Widow Alleges Outrageous Financial Abuse (CA. USA)

 Widow Alleges Outrageous Financial Abuse
By REBEKAH KEARN

 VENTURA, Calif. (CN) -

An elderly, ill widow claims in court that a remodeling company and bank are demanding $8,300 and threatening to take away her home for minor home repairs she refused four times.
     Emma Jean Hill, 86, sued U Save Remodeling and EnerBank USA in Superior Court.
     Hill says she is an unemployed widow who is completely dependent on "her monthly Social Security check, financial support from family members and a small rental unit behind her home."
     It all began on July 10 this year, as she sat on her porch with her 65-year-old daughter, who has diabetes, congestive heart disease and cancer in remission, Hill says.
     "While sitting on her front porch, Mrs. Hill was approached by a man who let himself in through the front gate, uninvited. He identified himself as a representative of U Save, and that he wanted to talk to her about installing new windows," the complaint states.
     Hill herself is recovering from open heart surgery, has cataracts, severe arthritis, an artificial knee and is hard of hearing, she says in the complaint.
     Hill says she could not afford to remodel her house and told U Save's pitch man "no at least 4 times" but he "persisted and continued to convince her to install the windows" until she finally gave in.
     Hill says the man, who is not identified in the complaint, had her sign a contract, but she could not read it because it was illegible.
     "Mrs. Hill could not read the fine print of the document, and told the U Save representative that she could not read it," the complaint states. "The U Save representative told her specifically that she could pay off the windows for an initial down payment of $300, and a payment plan of $50.00 per month with 'NO INTEREST.' The document called for the outrageous job price of $4,850.00 (for 3 average size windows and 2 small windows and a railing on a small 3 step concrete patio)."

Abridged
SOURCE:     The CourtHouseNews
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Family Secretly Film Carer Abusing Mum

Family secretly film carer abusing mum
By ALASTAIR TAYLOR
30 AUGUST 2012

A NURSING home carer filmed abusing an 89-year-old was jailed yesterday.
The family of dementia sufferer Ivy Robinson used a hidden camera to trap Emma Bryan after spotting bruises on the mum’s hands.
Video:
Family secretly film abuse of mum in nursing home   [Please go to SOURCE for video]

EMMA Bryan and Katherine Wells were filmed abusing 89-year-old dementia sufferer Ivy Robinson
Bryan, 29, and colleague Katherine Wallis, 45, were seen dragging Ivy from a chair to a bed. Bryan, senior carer at Oakfoss House home in Pontefract, West Yorks, slapped Ivy on the hand and called her “a nasty old cow” and “a silly t**t”.
Mum-of-one Bryan was sentenced to four months. Wallis got a 12-month community order. Judge Guy Kearl told them: “This neglect is unforgivable and unacceptable.” Both women admitted ill-treatment. Bryan also admitted failing to give medication properly.
After the Leeds Crown Court trial, Ivy’s daughter Angela, 56, said: “To see what mum was subjected to sickened us.”

 Abridged
SOURCE:       The Sun

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Agony of Pensioner, 97, Who Broke Her Neck in a Care Home (UK)

 Agony of pensioner, 97, who broke her neck in a BUPA care home and was sent to bed with two paracetamol tablets
•    Hearing was told Abdullah Khan did not call an ambulance to avoid 'whingeing paramedics'
•    The pensioner was left in her bed for nearly two hours
•    But he said he didn't dial 999 as he couldn't be '100 per cent' sure what was wrong with her
By Emily Allen

29 August 2012

Hearing: Abdullah Khan, 37, denied ignoring her cries for help and failing to notice she had been seriously injured
A 97-year-old woman was left crying out in agony after she broke her neck at a BUPA care home and was given just two paracetamol tablets, a hearing was told.
The pensioner was left in her bed for nearly two hours before an ambulance was called.
Abdullah Khan, 37, denied ignoring her cries for help and failing to notice she had been seriously injured. The hearing also heard how he did not call an ambulance to avoid ‘whingeing’ paramedics.
But giving evidence he told the Nursing and Midwifery Council he did not call an ambulance because he could not be ‘100 per cent sure’ what was wrong with her.
After a ten minute assessment, he gave the woman two painkillers following the 6am fall and did not bother to check on her again before his shift ended at 7.30am, it was alleged.
The woman fell in her room at the BUPA-run Old Gates Nursing Home in Feniscowles, Blackburn, Lancashire, on March 20 last year.
Senior carer Wendy Aspen took over from Mr  Khan at 7.30am, and an ambulance was called shortly afterwards when the woman's condition was discovered.
Lucinda Bernett, chairing the NMC hearing, said: 'Mr Khan stated he did not want to call an ambulance if he was not 100 per cent certain as to the need, since the ambulance staff would be ‘whingeing and upset’ if they were called unnecessarily.
‘As a registered nurse and the senior member of staff on duty at the time, it was Mr Khan’s responsibility to call an ambulance.

