By Claire Covert-Wilson
Financial scams aimed at vulnerable seniors have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, highlighting the need for stronger elder abuse prevention education within local communities. In fact, elder financial abuse was dubbed the “crime of the 21st century,” according to a recent piece for the Desert Times. Based on a joint study conducted by the MetLife Mature Market Institute, the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the Center for Gerontology at Virginia Tech, the Times reported that U.S. seniors lost over $2.9 billion to fraudulent scams in 2010 – approximately12% more than in 2008.
Solitude is a primary risk factor for elder abuse. When left alone, seniors are simply more vulnerable to telephone scams and door-to door solicitations. However, family and friend-based caregiving comes with its own complications. Prescott Cole, senior staff attorney at California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, tells the Times that caregiving within families can blur the borders of property ownership and entitlement – sometimes in ways that increase the likelihood of fraudulent activity. After all, when an adult child moves in with a parent, it can be difficult for him or her to maintain distinction between their respective possessions. Some forms of elder abuse are deliberate; but others, like encouraging a parent to sign over property or assets against their will, may come about as a reaction to the strain of caring for an aging loved one.
While it is important for family members to be involved in the care of their aging parents, it is also critical to establish a system that works for everyone – and that means balancing responsibilities to ensure mental and emotional “time off” for everyone concerned. At Unlimited Caregivers, we provide professional, friendly and honest in-home elder care. Whether you need a full-time caregiver on hand to provide your aging loved one with assistance and companionship, or a part-time helper for busy days and special occasions, our San Diego-based, female-run company offers the ideal solution.
The skilled professionals at Unlimited Caregivers will treat your loved ones like members of their own family and respect their boundaries and lifestyle preferences — all while ensuring their utmost safety and security. As experienced caregivers, we know the signs of elder financial abuse, and are adept at intervening as needed to protect your aging parents and their assets. To learn more about elder abuse prevention tactics, or to request details about our San Diego elder care services, rates and availability, visit us online today: www.unlimitedcaregivers.com.
SOURCE: The PomeradoNews
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July 27, 2012
Former Life Agent Sentenced for Stealing from Seniors (CA. USA)
July 26, 2012
SACRAMENTO, Calif.
The California Department of Insurance issued the following news release:
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones today announced that Sharon Harrelson, 55, of Clovis, was sentenced in Fresno County Superior Court to six years in jail and ordered to pay $105,000 in restitution, as well as restitution for any future victims. Harrelson, a former life insurance agent, pled no contest to four felony counts for stealing from an elderly person. The plea agreement was reached after four separate complaints were filed by the Fresno County District Attorney's Office.
Harrelson was originally charged with 20 felony counts of theft from an elder or dependent adult, along with five felony counts of embezzlement and three counts of felony grand theft. The charges stem from a two-year joint investigation by the Department of Insurance (CDI) Investigations Division, Fresno County Sheriff's Department Elder Abuse Unit and Madera County Sheriff's Department. Investigators found that in 2009, while Harrelson was employed by a Fresno insurance agency, she lied to clients that she was part owner of the agency and she had them pay service fees directly to her. The agency found discrepancies in its records, fired Harrelson and reported the embezzlement to the Fresno County Sheriff's Department.
Harrelson continued to do business as The Harrelson Group. The investigation found that she gained the trust of one elderly victim in her 80's, talking her into gifting her $60,000. She promised the victim she would invest the money into CD accounts with a local bank. Harrelson then falsified the bank statements that were given to her. A search warrant of Harrelson's bank records showed she had deposited the money into her personal checking account for her own use.
Another elderly female victim, living in a local Fresno retirement home, alleged that Harrelson charged an $8,500 "coaching" fee to help her pre-plan for Medi-Cal long-term care. The woman never received the services. Charges were filed by the Fresno County DA and Harrelson was arrested on March 6, 2012.
Following Harrelson's arrest on the original complaint, additional victims came forward, alleging similar elder abuse. The Fresno Police Department also received complaints from Harrelson's previous clients, alleging she stole from them and/or misrepresented herself while working at local funeral homes. As a result, Harrelson was charged in three additional cases.
SOURCE: The InsuranceNewsNet
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SACRAMENTO, Calif.
The California Department of Insurance issued the following news release:
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones today announced that Sharon Harrelson, 55, of Clovis, was sentenced in Fresno County Superior Court to six years in jail and ordered to pay $105,000 in restitution, as well as restitution for any future victims. Harrelson, a former life insurance agent, pled no contest to four felony counts for stealing from an elderly person. The plea agreement was reached after four separate complaints were filed by the Fresno County District Attorney's Office.
Harrelson was originally charged with 20 felony counts of theft from an elder or dependent adult, along with five felony counts of embezzlement and three counts of felony grand theft. The charges stem from a two-year joint investigation by the Department of Insurance (CDI) Investigations Division, Fresno County Sheriff's Department Elder Abuse Unit and Madera County Sheriff's Department. Investigators found that in 2009, while Harrelson was employed by a Fresno insurance agency, she lied to clients that she was part owner of the agency and she had them pay service fees directly to her. The agency found discrepancies in its records, fired Harrelson and reported the embezzlement to the Fresno County Sheriff's Department.
Harrelson continued to do business as The Harrelson Group. The investigation found that she gained the trust of one elderly victim in her 80's, talking her into gifting her $60,000. She promised the victim she would invest the money into CD accounts with a local bank. Harrelson then falsified the bank statements that were given to her. A search warrant of Harrelson's bank records showed she had deposited the money into her personal checking account for her own use.
