
Ulloa was arrested in October 2008, after an 11-month-long investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Authorities were alerted after a worker at the home made an anonymous call to the widow of Elmore Kittower, 80, who died in November 2007. The caller told her Kittower, a retired engineer, died as a result of abuse. The investigation revealed Kittower was abused for months before his death.
Ulloa, of Reseda, worked at Silverado Senior Living from February to November 2007.
(Copyright ©2010 KABC-TV/DT.)
SOURCE: ABCLOCAL.GO.COM
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May 27, 2010
Police Investigate Elder Abuse Accusation (USA)
Police Investigate Elder Abuse Accusation
A 74-year-old heartland man is now getting the care he needs after Omaha police remove him from his apartment.
Reporter: WOWT
May 26, 2010
A 74-year-old Omaha man is now getting the care he needs after Omaha police remove him from his apartment.
Officers were called to check the well-being of the elderly man on Friday, May 21st, and are now investigating whether or not to cite his 50-year-old son.
According to the police reports, officers found the man in his Northwest Omaha apartment lying on the couch with cat and human feces all around the home. Officers also detail in the report trash and rotting food as well as empty bottles of alcohol throughout the place.
The alleged victim tells officers he sleeps on the couch because he can't move, and since his son injured his arm has not been able to care for him.
Officers wrote in the report the elderly man told them he had not eaten for three days.
SOURCE: WOWT NEWS
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A 74-year-old heartland man is now getting the care he needs after Omaha police remove him from his apartment.
Reporter: WOWT
May 26, 2010
A 74-year-old Omaha man is now getting the care he needs after Omaha police remove him from his apartment.
Officers were called to check the well-being of the elderly man on Friday, May 21st, and are now investigating whether or not to cite his 50-year-old son.
According to the police reports, officers found the man in his Northwest Omaha apartment lying on the couch with cat and human feces all around the home. Officers also detail in the report trash and rotting food as well as empty bottles of alcohol throughout the place.
The alleged victim tells officers he sleeps on the couch because he can't move, and since his son injured his arm has not been able to care for him.
Officers wrote in the report the elderly man told them he had not eaten for three days.
SOURCE: WOWT NEWS
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Former Caregiver to be Sentenced For Elder Abuse at Calabasas Retirement Home
By Robert Faturechi
May 26, 2010
A former caregiver who was convicted of torturing vulnerable residents at an upscale Calabasas retirement home is set to be sentenced Wednesday morning. The 21-year-old faces life in prison.
Cesar Ulloa often laughed as he attacked residents, some of whom were too dementia-ridden to call for help, witnesses said. A Van Nuys jury found him guilty on eight counts of torture and elder abuse in April.
During his trial, a former coworker testified that she saw the Reseda resident clench his right fist and punch a wheelchair-bound man in the stomach.
"Haven't you had enough?" former caregiver Luz Alvarez recalled Ulloa saying, laughing as the man gasped.
Ulloa was named employee of the month during his tenure at Silverado Senior Living, where he was responsible for bathing residents and escorting them around the facility. Relatives of residents pay upward of $70,000 a year to house their loved ones at the elite retirement home.
Silverado officials have denied any wrongdoing as an organization, though said they respected the jury’s guilty verdict for Ulloa.
Caregivers such as Ulloa, 19 at the time of the abuse, often took the floor with only a high school diploma and a few days of training. Though cameras were installed in the halls, there was no monitoring of caregivers in residents' rooms, a setup the prosecution alleged was ripe for abuse.
Coworkers recalled shocking stories of abuse during trial. In one instance, Ulloa body-slammed a mute 78-year-old woman like a professional wrestler. In another instance, he leaped off a dresser and landed both knees into an elderly man's abdomen.
They said he often taunted residents. In one case, he told a male patient he "was sexing his daughter."
Suspicions about Ulloa were spurred after a resident’s widow received an anonymous phone call in 2007 alerting her that her husband’s death was caused by abuse, not natural causes as the family had believed.
Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies retrieved the man’s body from the grave and found dozens of broken bones around his chest. A radiologist at trial compared the trauma to being hit by a train.
SOURCE: LATIMES BLOGS
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May 26, 2010
A former caregiver who was convicted of torturing vulnerable residents at an upscale Calabasas retirement home is set to be sentenced Wednesday morning. The 21-year-old faces life in prison.
Cesar Ulloa often laughed as he attacked residents, some of whom were too dementia-ridden to call for help, witnesses said. A Van Nuys jury found him guilty on eight counts of torture and elder abuse in April.