 Abridged
SOURCE:        The DailyMail
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Arlington Police Investigate Alleged Case of Elderly Abuse Caught on Video

Arlington police investigate alleged case of elderly abuse caught on video at nursing home
By Travis Hudson

 August 29, 2012

Arlington police are investigating allegations of elderly abuse at the Heritage Oaks Nursing Home, according to police spokeswoman Tiara Richard.
Mynez Carter, 83, has Alzheimer’s disease and is being cared for at Heritage Oaks. Her family became concerned when she became fearful around relatives and had unexplained bruises. Carter’s two daughters placed a hidden camera in the room and were shocked by what it captured.
The video, which was released to Fox 4, shows workers pinching Carter and being forceful with her.
“My heart started racing and I was horrified,” Carter’s daughter Freddie Johnson told Fox.
Carter’s two daughters brought the video to nursing home administrator Jerry Warren, who disagreed with their interpretation of the treatment but did open an internal investigation into the matter.
The daughters also filed a police report, which is now being investigated by an Arlington police detective.


 SOURCE:       The DallasNews, CrimeBlog
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Prescription Medication Theft, Abuse Increasing

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and AARP Minnesota are teaming up to urge awareness concerning prescription medication theft and abuse.
The abuse of prescription medication is the fastest-growing type of illegal drug use in the U.S. Approximately 70 percent of abusers say that they obtained their supply prescription medications from friends and family. The Sheriff’s Office is urging senior citizens to take precaution to prevent theft of medications, according to a news release.
“This is a serious type of elder abuse and I urge all seniors and their families to be aware of potential of theft and abuse,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, “Keep prescriptions in a secure location, monitor supplies, and take additional precautions if pills are missing.”
AARP has a booth at the Minnesota State Fair (located in the Education Building at Dan Patch Avenue and Cosgrove Street.) On Thursday, Aug. 30, during Senior Citizen Day at the fair, representatives from the Sheriff’s Office will be handing out informational flyers that describe prevention of medication abuse and theft.
The average 75-year-old has three chronic conditions and uses five prescription drugs. Abusers may target seniors and their homes as a source of prescription medications. They may know when a prescription is filled and when to visit the senior.
In some cases, an abuser may withhold certain amounts medications so that the proper dosage is not available to the senior. Theft or withholding of medication from an older person -- may lead to increased pain, risk of injury, and even death. The senior citizen may be at greater risk of requiring nursing home care if medications are stolen or withheld in their homes.
Seniors are reminded that expired and unwanted medications should NOT be stored in the home. They should dispose of medications properly.
Hennepin County residents may drop off unwanted and expired medicines at disposal boxes at three Sheriff’s Office facilities in Brooklyn Park, Spring Park, and downtown Minneapolis. Removing unwanted medications may help reduce the supply that could potentially be stolen or abused. The disposal service is free.
Properly disposing of unused medicines is important to prevent abuse or poisoning and protect the environment. Storing medicines in the home poses safety and health threats. Prescription drug abuse is a growing problem, especially among teens, and accidental poisonings from medicines are on the rise. Medicines flushed down the drain or disposed of in the trash can contaminate bodies of water, harm wildlife and end up in drinking water supplies.
In Hennepin County, there are three locations for medicine drop-off boxes. The boxes are self-serve and located in the lobby at each location. Pull the handle to open and drop the medicine into the box.

 SOURCE:       The EdenPrairieNews
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Probate Cour: Where Some Elderly Citizens Disapear

 Probate Court: Where Some Elderly Citizens Disappear; the Case of Former WestConn Professor Eli Schutts (Second in a Series; Updated With Daughter's Reaction)

August 17, 2012
By ANDY THIBAULT
And JACK CORAGGIO
.

Latest update: New Twist in Former Philosophy Professor's Health Care and Probate Saga: Document Shows Power Of Attorney Revoked For Longtime Companion

Also read: Daughter of Ailing Former WestConn Professor Caught Up in the World of Probate Backs the Conservator.

Previously on countytimes.com: Eli Schutts and Edith Johnson of Bethlehem: A Tragic Love Story at Life's Final Turn, and Probate Court’s Most Recent Ruling On Eli Schutts And Reaction.

TORRINGTON—Probate court rulings and administrative practices vary widely in Connecticut, which has a sordid history of failing to oversee commitments of elderly citizens to nursing homes.

The horror stories are legion: Tales of officials draining the estates of those they are charged with protecting, and friends and neighbors disappearing into the bowels of a secretive system with little, if any oversight. One significant case of unlawful imprisonment culminated with a state Supreme Court ruling this year, stripping layers of immunity from lawyers appointed by probate courts, and from conservators and nursing homes. Aggrieved family members can now sue those officials and nursing homes if they ignore the wishes of the clients they are charged with serving.