Another elderly female victim, living in a local Fresno retirement home, alleged that Harrelson charged an $8,500 "coaching" fee to help her pre-plan for Medi-Cal long-term care. The woman never received the services. Charges were filed by the Fresno County DA and Harrelson was arrested on March 6, 2012.
Following Harrelson's arrest on the original complaint, additional victims came forward, alleging similar elder abuse. The Fresno Police Department also received complaints from Harrelson's previous clients, alleging she stole from them and/or misrepresented herself while working at local funeral homes. As a result, Harrelson was charged in three additional cases.
SOURCE: The InsuranceNewsNet
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July 24, 2012
Who's Watching Mom?
Who’s Watching Mom?
By JUDITH GRAHAM
July 19, 2012
My mom, who had multiple sclerosis, depended on private duty companions at home — first part-time, then full-time — for nearly 30 years.
Some of these women stole from her. Some ordered groceries on her dime and carried them away at the end of a shift.
Some ignored her cries for assistance when they didn’t feel like getting out of a chair. (How did we know? The phone was next to the bed. There would be a call.) Some were disrespectful and made her feel discounted.
How many caregivers did we go through before we found two wonderful ladies — one from the South Side of Chicago, one from the Philippines — who cared for mom reliably and with considerable sensitivity during the last 20 years of her life? I have no idea. Who wants to remember?
I thought of those long-ago hardships last week when a new study by researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine landed on my desk. It’s an eye-opening look at agencies that supply caregivers, companions, homemakers, personal care attendants and non-nursing home health aides to people who need help living independently at home. (Medicare-certified home health agencies, which are federally regulated and provide licensed nurses, were not included in the report.)
This is a fast-growing, almost entirely unregulated business that serves frail seniors with remarkably little oversight or meaningful consumer protection. Consider the study’s findings, based on interviews with 180 agencies in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
For the interviews, researchers posed as family members seeking information about caregivers’ qualifications. While this may have biased results, it provides an indication of the kind of issues families can encounter when trying to find reliable help.
• Only 16.5 percent of agencies tested potential caregivers’ basic knowledge about the job and its requirements.
• No agencies assessed potential caregivers’ “health literacy” – their ability to understand medical terms and instructions.
• Only 32 percent of agencies performed drug tests on applicants for caregiver positions.
• No agencies performed criminal background checks on applicants in states other than the one in which they were operating.
• Only 15 percent of agencies provided some type of training before sending a caregiver into someone’s home.
• More than half relied on caregivers’ own assessment of their skills – their ability to administer medications, provide dementia care, or transfer someone from chair to bed, for instance – without independent verification.
• Only 23 percent of agencies supervised caregivers by sending someone to the home monthly to check up on them.
Abridged
SOURCE: The NewOldAge Blog NEW YORK TIMES
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By JUDITH GRAHAM
July 19, 2012
My mom, who had multiple sclerosis, depended on private duty companions at home — first part-time, then full-time — for nearly 30 years.
Some of these women stole from her. Some ordered groceries on her dime and carried them away at the end of a shift.
Some ignored her cries for assistance when they didn’t feel like getting out of a chair. (How did we know? The phone was next to the bed. There would be a call.) Some were disrespectful and made her feel discounted.
How many caregivers did we go through before we found two wonderful ladies — one from the South Side of Chicago, one from the Philippines — who cared for mom reliably and with considerable sensitivity during the last 20 years of her life? I have no idea. Who wants to remember?
I thought of those long-ago hardships last week when a new study by researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine landed on my desk. It’s an eye-opening look at agencies that supply caregivers, companions, homemakers, personal care attendants and non-nursing home health aides to people who need help living independently at home. (Medicare-certified home health agencies, which are federally regulated and provide licensed nurses, were not included in the report.)
This is a fast-growing, almost entirely unregulated business that serves frail seniors with remarkably little oversight or meaningful consumer protection. Consider the study’s findings, based on interviews with 180 agencies in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
For the interviews, researchers posed as family members seeking information about caregivers’ qualifications. While this may have biased results, it provides an indication of the kind of issues families can encounter when trying to find reliable help.
• Only 16.5 percent of agencies tested potential caregivers’ basic knowledge about the job and its requirements.
• No agencies assessed potential caregivers’ “health literacy” – their ability to understand medical terms and instructions.
• Only 32 percent of agencies performed drug tests on applicants for caregiver positions.
• No agencies performed criminal background checks on applicants in states other than the one in which they were operating.
• Only 15 percent of agencies provided some type of training before sending a caregiver into someone’s home.
• More than half relied on caregivers’ own assessment of their skills – their ability to administer medications, provide dementia care, or transfer someone from chair to bed, for instance – without independent verification.
• Only 23 percent of agencies supervised caregivers by sending someone to the home monthly to check up on them.
Abridged
SOURCE: The NewOldAge Blog NEW YORK TIMES
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Elderly New Yorkers Angrey as Crisis Hits Poorest
By Claudia Parsons
NEW YORK
Feb 17, 2009
(Reuters)
From housebound grandmothers who rely on charity meal deliveries, to ailing retirees who cannot pay rising costs for medications, older Americans feeling the pinch of the financial crisis are getting angry and forming groups with names like "Senior Outrage."