During his trial, a former coworker testified that she saw the Reseda resident clench his right fist and punch a wheelchair-bound man in the stomach.
"Haven't you had enough?" former caregiver Luz Alvarez recalled Ulloa saying, laughing as the man gasped.
Ulloa was named employee of the month during his tenure at Silverado Senior Living, where he was responsible for bathing residents and escorting them around the facility. Relatives of residents pay upward of $70,000 a year to house their loved ones at the elite retirement home.
Silverado officials have denied any wrongdoing as an organization, though said they respected the jury’s guilty verdict for Ulloa.
Caregivers such as Ulloa, 19 at the time of the abuse, often took the floor with only a high school diploma and a few days of training. Though cameras were installed in the halls, there was no monitoring of caregivers in residents' rooms, a setup the prosecution alleged was ripe for abuse.
Coworkers recalled shocking stories of abuse during trial. In one instance, Ulloa body-slammed a mute 78-year-old woman like a professional wrestler. In another instance, he leaped off a dresser and landed both knees into an elderly man's abdomen.
They said he often taunted residents. In one case, he told a male patient he "was sexing his daughter."
Suspicions about Ulloa were spurred after a resident’s widow received an anonymous phone call in 2007 alerting her that her husband’s death was caused by abuse, not natural causes as the family had believed.
Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies retrieved the man’s body from the grave and found dozens of broken bones around his chest. A radiologist at trial compared the trauma to being hit by a train.
SOURCE: LATIMES BLOGS
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Give the Elderly a 'Home For Life' Say Bristol Research Team (UK)
by The Editor, Bristol247
May 26th, 2010
Researchers from the University of the West England are calling for changes to the UK residential home care system to ensure older people have a ‘home for life’ and are not pushed out to hospitals or nursing homes unnecessarily.
More funding to support clinical training of social care staff working in residential homes, and a new registration system with formal qualifications, are among the recommendations made in a new report funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Deirdre Wild, from UWE, and Professor Ala Szczepura from Warwick Medical School led the study, which has evaluated the introduction of enhanced care for older people in three types of residential home.
The team compared a voluntary sector home, a privately-owned home and a local authority-owned home which all introduced ‘enhanced residential care’, based on developing new type of worker roles. Fieldwork was carried out over three years and 108 interviews were carried out with residents and relatives, care staff, home managers, senior managers and key stakeholders.
In England, more than 18,000 care homes currently provide places for more than 453,000 residents. Six out of ten places are in residential homes with no nursing staff employed on-site. Three quarters of residential homes are privately owned. Residential homes employ some 230,000 care workers and senior care workers and this figure is set to rise with an ageing population.
Deidre Wild said it was vital that changes to the system ensured the “horse was put in front of the cart and professionalise the new carer workforce.
“The research findings support the view that good basic health/nursing care can be delivered in a residential home, provided there is a sound practice-driven relationship with community nurses, and that care staff know when to seek nurse-led support,” she said.
“Those responsible for development of the new role carer workforce should recognise that without incentives and recognition for the delivery of improved health and social care, these roles will become difficult to sustain beyond a ‘honeymoon period’.
“We need to get the horse in front of the cart and professionalise the new carer workforce. This requires putting in place carer registration, appropriate formal qualifications, career pathways, and a robust accountability and liability framework to protect both new role carers and older people.
“Clarification of the nursing activities suitable to new role carers, how competencies are to be maintained, and the interface of the carer’s new role with that of registered nurses also need agreement at a national level.”
SOURCE: Bristol247.Com
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May 26th, 2010
Researchers from the University of the West England are calling for changes to the UK residential home care system to ensure older people have a ‘home for life’ and are not pushed out to hospitals or nursing homes unnecessarily.
More funding to support clinical training of social care staff working in residential homes, and a new registration system with formal qualifications, are among the recommendations made in a new report funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Deirdre Wild, from UWE, and Professor Ala Szczepura from Warwick Medical School led the study, which has evaluated the introduction of enhanced care for older people in three types of residential home.
The team compared a voluntary sector home, a privately-owned home and a local authority-owned home which all introduced ‘enhanced residential care’, based on developing new type of worker roles. Fieldwork was carried out over three years and 108 interviews were carried out with residents and relatives, care staff, home managers, senior managers and key stakeholders.
In England, more than 18,000 care homes currently provide places for more than 453,000 residents. Six out of ten places are in residential homes with no nursing staff employed on-site. Three quarters of residential homes are privately owned. Residential homes employ some 230,000 care workers and senior care workers and this figure is set to rise with an ageing population.