Daniel Gross had been held against his will in a Waterbury nursing home, the victim of collusion among a court-appointed lawyer, a conservator and a probate judge. He was freed after a year by superior court Judge Joseph Gormley, who called the case “a terrible miscarriage of justice.” Mr. Gross died in 2007, but a civil rights lawsuit filed by his daughter resulted in the high court ruling five years later.

The operations of probate courts still lack consistency, according to several elder care lawyers interviewed by The Litchfield County Times. Two of the lawyers who practice in the probate courts requested anonymity for fear of retribution. They had been asked to review court records and other documents related to the case of Eli Schutts, Ph.D., a retired philosophy professor at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury who is now at the Litchfield Woods nursing home in Torrington, based on a probate court ruling.



(A case worth following. Please go to SOURCE)
 Abridged
SOURCE:      The CountyTimes
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Senior Advocates Urge More Help to Stop Financial Exploitation (USA)

Scam artists are often trusted relatives and caregivers of the elderly
By Eileen Ambrose, The Baltimore Sun
August 26, 2012

Baltimore police arrested five people last week accused of impersonating city tax collectors and going to the homes of elderly residents to rob them.
These are disturbing allegations. But apparently, scam artists who pretend to have ties to the government so they can take advantage of older consumers aren't all that rare.
That's what senior advocates are telling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the federal agency with a mandate to promote financial literacy among those 62 and older and protect them from fraud and abuse.
Since mid-June, the CFPB has been gathering public input on the financial exploitation of older Americans. It received more than 750 comments by last week's deadline.
Consumer advocates submitted reports on a wide range of the abuses they've witnessed, including con artists pretending to be affiliated with the government in a ploy to sell investments. Often, though, it's not a stranger ripping off seniors but a trusted family member, caregiver or financial adviser.
"It's a very difficult message," says Sally Hurme, an elder law attorney with AARP. "How do you tell seniors the person most likely to rip you off is your son and daughter?"
The CFPB says it will use the comments to develop tools for seniors so they can make sound financial decisions and safeguard their assets.
It better act soon. By many accounts, financial exploitation of older Americans is widespread — and growing.
"It's going to continue and get worse as more seniors move into their so-called golden years," says Don Blandin, president of the nonprofit Investor Protection Trust, or IPT. "They are still going to have a lot of wealth that could be taken from them."
Two years ago, the IPT reported that one in five people age 65 and older had been swindled. But Blandin says the problem is likely much worse, given the findings of the IPT's latest poll.
The online survey of more than 750 experts — including regulators, social workers, elder-law attorneys and financial planners — found that nearly 80 percent said the greatest financial threat to seniors comes from family members.
"Think of what that really means if family members are engaged in ripping off money from one another," Blandin says. "How much of that is really going to get reported?"
But, of course, relatives aren't the only bad actors. Many older investors are exploited by the financial advisers they hire to help them manage their money through retirement.
A recent poll of about 2,650 planners by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards found that more than half worked with an older client who had been a victim of deceptive or abusive practices by another adviser. Planners say they encourage victims to report abuse to authorities but estimate that only 5 percent do so.
These figures don't surprise Barbara Korenblit, chief of the individual and family services division at the Baltimore County Department of Aging.
Most often, she sees exploitation by family members, such as a relative dipping into a joint account shared with an older person, Korenblit says. Or a young adult might have a grandparent co-sign a loan and then not repay it.
"Sometimes older clients have lost their homes as the result of the debt they have taken out to help young relatives," she says.
Older consumers often don't complain because they don't want to get a relative into trouble, particularly if that person is the caregiver, Korenblit says. Even when an adviser takes advantage of them, she adds, seniors don't report the abuse because they aren't aware of it or are too embarrassed to admit it.
Senior advocates urge the CFPB to beef up protections.
The Virginia-based National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys suggests that stronger penalties be adopted against those exploiting seniors. It also suggested a law that would require doctors and bank employees to report financial elder abuse.

 SOURCE:     The BaltimoreSun
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Free Class on Preventing Elderly Financial Abuse in Kona (HAWAII)

 Free Class on Preventing Elderly Financial Abuse in Kona Sept. 19
August 20th, 2012
by Denise Laitinen

Bank of Hawaii is offering a free seminar on preventing elderly financial abuse in Kona on September 19 from 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. as part of its “Smart Money Seminars” series.
The event, held at the new Bank of Hawaii Kailua-Kona branch in the Kona Commons, is geared for senior citizens and will educate Big Island residents about the different types of scams that target seniors.
Attendees will learn:
• What is senior financial abuse?
• How to identify different types of scams
• How to protect yourself from fraud
The number of senior citizens on island is growing. Earlier this year the County Prosecutor’s Office reported that the Big Island’s population of elderly ages 60 and older increased 43.5% between 2000 and 2010.
And according to the latest census data, 13.5% of the 185,000 residents in Hawaii County are over the age of 65 with another 26% becoming senior citizens over the next two decades.
As large numbers of baby boomers hit retirement age, more and more of them are being targeted for fraud. Nation wide, seniors lose $2.9 billion a year to fraud and the majority of victims are women, according to a 2011 study conducted by the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the Center for Gerontology at Virginia Tech.
The extent of financial elder abuse on the Big Island is difficult to gauge because the County Prosecutor’s Office estimates that for every reported case of elder abuse—financial or otherwise—another five incidents goes unreported.
To register for the Bank of Hawaii seminar on fraud awareness for seniors or to request Bank of Hawaii bank offer the free seminar for your civic or senior-related group, email seminars@boh.com or call 808-694-8820.