In New York, with city and state tax revenues tumbling, benefits and services to the elderly are being cut, and many older residents are furiously drawing comparisons to the billions of dollars spent to bail out banks -- and pay Wall Street bonuses.
Dolores Green, 68, retired as a home help worker and lives on a government Social Security check of $740 a month. She pays $719 a month in rent, leaving just $21 for everything else.
To eat, she relies on the federal food stamp assistance program, and worries that her cost for some medication she needs for her diabetes has gone up to $8 from $3.
To get by, she said: "I run errands for seniors. They may hand me $2 or $3 or something."
Green says she sees more people seeking government assistance, such as her daughter, who lost her job after 25 years.
"She's just applied for food stamps, she's got two kids," Green told Reuters at a community center where some 25 elderly New Yorkers were eating a lunch of sandwiches, a gelatin dessert, milk and tomato juice. "That's why she can't help me, because she's got to help her children."
"Maybe I'll move in with you," she jokes to her friend Alice Jordan, 80, a retired teacher who suffers from osteoporosis and high blood pressure.
Jordan said her food stamp allocation had gradually eroded to $54 a month from $180.
When she reads about the well-heeled victims of financier Bernard Madoff's suspected $50 billion Ponzi scheme, she says she wishes they would spare a thought for those who never had such wealth.
"Just like this guy Madoff ripped them off, how did they feel when they lost their money and had to change their style of living? Think of us. ... How do you think we feel?" she asked.
BIG BUDGET GAPS
New York City's Department for the Aging, which runs more than 300 community centers for aging residents and provides services such as food delivery to the homebound, affordable housing and heating subsidies, has cut its 2009 budget by $4 million to $285 million and faces another proposed cut, of $9.5 million, in 2010.
Abridged
SOURCE: REUTERS
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NEW YORK
Feb 17, 2009
(Reuters)
From housebound grandmothers who rely on charity meal deliveries, to ailing retirees who cannot pay rising costs for medications, older Americans feeling the pinch of the financial crisis are getting angry and forming groups with names like "Senior Outrage."
In New York, with city and state tax revenues tumbling, benefits and services to the elderly are being cut, and many older residents are furiously drawing comparisons to the billions of dollars spent to bail out banks -- and pay Wall Street bonuses.
Dolores Green, 68, retired as a home help worker and lives on a government Social Security check of $740 a month. She pays $719 a month in rent, leaving just $21 for everything else.
To eat, she relies on the federal food stamp assistance program, and worries that her cost for some medication she needs for her diabetes has gone up to $8 from $3.
To get by, she said: "I run errands for seniors. They may hand me $2 or $3 or something."
Green says she sees more people seeking government assistance, such as her daughter, who lost her job after 25 years.
"She's just applied for food stamps, she's got two kids," Green told Reuters at a community center where some 25 elderly New Yorkers were eating a lunch of sandwiches, a gelatin dessert, milk and tomato juice. "That's why she can't help me, because she's got to help her children."
"Maybe I'll move in with you," she jokes to her friend Alice Jordan, 80, a retired teacher who suffers from osteoporosis and high blood pressure.
Jordan said her food stamp allocation had gradually eroded to $54 a month from $180.
When she reads about the well-heeled victims of financier Bernard Madoff's suspected $50 billion Ponzi scheme, she says she wishes they would spare a thought for those who never had such wealth.
"Just like this guy Madoff ripped them off, how did they feel when they lost their money and had to change their style of living? Think of us. ... How do you think we feel?" she asked.
BIG BUDGET GAPS
New York City's Department for the Aging, which runs more than 300 community centers for aging residents and provides services such as food delivery to the homebound, affordable housing and heating subsidies, has cut its 2009 budget by $4 million to $285 million and faces another proposed cut, of $9.5 million, in 2010.
Abridged
SOURCE: REUTERS
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July 18, 2012
Elderly Protective Services Safety Net for the Abused, Incompetent (USA)
by Elaine Clément
Dennis Broussard, a former St. Martin Parish teacher, is based out of the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office.
New Iberia – If you were an elderly person, how would you like to be treated?
According to Dennis Broussard, director of Lafayette region Elderly Protective Services (EPS), this should be the primary question people ask themselves when they make a report or visit his offices.
Elderly Protective Services was created by the Louisiana legislature in 2008 as part of the Governor’s Office on Elderly Affairs. It has just been moved to the Office of Aging and Adult Services under the Department of Health and Hospitals. Its purpose is to investigate reports of abuse, advocate for a possible solution and work with law enforcement, medical personnel and various agencies to find a solution.
Broussard is clear that the purpose of his agency is to determine what is in the best interest of the client, the elderly person. What they are actually doing is advocating for the elderly as opposed to protecting, and the term “protective services” often causes confusion.
So what exactly is EPS? It is a social agency that investigates reports of neglect, abuse or exploitation and advocates for the elder person. There are seven offices in the state. The Lafayette regional office based in New Iberia covers 10 parishes, including Acadia, Assumption, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne and Vermilion.
He explained that the job of the EPS is to investigate reports of abuse and neglect and to advocate for the elderly. At this point, each case is different, but they try and find a way for the elderly person to live independently at home. They also determine the capacity of the person to live alone.
Sometimes it’s a question of putting them in touch with other agencies, such as the Council on Aging, to deliver meals if they are homebound or to give directions to where they could go have a meal.
The EPS is now run out of the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office.