Deidre Wild said it was vital that changes to the system ensured the “horse was put in front of the cart and professionalise the new carer workforce.
“The research findings support the view that good basic health/nursing care can be delivered in a residential home, provided there is a sound practice-driven relationship with community nurses, and that care staff know when to seek nurse-led support,” she said.
“Those responsible for development of the new role carer workforce should recognise that without incentives and recognition for the delivery of improved health and social care, these roles will become difficult to sustain beyond a ‘honeymoon period’.
“We need to get the horse in front of the cart and professionalise the new carer workforce. This requires putting in place carer registration, appropriate formal qualifications, career pathways, and a robust accountability and liability framework to protect both new role carers and older people.
“Clarification of the nursing activities suitable to new role carers, how competencies are to be maintained, and the interface of the carer’s new role with that of registered nurses also need agreement at a national level.”
SOURCE: Bristol247.Com
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May 26, 2010
Judge Orders New Trial For Brothers In Elder Abuse Case (USA)
A jury deadlocked after nearly five hours of deliberation Tuesday.
BY KRISTIN RODINE
05/19/10
After seven men and five women failed to agree on whether Danny Nicks, 55, criminally neglected his bedridden mother, 3rd District Judge Susan Wiebe declared a mistrial and set a new trial with a new jury.
The July 20 trial is one week after Nicks' identical twin, David, is scheduled for sentencing on the same charge: felony neglect of a vulnerable adult.
Shortly before they announced their deadlock, jurors indicated they couldn't agree on what constitutes a "vulnerable adult."
Canyon County Deputy Prosecutor Ty Ketlinski said Verda Nicks clearly was vulnerable because she couldn't get out of bed or care for herself and was dependent on help from her twin sons.
But Deputy Public Defender Scott James said the woman was lucid and living the way she wanted to live, whether or not others found those conditions disgusting.
The case against both twins was fundamentally the same: They moved from Oregon to Nampa in 2003 to help their ailing mother, but failed to provide adequate care. The brothers lived rent-free in a camp trailer behind Verda Nicks' home. She could not get out of bed, clean or dress herself, Ketlinski said. He stressed her emaciation, severe bedsores and the surrounding squalor.
James agreed that the evidence photos are horrific.
"Those pictures scream one thing: Make somebody responsible," James said.
The problem with this case, the defender argued, is that Danny Nicks isn't responsible. He argued that Danny was not his mother's caregiver, that his brother was in charge of hygiene and home care, and that Verda Nicks was determined to stay in her home and able to call for help if she needed it.
"This case is partly about Verda Nicks' right to live, and to die, where she wanted and how she wanted - at home, surrounded by her two sons, whom she loved," James said.
But Ketlinski called into question whether she wanted to live in the conditions that surrounded her.
"Where in the evidence did you see that Verda Nicks wanted to die in a bed filled with urine and feces and larvae?" Ketlinski said.
Testifying Tuesday afternoon at the end of his two-day trial, Danny Nicks said he visited his mother's room three or four times a day, but she was always covered by blankets and he never saw her urine- and feces-covered sheets until after police and paramedics removed her from her home. Verda Nicks died about six weeks later, but her sons are not charged with causing her death.
"Her bedsores were very, very severe," Ketlinski said. "Her spine pierced her skin. And the fact she was lying in a bed with urine, feces and larvae É He was supposed to be taking care of her."
SOURCE: IdahoStatesman
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BY KRISTIN RODINE
05/19/10
After seven men and five women failed to agree on whether Danny Nicks, 55, criminally neglected his bedridden mother, 3rd District Judge Susan Wiebe declared a mistrial and set a new trial with a new jury.
The July 20 trial is one week after Nicks' identical twin, David, is scheduled for sentencing on the same charge: felony neglect of a vulnerable adult.
Shortly before they announced their deadlock, jurors indicated they couldn't agree on what constitutes a "vulnerable adult."
Canyon County Deputy Prosecutor Ty Ketlinski said Verda Nicks clearly was vulnerable because she couldn't get out of bed or care for herself and was dependent on help from her twin sons.
But Deputy Public Defender Scott James said the woman was lucid and living the way she wanted to live, whether or not others found those conditions disgusting.