 SOURCE:    The BigIsland Now
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Care Home Worker Drugged 6 Dementia Patients (UK)

Southern Cross care home worker drugged six dementia patients 'so she could get a good night's sleep'
•    Mirela Aionoaei, 37, accused of using unprescribed anti-insomnia, anti-depressant and anti-psychotic pills on patients
•    Court hears patients at the west London care home often had to be taken to bed in wheelchairs after the doses

By Leon Watson
21 August 2012

A senior carer at a Southern Cross nursing home drugged six dementia patients with anti-insomnia, anti-depressant and anti-psychotic pills so she could get a good night's sleep during her shift, a jury was told yesterday.
The patients, four women and two men, who usually wandered around during the night, often had to be taken to bed in wheelchairs after the unprescribed doses and were unsteady on their feet and suffered slurred speech.
Mirela Aionoaei, 37, of Hayes, west London, routinely shoved two chairs together to form a makeshift bed during the night shift and drugged the patients to ensure she would not be disturbed, Harrow Crown Court heard.

'The residents were being poisoned, of that there is no doubt,' said prosecutor Guy Dilliway-Parry. 'The defendant liked to sleep when on duty. Why else put two chairs together?
'She was seen to administer on many occasions over a considerable period of time and the residents would fall asleep almost straight away.
'A sleep so deep they would have to be taken to their beds in wheelchairs.'
 Aionoaei has pleaded not guilty to six counts of administering a poison or noxious substance to the six residents of Ashwood Care Centre, in Hayes, between July 1 and December 31, 2010.
There were twenty-two residents on the dementia ward - aged between 58 and over 100-years-old - and Aionoaei was the senior member of staff in charge and the only one permitted to dispense medicine as a trained and authorised health professional.
'They all suffered from mental health conditions that left them vulnerable and unaware of their surroundings,' explained Mr Dilliway-Parry. 'They could do very little for themselves.
Mirela Aionoaei is on trial at Harrow Crown Court where a jury was told she drugged six dementia patients
'Some would walk around at night and needed hourly checks, but Aionoaei would put two chairs together and go to sleep, even if the residents were walking around.
'Her priority seemed to get some sleep herself.'
A suspicious colleague began observing Aionoaei because the residents only became excessively drowsy when she was on duty and she was keen to get them into bed only 30 minutes into her shift.
'The residents were being poisoned, of that there is no doubt.'
Prosecutor Guy Dilliway-Parry
'She was observed approaching residents with a glass of orange juice in one hand and observed putting a small cream-coloured tablet in the residents' mouths and they would all be asleep within five to eight minutes.
'She had taken something from the pocket of her overalls and the drugs trolley remained untouched in the nurse’s station.
'Other staff noticed the residents were very sleepy after being administered medication by Aionoaei. They would be unsteady on their feet and slur their words more than usual.'
On January 31, last year the suspicions were reported to police and hair samples were taken from a total of nine residents - one at their post mortem - and six returned positive for the presence of unprescribed drugs.
Among them were a fast-acting sleeping pill, which usually works for six hours, a drug prescribed to patients with depression and panic attacks, which has a side-effect of drowsiness and an anti-psychotic drug used to treat restlessness.
'They were detected in the hair samples and had been administered over a considerable period of time,' added the prosecutor. 'It shows they were being drugged.'
When questioned by police Aionoaei admitted pushing two chairs together, but denied she slept, and claimed the reason for turning off the light near her was to prevent residents being disturbed.
'She denied ever taking medication from her overall pocket and giving it to a resident.'

 SOURCE:     The Daily Mail, UK
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Calgary Seniors Group Fights Back Against Elderly Fraud (CANADA)

By Lucas Meyer
 Aug 20, 2012
Seniors beware.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, those over the age of 60 account for 73% of those defrauded for more than $5,000.

That's why Calgary's Home Instead Senior Care is out with the Protect Seniors from Fraud kit, a guide for protection against scams and identifying potential threats.
  
The Director of Care at the franchise, Debbie Franchuk said according to Statistics Canada seven in 10 crimes against older Canadians go unreported.

"Our elderly don't want to look like they're not on top of things and so they'd have to then admit to their families that there's a problem, or something has happened," she said.

Franchuk added some of the most common types of scams against the elderly include telemarketing and donations to fake charities, among others.

"Identity theft is a huge thing, where they ask them to please verify the last three digits of their social insurance number," she said. "By invoking fear, these scammers take full advantage of the elderly."

