By Kendall Hatch/Daily News staff
Jul 30, 2010
State and local officials are hoping that the services and safety nets provided to the elderly will ensure that no seniors share the same fate as Mary Araujo.
Araujo, who died yesterday on her 81st birthday, was found by police Saturday in a recliner soaked with her own waste and blood in which she had been sitting for a month.
Five family members with whom she lived in the Fall River second-floor apartment face elderly abuse charges, which may be upgraded to manslaughter.
When police found Araujo her skin was decomposing and she had severe bedsores, one of which was so deep that tendons were visible. She spent six days in the hospital with a bacterial infection in her blood before dying yesterday.
"Especially in economic downturns like this, you see increases in elderly abuse," said Middlesex District Attorney Gerald Leone. "There is an erosion of the family dynamic."
Leone said that in tough times, many families who might otherwise place their older relatives in care programs take care of them at home. Occasionally, they are left in the hands of younger family members who are irresponsible or not qualified to provide care. That can lead to neglect and abuse.
But in Middlesex County, Leone said, a program instituted in 2008 seems to be working.
The Leaders in Elder Abuse Prevention program, LEAPS for short, encourages seniors, health care workers and other agencies to report signs of abuse or neglect.
Leone said his office has seen a jump in elder abuse cases since the program was enacted. Although that may sound like bad news off the bat, Leone said it's actually the opposite.
"The first thing you want is for those reporting numbers to go up," he said. "There are now more victims coming in for services and complaining."
In 2008, Leone's office received 242 case referrals. In 2009, that increased to 245. Since January this year, Leone's office has received 301 case referrals.
"It's not necessarily an increase in abuse," he said, "but it's an increase in reports."
Jonathan Fielding, protective services regional manager for the state Executive Office of Elder Affairs, said catching seniors at risk for abuse or neglect is critical.
"Prevention is just as important as alleviation," he said. "We can stop it before it gets bad or before it even happens."
Fielding says Protective Services receives about 16,000 calls per year reporting elder abuse, neglect, or self-neglect. In Massachusetts, about half of the calls are typically about people who may not be taking care of themselves, he said.
Fielding said the 22 protective service agencies established by Elder Affairs across the state try to encourage all agencies that deal with seniors, as well as the general public, to call the elder abuse hotline at 1-800-922-2275 whenever they suspect a senior might be being abused, neglected or not taking care of themselves.
He said some of the main warning signs for elder abuse include bruising, especially in patterns, burn marks, injuries on an immobile person or the inability of a senior to explain their injuries.
He said the state agency also trains people to be aware of signs of emotional and sexual abuse, like withdrawal around certain people, elders who are no longer sexually active contracting sexually transmitted infections or when seniors who need help with personal hygiene become agitated when a someone tries to help them.
Signs of neglect or self-neglect include hoarding, excessive clutter, noticeably poor hygiene and evident nutritional problems, Fielding said.
Fielding encouraged anyone with a concern about an elderly person, even if they are uncertain, to call the hotline.
"You don't need proof," he said. "Let us make the determination."
SOURCE: Milford Daily News
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