For more information on the EPS or to make a report, visit their web site at goea.louisiana.gov or contact the New Iberia office at (337) 365-9855 or toll free at (800) 866-5044. To make a report on the state-wide level, call (800) 259-4990 toll free in state or (22) 342-9722 if out of the state.
SOURCE: TheTecheToday
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Elder Abuse: New Legislation Allows Easier Prosecution (MO. USA)
July 11, 2012
by Jay Scherder, KY3 News
Missouri Governor was in town Wednesday
at the South Side Senior Center to sign legislation concerning financial
exploitation.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
reports about one out of every five calls to the Elder Abuse Hotline deals with
financial exploitation. It's a constant battle, and before this law prosecutors
didn't have all the tools they needed to go after criminals.
"It is an awful and unfortunate truth that each year
thousands of older folks are the victims of financial exploitation," said
Governor Nixon.
It's a problem not only in Missouri, but across the country.
"It is estimated that each year in the United States
senior citizens are swindled out of $2.6 billion due to financial exploitation,"
Governor Nixon said.
SOURCE: KY3 NEWS
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5 Charged with Elder Abuse, Animal Neglect (CA. USA)
July 17, 2012
(UPI)
Members of a San Jose, Calif., family accused of elder abuse and animal neglect were arraigned in Santa Clara County Superior Court.
Bail was set at $500,000 for each defendant, who face a possible 18 years in prison if convicted on charges of dependent adult abuse and animal neglect in their unlicensed group home in an upscale neighborhood of the city, the San Jose Mercury News reported Monday.
San Jose police arrested the family members in May after discovering about a dozen elderly and mentally disabled men and women living in squalid conditions with 25 dogs. Some victims told investigators the caretakers regularly beat them, fed them poorly, stole their Social Security and disability benefits, and sometimes withheld medication.
Officials did not offer an explanation about the presence of the 25 dogs found during the arrests or the 21 other dogs discovered at the house about a month after the arrests, the Mercury News said.
"There's no evidence of carcasses," district attorney Charles Huang said. "The dogs have been removed and are now in good care."
SOURCE: UPI
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(UPI)
Members of a San Jose, Calif., family accused of elder abuse and animal neglect were arraigned in Santa Clara County Superior Court.
Bail was set at $500,000 for each defendant, who face a possible 18 years in prison if convicted on charges of dependent adult abuse and animal neglect in their unlicensed group home in an upscale neighborhood of the city, the San Jose Mercury News reported Monday.
San Jose police arrested the family members in May after discovering about a dozen elderly and mentally disabled men and women living in squalid conditions with 25 dogs. Some victims told investigators the caretakers regularly beat them, fed them poorly, stole their Social Security and disability benefits, and sometimes withheld medication.
Officials did not offer an explanation about the presence of the 25 dogs found during the arrests or the 21 other dogs discovered at the house about a month after the arrests, the Mercury News said.
"There's no evidence of carcasses," district attorney Charles Huang said. "The dogs have been removed and are now in good care."
SOURCE: UPI
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July 12, 2012
UK Study on Elder Abuse Shows Need to Improve Local Councils
July 9, 2012
By Valarie Honeycutt Spears
After finding that they lacked strong purpose and coordination, a University of Kentucky researcher is working to improve Kentucky's 27 local councils on elder abuse.
The study, Combating Elder Abuse In Kentucky, led by Pam Teaster, found that Kentucky's Local Coordinating Councils on Elder Abuse also lacked participation from crucial members and funding to achieve their goals, and that they needed recognition and direction.
The focus of the councils, which were developed at the direction of the Kentucky Elder Abuse Committee, are prevention, intervention and resource development aimed at ending abuse. Their members are professionals from a variety of disciplines and members of the public.
Some councils have done especially good work, said Teaster, associate dean for research in UK's College of Public Health.
The councils "do a lot to raise awareness," she said.
Work of the Louisville Metro Council in Jefferson County, for example, led to the 2011 passage of a bill that prohibits those who exploit victims from inheriting the victims' estates.
But a survey of the councils by Teaster showed that most do not review cases.
Teaster said that starting this year, the councils will develop new measures of success and she will track the councils for three years so they will have an effect on elder abuse in Kentucky. Their outcomes will be measured against state Cabinet for Health and Family Services' Adult Protective Services reports, investigations and substantiations.
"They need to have measures ... that produce an effect," Teaster said.
Teaster said elder abuse councils are hampered because the General Assembly has never provided money for them. They "are having to figure out ways to fund-raise all the time," Teaster said.
Teaster's research was financed with a $10,000 grant from UK's Commonwealth Collaborative Fund for community engagement.
SOURCE: The Kentucky
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Experts Warn of Financial Fraud (USA)
Experts warn of financial fraud
JASON POWERS / Tulsa World
By PHIL MULKINS World Action Line Editor
7/11/2012
A major new survey of 762 experts on financial exploitation of the elderly, conducted by the nonprofit Investor Protection Trust, showed 84 percent of them agree that "the problem of swindles targeting the elderly is getting worse today."
Survey participants included securities regulators, adult protective services workers, medical professionals, law enforcement officials and others on the front lines of elder financial abuse prevention.
Nearly all respondents said 75 percent of older Americans are "very vulnerable" and that 24 percent are "somewhat vulnerable" to financial swindles.