She said an easy step seniors can take is let their families help them with their finances and documents and to report any suspected fraud calls to city police.

 SOURCE:      660 NEWS
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Elderly Suffer as Financial Abuse Grows

 Elderly suffer as financial abuse grows
By Christine Dugas, USA TODAY
Aug 15, 2012

Financial abuse of the elderly is getting worse, and most seniors don't know how to seek reliable financial help.
"There is no silver bullet that will end the financial abuse of America's seniors," says Don Blandin, president and CEO of the non-profit Investor Protection Trust (IPT), which released a survey Wednesday about elder exploitation. IPT conducted the survey after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau requested more information about the problem.
The experts IPT surveyed said the most common type of abuse is when family members steal or divert funds or property. The next biggest problems are caregiver theft and financial scams perpetrated by strangers.
"Some of those financial scams by strangers can be ones that actually deplete the entire life savings of a senior at the worst possible time in their life," Blandin says.

 Abridged
SOURCE:         USA TODAY

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Family Calls Out Long-Term HealthCare Facility Over Alleged Elder Abuse (CANADA)

ctvmontreal.ca
Aug. 15, 2012

The family of an 83-year-old woman wants criminal charges brought against the long-term healthcare facility where she died, claiming she was a victim of elder abuse.
Gilberte Lemieux-Vachon died of a bedsore she received while at the Manoir Saint-Eustache on April 1, 2011. She lived at the centre following a stroke.

A Quebec Ombudsman’s report released Wednesday revealed there were gaps in the care provided to the elderly woman, and that she had no access to psychosocial and nutritional services.

With little use of her arm following the stroke, Lemieux-Vachon needed extra care from staff and was given a bell next to her bed to signal for assistance.

“Our mom told us they pushed it out of the way so she couldn't contact them,” because they thought she was too demanding, said Gilbert Vachon, her son.
When she developed a bedsore, it became a major concern for the family, he said.
“I didn't know what a bedsore is before I saw this. I thought it was a redness thing, but it is a hole. The whole is two inches by two inches in diameter,” he explained.
The Lemieux-Vachon family said it was first spotted in October 2010, but the coroner's report noted it was only mentioned in her file the following February, and she only visited a doctor a month after that.
By then, the doctor noted it was badly infected and producing a nauseating odour.
At that point, Lemieux-Vachon was admitted to hospital, where she died
The coroner concluded the bedsore led to the death, and called it preventable
Her family, along with the Association québécoise des retraité(e)s des secteurs public et parapublic say her treatment is unacceptable and are demanding better care for elderly residents of long-term care centres.

"I was deeply moved by Ms. Lemieux-Vachon's story. The circumstances under which she passed away are appalling. Nothing like this should ever happen again," said AQRP president Lyne Parent in a statement.

No one from the Manoir Saint-Eustache would comment, except to say Lemieux's death is sad, but an isolated case.

Abridged
SOURCE:        Montreal CTV News

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Clayville Man Accused of Stealing Over $250K from Elderly Woman

 Clayville man accused of stealing over $250,000 from an elderly woman
by Maren Guse
08.13.2012

A Clayville man was arrested for allegedly stealing over a quarter million dollars from an elderly woman.
Police in Utica say an 85-year-old woman contacted them in April regarding inconsistencies in her financial accounts. She was concerned about the activities of her accountant, 60-year-old Craig Podosek.
Police say she contacted her financial advisor who agreed there was cause for concern. An investigator and an Elder Abuse Coalition Program Coordinator met with the victim and officials at the banks.
Their investigation found that on four separate occasions, Podosek closed multiple accounts belonging to the woman. Police say he then transferred her money into his business accounts at Podosek Accounting on Genesee Street as well as into his personal accounts.
Police say Podosek was able to move her money because he was her accountant and had power of attorney.
Podosek transferred over $294,000 of the woman’s money, police say.
Podosek is charged with three counts of second degree grand larceny, a felony.

 SOURCE:       CNY CENTRAL
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Family Says Caregiver Abused Elderly Woman (USA)

 Family Says Caregiver Abused Elderly Woman; Installed Stripper Pole, Pool And Urinal In Home
Woman's Caregiver Also Reportedly Added Swimming Pool, Lounge
August 13, 2012
FAIR OAKS (CBS13)