The case against both twins was fundamentally the same: They moved from Oregon to Nampa in 2003 to help their ailing mother, but failed to provide adequate care. The brothers lived rent-free in a camp trailer behind Verda Nicks' home. She could not get out of bed, clean or dress herself, Ketlinski said. He stressed her emaciation, severe bedsores and the surrounding squalor.
James agreed that the evidence photos are horrific.
"Those pictures scream one thing: Make somebody responsible," James said.
The problem with this case, the defender argued, is that Danny Nicks isn't responsible. He argued that Danny was not his mother's caregiver, that his brother was in charge of hygiene and home care, and that Verda Nicks was determined to stay in her home and able to call for help if she needed it.
"This case is partly about Verda Nicks' right to live, and to die, where she wanted and how she wanted - at home, surrounded by her two sons, whom she loved," James said.
But Ketlinski called into question whether she wanted to live in the conditions that surrounded her.
"Where in the evidence did you see that Verda Nicks wanted to die in a bed filled with urine and feces and larvae?" Ketlinski said.
Testifying Tuesday afternoon at the end of his two-day trial, Danny Nicks said he visited his mother's room three or four times a day, but she was always covered by blankets and he never saw her urine- and feces-covered sheets until after police and paramedics removed her from her home. Verda Nicks died about six weeks later, but her sons are not charged with causing her death.
"Her bedsores were very, very severe," Ketlinski said. "Her spine pierced her skin. And the fact she was lying in a bed with urine, feces and larvae É He was supposed to be taking care of her."
SOURCE: IdahoStatesman
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Elder Abuse Project Announced For County (GA. USA)
Elder abuse project announced for Ga. county
By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer
May 25, 2010
DeKalb County is teaming with Emory Healthcare to offer a new program to investigate abuse of senior citizens and find them temporary shelter — one of the first such programs in the country.
Officials from the county and university announced the program at an Atlanta news conference Tuesday morning.
DeKalb County had only 40 substantiated cases of elder abuse last year, but officials believe its a vastly underreported problem.
"With elder abuse, we are as a nation where we were with child abuse and domestic violence 25 or 30 years ago," said Robert James, DeKalb County's solicitor-general.
The county sees thousands of reports of other forms of domestic abuse annually, he added. Officials think there may be as many as 1,300 cases of elder abuse in the county annually.
In the past, some abused seniors have been taken to a hospital emergency room and parked there, with no place to go, and may even be discharged back to an abusive environment. In some cases, they are left in their home, even in instances where they were unable to care for themselves, James lamented.
"Government authorities didn't know what to do with them," he said.
In the new program, DeKalb County's police, fire and rescue workers make sure a senior citizen in a potential abuse case is safe. Then they tell a program volunteer coordinator. Emory will provide a physical exam looking for signs of abuse, and will tell law enforcement of their findings for possible legal investigation.
If no shelter is available that is safe or provides necessary medical care, Emory also will provide a bed for them at its Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital for as long as 30 days afterward.
Emory can provide up to three beds at a time for the program, said Dr. Thomas Price, chief of medicine for the geriatric care center that is part of the Wesley Woods campus.
The program is billed as one of the first of its kind in the nation. A program that provides shelter to abused seniors has been operating in New York, called the Hebrew Home at Riverdale. And one in California advocates and looks for elder abuse, but doesn't offer shelter. Another program has been announced in Colorado, but that's not yet operating, James said.
The program is being called a "pathway," because it doesn't have a budget or separate administration. Rather, it's a collaborative effort between Emory, DeKalb County and the Georgia Division of Aging Services. A local task force on elder abuse, created three years ago, devised the plan.
SOURCE: StamfordAdvocate.Com
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By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer
May 25, 2010
DeKalb County is teaming with Emory Healthcare to offer a new program to investigate abuse of senior citizens and find them temporary shelter — one of the first such programs in the country.
Officials from the county and university announced the program at an Atlanta news conference Tuesday morning.
DeKalb County had only 40 substantiated cases of elder abuse last year, but officials believe its a vastly underreported problem.
"With elder abuse, we are as a nation where we were with child abuse and domestic violence 25 or 30 years ago," said Robert James, DeKalb County's solicitor-general.
The county sees thousands of reports of other forms of domestic abuse annually, he added. Officials think there may be as many as 1,300 cases of elder abuse in the county annually.
In the past, some abused seniors have been taken to a hospital emergency room and parked there, with no place to go, and may even be discharged back to an abusive environment. In some cases, they are left in their home, even in instances where they were unable to care for themselves, James lamented.
"Government authorities didn't know what to do with them," he said.