Senior financial fraud: Released last month in conjunction with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15, the IPT survey ( tulsaworld.com/IPTelderinvestfraud) also found that 58 percent deal with elderly victims of investment fraud/financial exploitation "quite often" or "somewhat often" and 96 percent say the problem of elderly investment fraud/financial exploitation in the U.S. is "very serious" (70 percent) or "somewhat serious" (26 percent). A 2010 IPT Elder Fraud Survey ( tulsaworld.com/IPT2010survey) revealed 7 million older Americans - one of every five people over 65 - were already swindle victims.
"The message from those on the front lines of investor protection is swindles targeting older Americans are a bigger problem than ever before," said Don Blandin, IPT president and CEO. "We have trained 3,000 U.S. medical professionals who deal every day with older Americans to spot the impaired mental capacity that can leave seniors vulnerable to financial abuse. We must prevent financial swindles before the damage is done."
Oklahoma law: When someone uses coercion, harassment or deception to misuse or steal an older person's money or property, that is "elder financial exploitation." Oklahoma Title 43A Chapter 1 Section 10-103, the "Protective Services for Vulnerable Adults Act" - tulsaworld.com/OKSrabuselaw - makes exploiting an elderly or vulnerable adult, under another person's care, a felony.
Violation of Title 21 Chapter 30 Section 843.1, the Oklahoma "Abuse, Neglect or Financial Exploitation by Caretaker Act" - tulsaworld.com/OKSr$abuselaw - excluding sexual abuse, is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of not more than $10,000.
DHS enforcement: In Oklahoma, the Department of Human Services' Adult Protective Services ( tulsaworld.com/OKDHSSrlaw) largely is in charge of enforcing these two laws. They define "elder abuse" as "any knowing, intentional or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable adult."
Warning signs of elderly financial abuse: The APS lists the following signs: Frequent expensive gifts from vulnerable adult to caregiver; vulnerable adult's personal belongings, papers, credit cards missing; many unpaid bills; a recent will when vulnerable adult seems incapable of writing a will; signing over deeds to property; caregiver's name added to bank account; vulnerable adult unaware of monthly income; vulnerable adult signs on loan; frequent checks made out to "cash;" unusual activity in bank account; irregularities on tax returns; vulnerable adult unaware of reason for appointment with banker or attorney; caregiver's refusal to spend money on vulnerable adult; or signatures on checks or legal documents that do not resemble vulnerable adult's.
Abridged
SOURCE: The TulsaWorld
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JASON POWERS / Tulsa World
By PHIL MULKINS World Action Line Editor
7/11/2012
A major new survey of 762 experts on financial exploitation of the elderly, conducted by the nonprofit Investor Protection Trust, showed 84 percent of them agree that "the problem of swindles targeting the elderly is getting worse today."
Survey participants included securities regulators, adult protective services workers, medical professionals, law enforcement officials and others on the front lines of elder financial abuse prevention.
Nearly all respondents said 75 percent of older Americans are "very vulnerable" and that 24 percent are "somewhat vulnerable" to financial swindles.
Senior financial fraud: Released last month in conjunction with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15, the IPT survey ( tulsaworld.com/IPTelderinvestfraud) also found that 58 percent deal with elderly victims of investment fraud/financial exploitation "quite often" or "somewhat often" and 96 percent say the problem of elderly investment fraud/financial exploitation in the U.S. is "very serious" (70 percent) or "somewhat serious" (26 percent). A 2010 IPT Elder Fraud Survey ( tulsaworld.com/IPT2010survey) revealed 7 million older Americans - one of every five people over 65 - were already swindle victims.
"The message from those on the front lines of investor protection is swindles targeting older Americans are a bigger problem than ever before," said Don Blandin, IPT president and CEO. "We have trained 3,000 U.S. medical professionals who deal every day with older Americans to spot the impaired mental capacity that can leave seniors vulnerable to financial abuse. We must prevent financial swindles before the damage is done."
Oklahoma law: When someone uses coercion, harassment or deception to misuse or steal an older person's money or property, that is "elder financial exploitation." Oklahoma Title 43A Chapter 1 Section 10-103, the "Protective Services for Vulnerable Adults Act" - tulsaworld.com/OKSrabuselaw - makes exploiting an elderly or vulnerable adult, under another person's care, a felony.
Violation of Title 21 Chapter 30 Section 843.1, the Oklahoma "Abuse, Neglect or Financial Exploitation by Caretaker Act" - tulsaworld.com/OKSr$abuselaw - excluding sexual abuse, is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of not more than $10,000.
DHS enforcement: In Oklahoma, the Department of Human Services' Adult Protective Services ( tulsaworld.com/OKDHSSrlaw) largely is in charge of enforcing these two laws. They define "elder abuse" as "any knowing, intentional or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable adult."
Warning signs of elderly financial abuse: The APS lists the following signs: Frequent expensive gifts from vulnerable adult to caregiver; vulnerable adult's personal belongings, papers, credit cards missing; many unpaid bills; a recent will when vulnerable adult seems incapable of writing a will; signing over deeds to property; caregiver's name added to bank account; vulnerable adult unaware of monthly income; vulnerable adult signs on loan; frequent checks made out to "cash;" unusual activity in bank account; irregularities on tax returns; vulnerable adult unaware of reason for appointment with banker or attorney; caregiver's refusal to spend money on vulnerable adult; or signatures on checks or legal documents that do not resemble vulnerable adult's.