She was trusted and paid to look after an elderly woman. But now there are new caretaker concerns after what that woman’s family says they found inside her home.
“She had a stripper pole right here,” Jayne Ramsey said on what was inside the home were accused abuser Naquita Trotter looked after Ramsey’s great aunt, Daisy Goering.
Ramsey, her sister and mother are nieces of the 92-year-old Goering. Ramsey says the backyard is filled obvious signs of abuse.
“She was pretty much brain-washed by her and it’s taken years,” Ramsey said.
Trotter was sentenced to 56 days in the Sacramento County Jail after pleading no contest in 2008 to charges of elder abuse and impersonating a nursing assistant.
That patient died under her care. Trotter never showed up for sentencing and was cited twice for failure to appear in 2009 before finally being arrested last month.
“She’s a really scary person,” said Susie Dilley, another of Goering’s nieces.
Not knowing Trotter was still on the run and posing as a certified caregiver, Daisy’s family trusted her to take care of her. Daisy suffers from dementia.
Her nieces live in Indiana and came out to check on Daisy this summer.
“We did not have a clue that things were this bad,” Dilley said.
For seven years they say Trotter took over Doering’s house and banks accounts.
“It’s been really terrible,” Dilley said.
They say under Trotter’s supervision, a swimming pool, entertainment lounge and odd things like an outhouse with a urinal were built.
“And with the stripper pole on the deck,” great niece Susie Hatfield said. “Who puts that in for a 92-year-old woman?”

Abridged
 SOURCE:     SacramentoCBS Local
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Documents Show Woman Previously Posed as Licensed Caregiver (USA)

Documents Show Fair Oaks Woman Previously Posed As Licensed Caregiver
August 8, 2012

SACRAMENTO (CBS13)
New revelations have surfaced about a woman accused of elder abuse after her patient died in her care.
Naquita Trotter is the mother of Moses Trotter, the suspect accused of breaking into an elderly woman’s Fair Oaks house and beating her to death. Deputies arrested him outside the home naked and covered in blood.
Naquita Trotter was arrested last month when she showed up to her son’s court hearing.
Investigators say she had been on the run since 2009, after pleading no contest to elder abuse and impersonating a nursing assistant.
CBS13 has learned those charges stem from the death of elderly patient Mattie Crawford. She died in January 2008 from neglect with bed sores that exposed muscle, bone and tendons.
The court document says Trotter posed as a certified caregiver, deceiving Crawford’s sons.
It says “Trotter assured them she qualified as a licensed vocational nurse and certified nurses assistant to provide such home care when in fact she was not.”
The document also states Trotter hired other unqualified workers and told them to use household bleach to treat Crawford’s wounds.

 SOURCE:        The Sacramento,CBS Local
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Man Accused of Conning Elderly Mom Out of $10K (USA)

Man accused of conning elderly mom out of $10K, claims Mafia ties
By GEORGE PLAVIN Montana Standard

A 53-year-old Anaconda man is accused of conning his 74-year-old mother out of more than $10,000 by claiming ties with the Mafia.
Christopher Thomas Tilling made his initial appearance Wednesday in district court, charged with felony elder abuse for allegedly exploiting his mother to buy a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Judge Ray Dayton did not call for a plea, and appointed a public defender to represent Tilling. An arraignment is scheduled for 10 a.m. Aug. 15.
Tilling and his mother reunited last year after decades of no contact, according to court documents. She moved from Hawaii to Anaconda to get reacquainted with her son, when he then told her he needed $10,000 to repay a loan to the Mafia or they would kill him.
Tilling’s mother gave him $10,000 cash, which he used to buy a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in Butte, according to the same documents.
Several months later, Tilling went to work in North Dakota and had his mother pay for repairs to his truck. She also agreed to let him use two credit cards, which he ran up about $3,500 and never paid back the debt, according to court documents.
When Tilling again asked his mother for money, she refused. He allegedly told her he had friends in the Mafia, and she had “better be careful.”
If convicted, Tilling could face 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He is free on recognizance.

SOURCE:        The BillingsGazette
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Winnipeg Organization Develops Program to Reduce Elder Financial Abuse

Bernice Pontanilla,
July 24, 2012

A Winnipeg organization hopes credit unions can help reduce the financial abuse of seniors.
The Good Neighbours Active Living Centre is developing a program that will link seniors with staff at credit unions who can help ensure they aren't taken advantage of when it comes to their money.
Susan Sader, executive director of the centre, said their goal is to bring all 41 credit unions in Manitoba on board in 115 communities, including 57 in which a credit union is the only financial institution.
The federal government is spending $350,000 to support the program.
Sader said the funding is timely.

She said she recently dealt with a woman in her 70s who was looking for help after being bilked by a family member who was somehow able to gain control over her assets.
"It's a very difficult issue," Sader said Tuesday. "This lady had lost thousands of dollars."
Sader said credit union employees often deal with seniors and are in a trusting position to guide them toward the available help.

The program being developed by Good Neighbours includes workshops, online tools, training materials and resources for credit union employees.
Alice Wong, federal minister of state for seniors, said the program could serve as a blueprint for other regions in the country.
"Elder abuse is hard to talk about but we have to break the silence," she said. (Metro Winnipeg)
© The Canadian Press, 2012

 SOURCE:     The Global Winnipeg
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Grant to Sustain Senior Safety Line (On. CANADA)

The Ontario Trillium Foundation awards ONPEA grant to sustain Senior Safety Line
ONTARIO, Aug. 1, 2012 /CNW/

The Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Government of Ontario, awarded The Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (ONPEA) a one-year, $187,400 grant to continue the operation of their Senior Safety Line (SSL 1-866-299-1011). ONPEA is pleased to accept and acknowledge the OTF for this needed grant that will be used to continue this critical service, develop a sustainable funding model, … more at http://www.onpea.org/english/contactus/mediacentre.html

SOURCE: Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (ONPEA)




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Aug 02, 2012
By Teri Okita

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -

Elder abuse and senior scams are escalating, both nationwide, and here in our islands. Hawaii News Now, in conjunction with the Aloha United Way, presents "Seniors in Crisis."