In the new program, DeKalb County's police, fire and rescue workers make sure a senior citizen in a potential abuse case is safe. Then they tell a program volunteer coordinator. Emory will provide a physical exam looking for signs of abuse, and will tell law enforcement of their findings for possible legal investigation.
If no shelter is available that is safe or provides necessary medical care, Emory also will provide a bed for them at its Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital for as long as 30 days afterward.
Emory can provide up to three beds at a time for the program, said Dr. Thomas Price, chief of medicine for the geriatric care center that is part of the Wesley Woods campus.
The program is billed as one of the first of its kind in the nation. A program that provides shelter to abused seniors has been operating in New York, called the Hebrew Home at Riverdale. And one in California advocates and looks for elder abuse, but doesn't offer shelter. Another program has been announced in Colorado, but that's not yet operating, James said.
The program is being called a "pathway," because it doesn't have a budget or separate administration. Rather, it's a collaborative effort between Emory, DeKalb County and the Georgia Division of Aging Services. A local task force on elder abuse, created three years ago, devised the plan.
SOURCE: StamfordAdvocate.Com
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Age Concern Says Speak Up Against Elder Abuse (New Zealand)
by admin
May 25, 2010
Age Concern New Zealand has announced plans for next month's World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
This year, Dame Lois Muir will be among those speaking up against elder abuse and neglect. Dame Lois will feature in new information resources highlighting aspects of the problem.
Age Concern will be urging people to Speak up if you suspect elder abuse and neglect.
On Tuesday 15 June and the days round it, Age Concerns around the country will join the global community in raising awareness of elder abuse and neglect.
Age Concern professional adviser Jayne McKendry says that Age Concern elder abuse and neglect prevention services confirm a least two new cases of elder abuse each day, on average. But they know that's just the tip of the iceberg; much remains hidden.
"Seventy to 80 percent of elder abuse and neglect in New Zealand occurs at the hands of family members.
"This is one of the reasons it stays hidden - many older people won't speak out because they feel ashamed their family member is treating them so badly. Or sometimes they are scared that if they say something, it will get even worse."
This year, elder financial abuse will get special attention.
Dame Lois Muir's message "Older people have the right to decide how they use their money. Speak up if you suspect financial abuse" will be highlighted.
"For some people, abuse can stem from small mistakes that can get out of hand," Jayne McKendry says. "This year we'll be helping people realise they may have a problem, and giving them self-help advice to deal with it."
"Some people think that because someone is old, it doesn't matter what happens to them any more. They make decisions for the older person without even asking them what it is they want. Or they pressure them into things they don't really want to do - like giving a loan, or selling their house, or letting a family member move in with them for free."
"We believe attitudes like these show a lack of respect for the older person, for their quality of life and for their needs, and Age Concern will be using World Elder Abuse Awareness Day to highlight this."
SOURCE: Vozy.Co.NZ
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May 25, 2010
Age Concern New Zealand has announced plans for next month's World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
This year, Dame Lois Muir will be among those speaking up against elder abuse and neglect. Dame Lois will feature in new information resources highlighting aspects of the problem.
Age Concern will be urging people to Speak up if you suspect elder abuse and neglect.
On Tuesday 15 June and the days round it, Age Concerns around the country will join the global community in raising awareness of elder abuse and neglect.
Age Concern professional adviser Jayne McKendry says that Age Concern elder abuse and neglect prevention services confirm a least two new cases of elder abuse each day, on average. But they know that's just the tip of the iceberg; much remains hidden.
"Seventy to 80 percent of elder abuse and neglect in New Zealand occurs at the hands of family members.
"This is one of the reasons it stays hidden - many older people won't speak out because they feel ashamed their family member is treating them so badly. Or sometimes they are scared that if they say something, it will get even worse."
This year, elder financial abuse will get special attention.
Dame Lois Muir's message "Older people have the right to decide how they use their money. Speak up if you suspect financial abuse" will be highlighted.
"For some people, abuse can stem from small mistakes that can get out of hand," Jayne McKendry says. "This year we'll be helping people realise they may have a problem, and giving them self-help advice to deal with it."
"Some people think that because someone is old, it doesn't matter what happens to them any more. They make decisions for the older person without even asking them what it is they want. Or they pressure them into things they don't really want to do - like giving a loan, or selling their house, or letting a family member move in with them for free."
"We believe attitudes like these show a lack of respect for the older person, for their quality of life and for their needs, and Age Concern will be using World Elder Abuse Awareness Day to highlight this."
