Elder Abuse Comes in Many Malicious Varieities (IN, USA)

By Hanns Pieper (Contact)

May 3, 2009

Estimating just how much elder abuse goes on in any community is not easy, but a reasonably reliable estimate is that about 4 percent of seniors suffer from some form of elder abuse.

In the Tri-State, that would mean that approximately 800 seniors are abused at any one point in time, and that is 800 seniors too many.

Physical abuse usually comes to mind first.

Inflicting physical damage on a senior is certainly abusive, but another form of physical abuse is withholding important things, such as medication, that are necessary for the senior's physical welfare.

Psychological abuse is often more subtle and harder to spot. In a youth-obsessed culture where it is already difficult enough to maintain a strong sense of self-worth as a senior, insults and verbal attacks can be devastating. Socially isolating or controlling the senior is another example of psychological abuse.

Perhaps the most common kind of elder abuse is financial abuse

Seniors frequently hand over control of their finances to their children or a trusted friend.

Unfortunately, sometimes these folks forget whose money it is and they start thinking of it as their own.

If you are at a loss as to how to report abuse, contact your Regional Council on Aging.

These councils are found in virtually all areas of the country. In Southern Indiana, the Elder Abuse Hotline is (800) 992-6978. Abuse can also be reported to Adult Protective Services at the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor's Office at (812) 435-5190.

Abridged

SOURCE:   Evansville Courier & Press - IN,USA

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Prison for Carer Who Stole From 90-Year-Old Woman (UK)

By REBECCA GOUGH

02 May 2009 07:59

A 29-year-old man has been jailed after he stole from an elderly woman in his care.

Ricardo Jorge Rodrigues Costa was given a 12-week sentence at Norwich Magistrates Court after admitting four cases of theft.

Costa, of Dover Court, Caister on Sea, was employed by a care agency as a carer and visited vulnerable and elderly people in their homes.

He was caught stealing two £5 notes from the handbag of an elderly lady, in her 90s, who he cared for at her Norwich home.

Despite keeping her handbag next to her chair Costa crawled on all fours and removed the notes, putting them in his jeans pockets.

He was arrested the following morning at his home. The notes were still in the pocket.

Det Con Donna Day, of Norfolk Constabulary's Adult Abuse Investigation Unit, said: “The fact that magistrates imprisoned Costa, despite being of previous good character, clearly sends a strong message to those who seek to abuse the trust of elderly or vulnerable people in Norfolk.

“The lady in this case was betrayed by her carer, a person she trusted and the family have been left devastated by his actions.

“Norfolk Constabulary remains committed to elder abuse and the Adult Abuse Investigation Unit has a team of dedicated investigators who deal solely with crimes against vulnerable adults.”

Costa was given a 12 week sentence for each of the four cases of theft to run concurrently.

SOURCE:    Norwich Evening News - Norwich,England,UK

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Astor (Alleged) Estate Looting Reflects Grave Robbing Trends (USA)

April 29th, 2009

Grave Robbing Affects More than Astor-nomical Estates
By Lou Ann Anderson
April 29, 2009
www.EstateofDenial.com

In life, Brooke Astor represented the best of New York high society exemplifying gracious living and philanthropic generosity.  That she, in her last years, would become an alleged victim of elder abuse was unimaginable.  And in death, Brooke is still making headlines as Anthony Marshall, her only child, is on trial for looting his mother’s estate of nearly $200 million.  As Marshall and codefendant attorney Francis X. Morrissey, also charged with stealing from the estate and of forging Brooke’s signature on an estate document, are on trial in a Manhattan courtroom, it is important to understand the implications of this case as similar grave robbing and property poaching acts are taking place across the U.S.  Other targets are not celebrities, the estate values are far more modest, but Involuntary Redistribution of Assets (IRA) – the use of probate venues or probate instruments (wills, trusts, guardianships and powers of attorney) to steal from the dead and disabled/incapacitated - is becoming a lucrative business with Americans of all economic levels at risk.

Brooke Astor did not fail to perform proper estate planning.  That’s routinely the position put forth by the legal industry, but in reality, it’s often a self-serving excuse.  Defrauding estates is on the rise because in today’s society, it’s relatively easy to accomplish.  The most important lesson of this case is that if a woman with Brooke Astor’s savvy and resources was unable to surround herself with a network of trusted individuals knowledgeable of her wishes and armed with documents to protect her and her property upon incapacitation and/or death,  why should anyone else think their chances for success are better?

Lou Ann Anderson is an advocate working to create awareness regarding the Texas probate system and its surrounding culture.  She is the Online Producer at www.EstateofDenial.com and may be contacted at info@EstateofDenial.com.

SOURCE:  Estate of Denial.com

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Another great article by Lou Anderson. Please go to source for the full-text.

............... AC

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Nurse Rips Off Alzheimer Patient for $22,000 (NJ. USA)

Bedminster nurse rips off Alzheimer patient for $22,000

May 1st, 2009

by Intelligencer Reporter Christopher Ruvo

A registered nurse from Bedminster stole more than $22,000 from an elderly Doylestown Township man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and then used the cash to pay for expensive lingerie, delinquent tax bills, a trip to an Atlantic City casino and more, authorities said Friday.