Here, we're taking a closer look at financial scams, particularly Medicare cons, that could devastate seniors. Since 2008, the number of elder abuse cases in Honolulu has jumped 108 percent, according to the City and County's Elder Abuse Justice Unit, and much of those scams come down to dollars and sense.

79 year old Satoru H, understandably, doesn't want to be identified. Last year, mainland crooks tried to hustle him out of personal information.

"Oh yes, yes, yes, it really bothers me," says Mr. H. The caller asked him for his Medicare number - saying she wanted to "confirm" and "verify" it. He says, "She mentioned my name, my address, my telephone number, and my doctor's name, and she said, 'Oh, you're a diabetic?' and I said, 'Why? Why you want to know?'"

Mr. H. hung up, but the con artist called again … and again … a total of 28 times. "Ah, frustrating!" he recalls.

Someone had tried to defraud Mr. H. once before, so he knew the drill, wrote everything down, and called authorities.

 Abridged
SOURCE:     The HawaiiNewsNow
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TN Report Shows Rise in Crimes Against the Elderly (TN. USA)

'They are more vulnerable,' first-of-its kind study shows
Aug 2, 2012
Written by Brian Haas
The Tennessean

Julius Taylor was just taking out the trash last week when a young man walked up and asked for a light. He barely had time to respond before the robbery began.
“The next thing I know, he wanted to get my billfold,” said Taylor, 74. “I was fixing to tell him, ‘No you aren’t getting that.’ But when I saw another guy come out of the bushes, I just threw it on the ground.”
Taylor was unharmed and the robbers, who were brothers, were arrested a short time later. But his case adds to the growing number of Tennesseans 65 years old and up who are becoming victims of crime, according to a report released Wednesday by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The report, the first of its kind in the state, found that crimes with victims 65 years old or older rose by about 7 percent from 2009 through 2011, the same time that the state saw a 5 percent drop in overall crime.
“We did this study so that policymakers, law enforcement officers know that the growing elderly population is increasingly being victimized in the state of Tennessee,” said Kristin Helm, spokeswoman for the TBI. “They are more vulnerable to victimization.”
Seniors targets of burglary, fraud
The report focused on four key areas most likely to affect seniors: robbery, burglary, assaults and fraud. They were disproportionately victims of home burglaries and fraud cases, making up one out of 10 victims of those crimes in the state during the three years studied.

 Abridged
SOURCE:      The Tennessean
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Nursing Home Concerns and the Elderly (USA)

Jasper, Ala. (WIAT)

In a world where sexual predators are dominating headlines and remain in the back of the minds of parents... the elderly are not immune to similar fears of what horrible acts could come to them.
The Silver Haired Legislature (SHL) is made up of one-hundred-and five seniors through-out the state.

They are asking State Legislators to pass a law requiring nursing homes to alert residents and their family members if a convicted sex offender is admitted into their facility.
The group is also asking the state to require more employs on staff between the hours of 10PM and 6AM. 

One member of the SHL whose relative is in a nursing home tells CBS42 there are only two orderlies available to assist the entire facility overnight.
These are just a few fears facing families and residents inside Alabama nursing homes.

Many people who reside in nursing homes are there because they can no longer live alone, and their family members may not be willing or equipped to care for their special needs.
But they fear once they are checked into their new homes they will be alone without visitors or anyone to check on them.
Joann Elmer operates a nursing home in Jasper. Elmer says she has seen first hand how real those fears can be. She says too often once seniors enter nursing homes the responsibility to check on them falls on one son or daughter.

Elmer says the only way to avoid abuse and neglect is constant visitation by family and friends.

"It would be very easy to say now I'm going to focus on my own immediate family but you can't do that you've got to remember to go and see  them do a check and let  them know you haven't forsaken them."

Because so many seniors are checked in and abandoned by their loved ones elmer has become a friend and confidant to many of the seniors in her care.

For her, the challenge is maximizing the life these men and women have left by keeping them happy, healthy and engaged.

"They're losing their independence and that's the reason I stress until their times comes benefit everyone get out and enjoy activities with places like the senior center "

You can learn more about the quality of care of the nursing homes in your area by clicking here.


Abridged
SOURCE:        CBS42
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SINGAPORE – MAINTENANCE OF PARENTS ACT

The Act provides for Singapore residents aged 60 years old and above, who are unable to subsist on their own, to claim maintenance from their children who are capable of supporting him but are not doing so. Parents can sue their children for maintenance, in the form of monthly allowances or a lump-sum payment.  The Act also establishes the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents to decide on applications made under the Act.