SOURCE: Vozy.Co.NZ
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May 17, 2010
Nursing Home Employee Placed On Probation for Elder Abuse
Oneida County New York Nursing Home Employee Placed On Probation After Investigation Reveals Abuse Of Elderly Resident
May 15, 2010
May 15, 2010 9
Stemming from an elder abuse investigation conducted by the New York State Attorney General, a Certified Nursing Aide at Utica Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation was recently placed on three years probation and was forced to surrender her C.N.A. certificate. The NYSAG investigation revealed that while assisting another CNA help an 80 year-old resident in the shower, C.N.A. Rhonda Woodson flicked the resident's ear and nose, sprayed water up the resident's nose, and slapped the resident's head.
SOURCE: New York Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
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What Should You Do If You Suspect Elder Abuse (USA)
MAY 15, 2010
Elder abuse isn’t a new phenomenon but it’s certainly a growing one. As the population in the United States ages there is a greater need for assisted living apartment communities and full-care facilities for seniors. These facilities are staffed by professional caregivers who do an excellent job. Unfortunately there are exceptions to the rule.
Elder abuse takes many forms. Nursing home or other care facility residents are victimized by theft, physical assault and emotional abuse. What all elder abuse has in common is that the victims are helpless to defend themselves. Negligence is another form of abuse and consists of inadequate care such as failing to feed or provide medicine at the prescribed times.
Emotional abuse occurs as staff verbally berate or insult an elderly person. This type of abuse may go on for years without it being detected. If your elderly mother is in a nursing home and you suspect that she’s being abused, what should you do? Well, first of all, take the possibility seriously.
Talk to your mother. Ask her questions about the care she’s receiving. Check her for bruising and other indications of physical abuse. Get a feel for how she regards her caregivers and whether there is seemingly unwarranted fear of a particular nurse, aid or other resident.
You should speak to your mother’s physician about your suspicions. The doctor will discreetly examine her with your suspicions in mind. If there is any evidence whatsoever of elder abuse you should contact your local law enforcement agency and the state or local social services agency charged with protecting the elderly. Elder abuse violates both criminal and civil laws.
The evidence you have should be presented to law enforcement authorities for further investigation. Relevant evidence includes what you’ve been told by your mother, other facility residents and the physician as well as the physician’s documentation of signs of abuse. Any neglect you’ve observed such as dirty and unchanged sheets, unnecessary restraints or improper staff attitudes and behavior should be reported. All these things will be combined to help make a case of elder abuse.
Obtaining the services of an attorney for potential civil litigation is an appropriate response if you suspect abuse or neglect. Civil allegations may successfully be established by the preponderance of evidence in civil litigation even if the required proof beyond a reasonable doubt to prove a crime isn’t met. A lawsuit will force the care facility to correct the situation and be a strong deterrent to allowing abuse to occur in the future. Just the threat of legal action can launch an internal investigation by facility administrators and correct questionable practices or result in outright firings and criminal prosecutions.
Prevention is the best cure for elder abuse, so be aware and involved in the care of your mother. Listen to her complaints and bring them up to the staff and facility administrators. Make sure you mention to staff that your mother is represented by an attorney in the matter of her care. If you’re proactive you won’t have anything to worry about.
SOURCE: Dwi Lawyers and Attorneys
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May 15, 2010
'Granny Dumping' A Burden For Ers (CANADA)
Elderly Abandoned; Hospitals left to find care when family falters
By Tom Blackwell, National Post
May 14, 2010
Some come with notes pinned to their clothes or tucked inside pockets. Often, they are unable to explain who they are or where they came from.
Across Canada, hospitals have encountered a rare but troubling phenomenon: elderly patients abandoned by relatives or others in crowded emergency wards, with or without an acute medical problem, geriatric experts say.
"There probably isn't an emergency department in the province or in the country or anywhere really that hasn't seen this happen," said Dr. David Ryan of the Regional Geriatric Program of Toronto.
"Sometimes it comes from that whole issue of elder abuse.... Sometimes, less often, it's people who are misusing the system. There are stories that we hear from time to time about somebody who is dropped off with information on how to reach the family, but the family is gone and they've gone on vacation."
The practice, nicknamed "granny dumping," is an extreme example of the wider issue of senior citizens arriving at emergency simply because they or harried family members do not know where else to turn, say nurses and doctors. The problem is unlikely to go away as a growing number of Canadians enter old age, they suggest.