Abridged
SOURCE: The TulsaWorld
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Ageing Strategy Released (NSW AUSTRALIA)
July 10, 2012
The NSW has launched an Ageing Strategy including $500,000 to fund low cost training programs to help seniors become “tech savvy”.
A new grants program will also be established as part of the strategy to help local councils build age-friendly communities.
The Local Government Shires Association will administer a funding pool of $550,000 to assist councils with infrastructure, focussing on accessible town centres.
A new helpline focused on the abuse of older people will be established as part of the strategy.
“For a long time people have been calling for a helpline to tackle this issue, particularly financial and psychological abuse,” the Minister for Ageing Andrew Constance said.
“The new service will help older people, front line service providers, families and carers end abuse and is a step towards preventing it before it occurs.”
Other aspects of the NSW Ageing Strategy include:
• The Seniors Card Program to be expanded to include government information and information on local community activities
• A program to promote physical and recreational activities
• The Government will promote the independence and safety of older people as they move from driving to other forms of transport
• The Government to establish an open dialogue with the private sector to maximise the commercial opportunities as a result of the population ageing
“Combined Pensioners and Superannuants of NSW (CPSA) is very pleased that the NSW Ageing Strategy includes provisions for an elder abuse helpline,” Research/Policy Officer Amelia Christie said.
“Practical, positive action against the abuse of older people is long overdue and is something that CPSA has been campaigning for.
“Around 50,000 people aged over 65 are being abused in NSW, according to a study by the Australian Institute of Criminology, and this figure could be significantly higher depending on the definition of ‘abuse’ used.
“Abuse of older people goes beyond physical abuse and includes sexual, psychological and emotional abuse. Financial abuse and neglect are the most common forms and often the most difficult to detect. This is exacerbated by the fact that the abuse of older people often occurs within relationships built on trust. It is often committed by family members making it more difficult for an outsider to detect and more difficult for an older person to speak out about,” Christie said.
The NSW Ageing Strategy can be viewed here
SOURCE: ProBonoAustralia
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The NSW has launched an Ageing Strategy including $500,000 to fund low cost training programs to help seniors become “tech savvy”.
A new grants program will also be established as part of the strategy to help local councils build age-friendly communities.
The Local Government Shires Association will administer a funding pool of $550,000 to assist councils with infrastructure, focussing on accessible town centres.
A new helpline focused on the abuse of older people will be established as part of the strategy.
“For a long time people have been calling for a helpline to tackle this issue, particularly financial and psychological abuse,” the Minister for Ageing Andrew Constance said.
“The new service will help older people, front line service providers, families and carers end abuse and is a step towards preventing it before it occurs.”
Other aspects of the NSW Ageing Strategy include:
• The Seniors Card Program to be expanded to include government information and information on local community activities
• A program to promote physical and recreational activities
• The Government will promote the independence and safety of older people as they move from driving to other forms of transport
• The Government to establish an open dialogue with the private sector to maximise the commercial opportunities as a result of the population ageing
“Combined Pensioners and Superannuants of NSW (CPSA) is very pleased that the NSW Ageing Strategy includes provisions for an elder abuse helpline,” Research/Policy Officer Amelia Christie said.
“Practical, positive action against the abuse of older people is long overdue and is something that CPSA has been campaigning for.
“Around 50,000 people aged over 65 are being abused in NSW, according to a study by the Australian Institute of Criminology, and this figure could be significantly higher depending on the definition of ‘abuse’ used.
“Abuse of older people goes beyond physical abuse and includes sexual, psychological and emotional abuse. Financial abuse and neglect are the most common forms and often the most difficult to detect. This is exacerbated by the fact that the abuse of older people often occurs within relationships built on trust. It is often committed by family members making it more difficult for an outsider to detect and more difficult for an older person to speak out about,” Christie said.
The NSW Ageing Strategy can be viewed here
SOURCE: ProBonoAustralia
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Home Health Care Provider Defrauded Elderly Woman (USA)
By Loretta Park
Standard-Examiner staff
07/11/2012
SYRACUSE — Syracuse police believe there may be more victims of a woman who claimed to provide home health care at residents’ homes.
Kimberly Coleen Mitchell, 40, was booked in Davis County Jail on four counts of fraud, two counts of credit card fraud and one count of elder abuse Monday following an investigation that lasted about two weeks, said Syracuse Police Lt. Tracy Jensen. She is being held without bail.
Police were called in June by the family of an 86-year-old woman after they noticed problems with her bank account.
“There were some charges on it that were unusual, so they went to the bank and grabbed the statements,” Jensen said.
That’s when they saw a check had been written to Mitchell, and the “signature on the check was not the victim’s,” Jensen said.
Police learned the family had hired Mitchell after they saw an ad placed on Care.com, where she offered her services as a home health care provider.
Jensen said the detective on the case is concerned other people may have been victimized by Mitchell.
Police are still investigating and the Davis County Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case before filing formal charges in 2nd District Court.
If anyone has any information about Mitchell, they can call police at 801-825-4400.
SOURCE: The Standard
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Standard-Examiner staff
07/11/2012
SYRACUSE — Syracuse police believe there may be more victims of a woman who claimed to provide home health care at residents’ homes.
Kimberly Coleen Mitchell, 40, was booked in Davis County Jail on four counts of fraud, two counts of credit card fraud and one count of elder abuse Monday following an investigation that lasted about two weeks, said Syracuse Police Lt. Tracy Jensen. She is being held without bail.