 Abridged
SOURCE:       Infopedia, Sg
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Illinois Protects its Senior Citizens (USA)

Gov. Quinn enacts bills to benefit elderly
By Len Wells
July 29, 2012

In 2011, the first of the nation's 79 million baby boomers born between the end of World War II and the mid-60s started turning 65. And lawmakers are now looking at ways to protect the new senior citizens from abuse, neglect and exploitation.
In Illinois, Gov. Pat Quinn has signed into law a dozen new measures aimed at protecting state's growing senior citizen population.

 Abridged
SOURCE:        The CourierPress
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New Research: 40 Percent of Elderly Latinos Abused (TX. USA)

 New Research: 40 Percent of Elderly Latinos Abused
July 30, 2012

AUSTIN, Texas

A new study of elderly, low-income Latinos reveals significantly higher rates of abuse, neglect and exploitation than previous estimates. The report's lead author, Marguerite DeLiema, University of Southern California Davis School of Gerontology, says that, at first glance, abuse of Latino seniors appears to be almost four times more prevalent than elder abuse in the general population.

"One in 10 older adults suffers from some form of abuse, neglect or exploitation. Our study was much higher. We found 40 percent of the Latino population reported at least one form of elder abuse."
She thinks it's possible that her research - based on detailed, in-person interviews by community members - reflects a higher elder abuse rate among the population at large than past studies have been able to document. She says mistreatment need not be physical to qualify as abuse. Family members may repeatedly threaten to send seniors to nursing homes, or take advantage of financial vulnerabilities.

The study calls into question past assumptions that elderly Latinos are shielded from abuse by cultural norms, such as family loyalty. Sometimes solidarity just leads to silence, according to Sandra Garcia Huhn, staff attorney with the Texas Legal Services Center Elder Exploitation Project.

"I think that there is a reluctance by the Hispanic community to discuss problems outside of the family. A lot of times when there is abuse or exploitation they're not reporting it, because they want to protect the family member."

The new study found that about 10 percent of those surveyed revealed physical abuse, 17 percent had been exploited financially, and 12 percent had been neglected by caretakers. But only 1.5 percent of all victims had ever reported the abuse to authorities or service organizations.


She encourages Texas seniors or concerned loved ones to call the toll-free Elder Exploitation Hotline to find out about a variety of resources for victims of scams, financial manipulation or physical, sexual and emotional abuse. That number is 888-612-6626.

Information about the study is available at http://bit.ly/NNYACb. The TEEP website is based at www.tlsc.org.
Peter Malof, Public News Service - TX


 Abridged
SOURCE:      The PublicNewsService
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A Court Room of (and for) Grandparents (INDIA)

  A courtroom of (and for) grandparents
Those convicted for abandoning senior citizens may face jail term of up to 3 months or fine of Rs.5,000
By Gayatri Jayaraman
Mumbai: An ambulance pull
s up in front of the new administration building of the state labour court in Bandra, Mumbai, on Thursday, 26 July, as it will again on Tuesday. It ferries 96-year-old Shiva Chetanram Krip, the plaintiff, who has a fractured hip and must attend proceedings on the ninth floor, where a landmark case quietly unfolds. The defendant is Krip’s son, Bhagvan Shiva Krip, himself a senior citizen, and grandson, Prashanth Bhagvan Krip, 33.
Krip is the first senior citizen in Maharashtra whose case is being heard by the tribunal set up under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007. He first filed for maintenance of up to Rs. 10,000 under section 5 in Pune, in May 2011. This, his second plea for the rendering of a gift deed allegedly taken by force to render his will invalid and void was filed under section 23 of the Act in April 2012.

 The Act, which was notified in 2009, does not fall under the jurisdiction of any civil court, but takes on the powers of the civil court, and cases are tried by the SDO at the level of additional magistrate. Senior citizens abandoned by their children can apply for maintenance of up to Rs. 10,000 under this Act. Those convicted for abandoning senior citizens/parents could face a jail term up to three months or a fine of Rs. 5,000.

According to HelpAge India’s 2012 report on Elder Abuse in India, which spanned 20 cities, 31% of older persons reported facing abuse, 24% of the elderly faced it on a daily basis, 75% of those facing abuse lived with their families, and 69% were the owners of the house in which they were being abused. Fifty-six percent faced abuse by sons, and 23% by daughters-in-law. More than 55% suffered abuse silently to uphold “family honour”, 50% for periods of more than five years. The Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) witnessed a rise in abuse from last year, with 29.82% of the elderly stating that they faced abuse, against 12% the year before; Mumbai followed a close second to Delhi-NCR with 29.46%. Bhopal ranked the highest in elder abuse with 77.12% elders stating that they faced this, followed closely by Guwahati with 60.55%.

Abridged
SOURCE:        LiveMint
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