Ontario, like some other provinces, has implemented programs to ensure those older people end up where they will get the best care. Some health-care professionals complain, however, that there is a shortage of services to help people overwhelmed with the burden of caring for ailing older people, often incapacitated by Alzheimer's disease or some other form of dementia.
"We all deplore the act of what they're doing," said Teri Hay, executive director of the Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. "[But] in some cases, family members are desperate. You could be caring for your parent, who might be cognitively impaired, at the same time you are working and raising your own family. To say the least you are tired and exhausted."
Like other experts, Ms. Hay said dumping is an uncommon, yet undeniable phenomenon.
She recounted two cases in Toronto hospitals in the past year, where seniors were found in emergency waiting rooms bearing notes that included their names, but no telephone number or other contact information. They were unable themselves to explain their history, Ms. Hay said.
Abridged
SOURCE: The National Post
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May 14, 2010
Court Date Set For Women Charged With Elder Abuse (MO. USA)
Court date set for Independence women charged with elder abuse
Accused of leaving victim in the car for two hours while at the casino
By Michael Glover
May 12, 2010
Independence, MO —
An Independence woman is scheduled to make a court appearance next week on accusations that she abandoned a mentally handicapped woman in a car while she gambled at Ameristar casino.
Dru S. Glenn, 27, has a hearing May 20 in Clay County Circuit Court.
Court records list an Independence address for Glenn.
On April 14, Glenn allegedly left a 66-year-old woman who suffers from “severe mental retardation” in the back seat of a car in the parking garage at Ameristar, according to court records.
The older woman’s address is also Independence.
Clay County prosecutors charged Glenn with one count of third-degree elder abuse, a misdemeanor, because the older woman was not seriously injured.
The maximum range of punishment could be up to one year in jail and a fine of $1,000.
Glenn was working for the Missouri Department of Mental Health as a developmental assistant, the records show. She was in charge of taking care of the woman.
But according to authorities, Glenn left the woman in a state-issued vehicle while she gambled for more than two hours.
Glenn entered the casino in Kansas City at 9:54 a.m. Ten minutes later, she returned to the vehicle to check on the woman, according to court documents.
Five minutes later, she again abandoned the mentally handicapped woman, who was sitting in the right rear back seat, the records show.
Glenn returned to the vehicle more than two hours later. She was greeted by two Ameristar security guards.
Later, a Missouri State Highway Patrol sergeant and a trooper interviewed Glenn.
Glenn admitted to them that she left her “client” unattended on two separate occasions, according to court records.
Glenn parked the silver 2002 Chevrolet Impala on the fourth floor of the parking garage. She left the left front and left rear windows down approximately two inches. She locked the doors.
Glenn was arrested but posted $7,500 bond of which she paid 10 percent, or $750, and was released two days after the incident.
The Missouri Department of Mental Health fired Glenn the day of the incident.
Dru S. Glenn, 27, has a hearing May 20 in Clay County Circuit Court.
Court records list an Independence address for Glenn.
On April 14, Glenn allegedly left a 66-year-old woman who suffers from “severe mental retardation” in the back seat of a car in the parking garage at Ameristar, according to court records.
The older woman’s address is also Independence.
Clay County prosecutors charged Glenn with one count of third-degree elder abuse, a misdemeanor, because the older woman was not seriously injured.
The maximum range of punishment could be up to one year in jail and a fine of $1,000.
Glenn was working for the Missouri Department of Mental Health as a developmental assistant, the records show. She was in charge of taking care of the woman.
But according to authorities, Glenn left the woman in a state-issued vehicle while she gambled for more than two hours.
Glenn entered the casino in Kansas City at 9:54 a.m. Ten minutes later, she returned to the vehicle to check on the woman, according to court documents.
Five minutes later, she again abandoned the mentally handicapped woman, who was sitting in the right rear back seat, the records show.
Glenn returned to the vehicle more than two hours later. She was greeted by two Ameristar security guards.
Later, a Missouri State Highway Patrol sergeant and a trooper interviewed Glenn.
Glenn admitted to them that she left her “client” unattended on two separate occasions, according to court records.
Glenn parked the silver 2002 Chevrolet Impala on the fourth floor of the parking garage. She left the left front and left rear windows down approximately two inches. She locked the doors.
Glenn was arrested but posted $7,500 bond of which she paid 10 percent, or $750, and was released two days after the incident.
The Missouri Department of Mental Health fired Glenn the day of the incident.