Police were called in June by the family of an 86-year-old woman after they noticed problems with her bank account.
“There were some charges on it that were unusual, so they went to the bank and grabbed the statements,” Jensen said.
That’s when they saw a check had been written to Mitchell, and the “signature on the check was not the victim’s,” Jensen said.
Police learned the family had hired Mitchell after they saw an ad placed on Care.com, where she offered her services as a home health care provider.
Jensen said the detective on the case is concerned other people may have been victimized by Mitchell.
Police are still investigating and the Davis County Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case before filing formal charges in 2nd District Court.
If anyone has any information about Mitchell, they can call police at 801-825-4400.
SOURCE: The Standard
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July 6, 2012
CANADA: Government Highlights Elder Abuse Awareness Project
Government of Canada Highlights Elder Abuse Awareness Project in Fredericton
July 04, 2012
Marketwire
The Government of Canada continues to combat elder abuse by funding projects through the New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP). The Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Minister for the Atlantic Gateway and Member of Parliament for Fredericton, highlighted funding today on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, and the Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors).
"Protecting seniors from elder abuse is a priority for the Government of Canada," said Minister Ashfield. "Supporting projects that increase elder abuse awareness among seniors, their families and service providers will help us combat this serious issue."
The New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes in Fredericton will receive $350,000 for its project to educate nursing home employees and seniors on what elder abuse is and how it can be prevented.
This is one of 33 pan-Canadian NHSP projects, totalling $14.6 million, announced on the occasion of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, June 15.
The New Horizons for Seniors Program helps to ensure that seniors are able to benefit from and contribute to the quality of life in their communities through their social participation and active living. For more information on the NHSP, visit: www.hrsdc.gc.ca/seniors.
In addition, the Government is addressing elder abuse through recently introduced legislation that will help ensure consistently tough penalties for offences involving the abuse of elderly persons.
Contact Information
• Marian Ngo
Office of Minister Finley
819-994-2482
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
819-994-5559
SOURCE: The MarketWire
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July 04, 2012
Marketwire
The Government of Canada continues to combat elder abuse by funding projects through the New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP). The Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Minister for the Atlantic Gateway and Member of Parliament for Fredericton, highlighted funding today on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, and the Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors).
"Protecting seniors from elder abuse is a priority for the Government of Canada," said Minister Ashfield. "Supporting projects that increase elder abuse awareness among seniors, their families and service providers will help us combat this serious issue."
The New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes in Fredericton will receive $350,000 for its project to educate nursing home employees and seniors on what elder abuse is and how it can be prevented.
This is one of 33 pan-Canadian NHSP projects, totalling $14.6 million, announced on the occasion of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, June 15.
The New Horizons for Seniors Program helps to ensure that seniors are able to benefit from and contribute to the quality of life in their communities through their social participation and active living. For more information on the NHSP, visit: www.hrsdc.gc.ca/seniors.
In addition, the Government is addressing elder abuse through recently introduced legislation that will help ensure consistently tough penalties for offences involving the abuse of elderly persons.
Contact Information
• Marian Ngo
Office of Minister Finley
819-994-2482
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
819-994-5559
SOURCE: The MarketWire
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Namibia: Abuse of the Elderly a Growing Phenomenon
By Mathias Haufiku
4 July 2012
The Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services, Petrina Haingura, has called on Namibians to stop seeing elders as a burden, but rather value their contribution to the development of the country.
Speaking at the recent celebration of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15) in Rundu, Haingura said older persons are an integral part of society because of their expertise and wisdom.
The day was celebrated under the theme: "My World, Your World, Our World - Free of Abuse".
"Throughout the world, the abuse and neglect of older persons is largely overlooked or treated as an unspoken problem. Unfortunately, no community or country in the world is immune from this costly public health and human crisis," she said.
Haingura cited the change in social and economic environment as the source of lack of respect and honour for elders in modern times.
"Old age is supposed to be the golden period of a person's life, characterized by enjoyment and satisfaction, but according to a World Report on Violence and Health of 2002 by the WHO, old age in many African countries is a nightmare, as the rights of older people are trampled on and violated in many ways," she said.
False accusations also form part of abuse since old people tend to be accused of witchcraft and end up living in isolation or being killed, she noted.
"There is a need to consider the mental needs of older persons, including those experiencing depression. With an increasing awareness about disability issues, we must also consider that persons with disabilities are living longer and have needs as they age," Haingura added.
At the same occasion, Governor of Kavango Region, Maurus Nekaro, noted that it is important to commemorate elders day because it serves as recognition of the mistreatment elders endure, while raising awareness on the abuse and neglect of elderly persons.
"Let me use this platform to express my dissatisfaction and concern about the elderly people who misuse their social grants for acquiring liquor, as well as those exploiting our elderly for profit reasons," Nekaro said.
He urged young parents to refrain from deliberately leaving their children with older persons but rather take care of their children themselves.
A mini survey conducted by the University of Namibia on Elderly Abuse revealed that 86 percent of the respondents were of the opinion that elderly abuse is a very serious problem; 81 percent of respondents indicated that elder abuse is an increasing problem, while 18 percent of the respondents said elderly abuse is not relevant in our society.
The survey also listed the frequency of the different kinds of abuse as follows: economic abuse (63 percent), neglect (54 percent), emotional abuse (53 percent), physical (22 percent), frequency of restraints (12 percent) and sexual abuse (9 percent).