SOURCE: The Examiner
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May 13, 2010
Jury Returns Million-Dollar Elder Abuse Verdict Against Nursing Home (USA)
Jury returns million-dollar elder abuse verdict against Auburn nursing home
By Cynthia Hubert
May. 12, 2010
A Sacramento County Superior Court jury has found an Auburn nursing home guilty of elder abuse in the death of a Northern California woman in 2005.
The jury awarded $1.1 million in damages for Frances Tanner's "pain and suffering" and for the loss of companionship to her daughter, Elizabeth Pao. Punitive damages against the home, Colonial Healthcare, and its parent company, Horizon West of Rocklin, are to be announced Thursday morning.
Carole Herman, founder of the advocacy group Foundation Aiding the Elderly, said the ruling was only the second jury verdict for elder abuse in Sacramento County history. "It is a monumental verdict," she said.
Tanner, 79, was spirited, talkative and mobile when she moved into the facility in March 2005. Seven months later, after a fall that resulted in a broken hip, she was dead from an infected bed sore.
Colonial, which recently changed its name to Hilltop Manor, has a history of problems with state regulators. The state moved last year to revoke Colonial's license but instead reached a settlement agreement with the home that allowed it to remain open.
SOURCE: MODBEE.COM
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Contact Info For Mandatory Elder Abuse Reporters in Oregon (USA)
May 12, 2010
Oregon law ORS 124.040 requires certain people report suspected elder abuse:
(a) Physician, naturopathic physician, osteopathic physician, chiropractor, physician assistant or podiatric physician and surgeon, including any intern or resident.
(b) Licensed practical nurse, registered nurse, nurse practitioner, nurse's aide, home health aide or employee of an in-home health service.
(c) Employee of the Department of Human Services or community developmental disabilities program.
(d) Employee of the Oregon Health Authority, county health department or community mental health program.
(e) Peace officer.
(f) Member of the clergy.
(g) Regulated social worker.
(h) Physical, speech or occupational therapist.
(i) Senior center employee.
(j) Information and referral or outreach worker.
(k) Licensed professional counselor or licensed marriage and family therapist.
(l) Any public official who comes in contact with elderly persons in the performance of the official's official duties.
(m) Firefighter or emergency medical technician.
(n) Psychologist.
(o) Provider of adult foster care or an employee of the provider.
(p) Audiologist.
(q) Speech-language pathologist
Contact information to report suspected abuse in Oregon:
(b) Licensed practical nurse, registered nurse, nurse practitioner, nurse's aide, home health aide or employee of an in-home health service.
(c) Employee of the Department of Human Services or community developmental disabilities program.
(d) Employee of the Oregon Health Authority, county health department or community mental health program.
(e) Peace officer.
(f) Member of the clergy.
(g) Regulated social worker.
(h) Physical, speech or occupational therapist.
(i) Senior center employee.
(j) Information and referral or outreach worker.
(k) Licensed professional counselor or licensed marriage and family therapist.
(l) Any public official who comes in contact with elderly persons in the performance of the official's official duties.
(m) Firefighter or emergency medical technician.
(n) Psychologist.
(o) Provider of adult foster care or an employee of the provider.
(p) Audiologist.
(q) Speech-language pathologist
Contact information to report suspected abuse in Oregon:
· Multnomah County Adult Protective Service: 503.988.4450
· Multnomah County APS after hours: 503.988.3646
· APS: 1.800.232.3020
· Senior Helpline and Elder Abuse Reporting Hotline: 503.988.3646
· Benton County: 1.800.638.0510
· Clackamas County: 503.655.8640
· Clatsop County: 1.800.442.8614
· Columbia County: 503.397.3511
· Coos County: 1.800.858.5777
· Deschutes County, Bend: 1.800.452.5684
· Dechutes County, La Pine: 541.536.8919
· Deschutes County, Redmond: 541.548.2206
· Douglas County, Reedsport: 541.271.4835
· Douglas County, Roseburg: 1.800.234.0985
· Jackson County: 541.664.6674
· Josephine County: 1.800.633.6409
· Lane County, Cottage Grove: 541.682.7800
· Lane County, Eugene: 1.800.441.4038
· Lincoln County: 1.800.638.0510
· Linn County: 1.800.638.0510
· Marion County, North: 1.800.469.8772
· Marion County, South: 503.373.7380
· Marion County, Woodburn: 503.981.5138
· Multnomah County: 503.988.5480
· Polk County: 1.800.469.8772
· Tillamook County: 1.800.584.9712
· Washington County: 503.693.0999
· Yamhill County: 866.333.7218
SOURCE: WeathLawBlog
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