SOURCE: The AllAfrica
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4 July 2012
The Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services, Petrina Haingura, has called on Namibians to stop seeing elders as a burden, but rather value their contribution to the development of the country.
Speaking at the recent celebration of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15) in Rundu, Haingura said older persons are an integral part of society because of their expertise and wisdom.
The day was celebrated under the theme: "My World, Your World, Our World - Free of Abuse".
"Throughout the world, the abuse and neglect of older persons is largely overlooked or treated as an unspoken problem. Unfortunately, no community or country in the world is immune from this costly public health and human crisis," she said.
Haingura cited the change in social and economic environment as the source of lack of respect and honour for elders in modern times.
"Old age is supposed to be the golden period of a person's life, characterized by enjoyment and satisfaction, but according to a World Report on Violence and Health of 2002 by the WHO, old age in many African countries is a nightmare, as the rights of older people are trampled on and violated in many ways," she said.
False accusations also form part of abuse since old people tend to be accused of witchcraft and end up living in isolation or being killed, she noted.
"There is a need to consider the mental needs of older persons, including those experiencing depression. With an increasing awareness about disability issues, we must also consider that persons with disabilities are living longer and have needs as they age," Haingura added.
At the same occasion, Governor of Kavango Region, Maurus Nekaro, noted that it is important to commemorate elders day because it serves as recognition of the mistreatment elders endure, while raising awareness on the abuse and neglect of elderly persons.
"Let me use this platform to express my dissatisfaction and concern about the elderly people who misuse their social grants for acquiring liquor, as well as those exploiting our elderly for profit reasons," Nekaro said.
He urged young parents to refrain from deliberately leaving their children with older persons but rather take care of their children themselves.
A mini survey conducted by the University of Namibia on Elderly Abuse revealed that 86 percent of the respondents were of the opinion that elderly abuse is a very serious problem; 81 percent of respondents indicated that elder abuse is an increasing problem, while 18 percent of the respondents said elderly abuse is not relevant in our society.
The survey also listed the frequency of the different kinds of abuse as follows: economic abuse (63 percent), neglect (54 percent), emotional abuse (53 percent), physical (22 percent), frequency of restraints (12 percent) and sexual abuse (9 percent).
SOURCE: The AllAfrica
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The Nature of Violent Crimes Against the Elderly (USA)
July 3, 2012
by CrimeCents
What with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and the Karen Klein story, elder abuse is suddenly in the spotlight.
Unfortunately, there is no national data source that gives a quantitative overview of elder abuse. The two biggest sources of crime data in this country – the FBI’s UCR data and the National Crime Victimization Survey — don’t really address the issue very well.
Instead, the Bureau of Justice Statistics recently released a report based on National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) which did collect complete elder victimization data for Michigan from 2005-2009. NIBRS, which is similar to the UCR data, captures additional details and information.
Here are some of the highlights:
• Half (49.5%) of violent victimizations of the elderly known to law enforcement in Michigan involved serious violence— murder, rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and kidnapping.
• Three out of 10 elderly victims of reported violence were victimized by their own child or grandchild.
• More than a third of violent victimizations of elderly women (37.8%) involved the victim’s child or grandchild, compared to less than a quarter of victimizations of elderly men (22.5%).
• The rate of reported violence against elderly men (247.7 per 100,000 males age 65 or older) was 1.4 times higher than the rate for elderly women (172.9 per 100,000 women age 65 or older).
• The rate of reported violent victimization by a stranger was more than 2 times greater for elderly men (65.5 per 100,000 males age 65 or older) than for elderly women (29.2 per 100,000 women age 65 or older).
Some of this is not surprising to me. Of course elderly women are more commonly victimized by people they know, their only family members. This is true of women and girls of all ages. But I am surprised at the rates of violence against elderly men by strangers. I would have thought the numbers would be lower.
SOURCE: The CrimeDime
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by CrimeCents
What with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and the Karen Klein story, elder abuse is suddenly in the spotlight.
Unfortunately, there is no national data source that gives a quantitative overview of elder abuse. The two biggest sources of crime data in this country – the FBI’s UCR data and the National Crime Victimization Survey — don’t really address the issue very well.
Instead, the Bureau of Justice Statistics recently released a report based on National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) which did collect complete elder victimization data for Michigan from 2005-2009. NIBRS, which is similar to the UCR data, captures additional details and information.
Here are some of the highlights:
• Half (49.5%) of violent victimizations of the elderly known to law enforcement in Michigan involved serious violence— murder, rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and kidnapping.
• Three out of 10 elderly victims of reported violence were victimized by their own child or grandchild.
• More than a third of violent victimizations of elderly women (37.8%) involved the victim’s child or grandchild, compared to less than a quarter of victimizations of elderly men (22.5%).
• The rate of reported violence against elderly men (247.7 per 100,000 males age 65 or older) was 1.4 times higher than the rate for elderly women (172.9 per 100,000 women age 65 or older).
• The rate of reported violent victimization by a stranger was more than 2 times greater for elderly men (65.5 per 100,000 males age 65 or older) than for elderly women (29.2 per 100,000 women age 65 or older).
Some of this is not surprising to me. Of course elderly women are more commonly victimized by people they know, their only family members. This is true of women and girls of all ages. But I am surprised at the rates of violence against elderly men by strangers. I would have thought the numbers would be lower.
SOURCE: The CrimeDime
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