Donna M. Hammerstone, 45, surrendered to authorities Friday on various felony charges that could land her in jail up to 15 years if she is convicted, a prosecutor said.

Hammerstone, who lives on the 100 block of Wigton Circle, was set free on $40,000 unsecured bail following a preliminary arraignment before District Judge Philip J. Daly. A future court date looms.

“For a registered nurse to stoop to this level to steal from an Alzheimer patient is disturbing,” said Bucks County First Assistant District Attorney David Zellis. “It goes to show elder abuse is not just physical. There’s financial abuse, emotional abuse.”

Zellis said it’s unclear if Hammerstone, whose ex-husband is a police officer, victimized other elderly people. He encouraged anyone with information to contact Bochenek at 215 348-4201.

“It’s an open investigation,” he said. “Silence is not golden.”

Abridged

SOURCE:    Courier Times Now

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Charity Finds 'Huge Variation' in Support for Vulnerable Adults (UK)

01 May 2009

By Gordon Carson

Charity Action on Elder Abuse has renewed calls for legislation on adult protection after revealing a huge variation in the effectiveness of local authority referral systems in England.

Research by the charity found that nine out of 10 adults who had been abused lacked support in England, with Norfolk Council supporting only 1.5% of older people, compared with nearly 41% in Halton, Cheshire.

The study, published today, is based on an analysis of local authority reports and consultation with adult protection and safeguarding staff.

 No blame on councils

But Action on Elder Abuse's chief executive, Gary FitzGerald, did not blame individual local authorities for lower rates of support. Instead, the differences reflected the lack of central government funding and compulsion on local agencies to work together.

The government is due to respond to the consultation on the review of the No Secrets adult protection guidance, which closed in January and attracted widespread calls to introduce adult protection laws. It said it would publish a summary of its response within three months, but a Department of Health spokeswoman said it was still considering its reply.

Abridged

SOURCE:    Community Care.co  UK

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War Veteran's Ears Chewed By Mice in Nursing Home (Australia)

War veteran's ears chewed by mice in Qld nursing home

Staff writers and AAP

April 30, 2009

THE daughter of a war hero attacked by mice as he lay bed-ridden in a nursing home has spoken out about the incident that could have killed her father.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said staff at the Karingal Residential Aged Care Facility in the Queensland town of Dalby called her the day after Anzac Day to tell her that mice had gnawed at her 89-year-old father the night before.

The man was one of two residents at the nursing home attacked by mice over the weekend. 

Queensland Health has rostered on extra staff and pest control agents since the weekend to kill mice at the home.

Federal Ageing Minister Justine Elliott said she was disturbed by the report of the elderly man's ordeal, but there was no need to evacuate residents at the home.

Abridged

SOURCE:    News Com (Australia)

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Care Home Killed My Dad, Claims Son (UK)

Care home killed my war hero dad, claims angry son

Apr 30 2009 

By Ben Griffiths

NAVY hero Edward Minick served his country with honour for five years in World War II. He survived a U-boat attack on the Russian convoys and received five medals for his sacrifice.

But the 88-year-old Scot's courage didn't earn him a dignified death.

He spent his final weeks in agony, with a dislocated hip and gruesome bedsores that the staff at his care home failed to treat or even notice.

Instead of getting Edward to hospital after he hurt himself in a fall, his "carers" simply put him to bed and left him to suffer. He died more than three months later.

Edward's heartbroken son Eddie said yesterday: "The war could never kill my dad but the nursing home did.

In November last year, inspectors visited the 59-bed Southwark Park home and gave it a zero star rating.

And at an inquest into Edward's death, coroner Dr Adela Williams recorded a verdict of "natural causes aggravated by neglect".

Abridged

SOURCE:    Glasgow Daily Record -Scotland,UK

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Carer Guilty of Bed Blaze Murder (UK)

A care assistant who set fire to the bed of an elderly dementia patient at a Cheshire care home has been found guilty of her murder. Christopher Bowyer, 25, watched Mary Bennett, 79, burn in her single bed at Clayton Manor Care Home, Congleton, on 17 August 2008. He was convicted of murder and arson with intent to endanger life at Chester Crown Court on Thursday. He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on Friday. During the trial, Elwen Evans QC, prosecuting, told the court that Bowyer held a cigarette lighter to Mrs Bennett's quilt until it was "well alight". His victim was severely affected with Alzheimer's and dementia so could not move or communicate as the flames took hold. Mrs Bennett was taken to a specialist burns unit in hospital in Manchester, where she died a week later. A post-mortem examination found the cause of death was bronchial pneumonia brought on by smoke inhalation and burns. Bowyer, of Antrobus Street, Congleton, had formally denied the charges but refused to enter the witness box during the defence case. In a statement, Mrs Bennett's family said she was a "very quiet, gentle and unassuming lady". "She had suffered with Alzheimer's for a number of years and was unable to do anything for herself, relying completely on the care of others. "She was more helpless than a baby. Bowyer knew this, having been one of the people specifically responsible for Mary's care for over six months. "Bowyer preyed on Mary's vulnerability without a care for her pain and suffering." Det Insp Paul Bailey, who led the investigation, said Bowyer had never shown any remorse. "The only emotion for me he has shown is feeling sorry for himself," he added.

SOURCE:   BBC NEWS,  UK

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Son Charged With Elder Abuse and Embezzlement

by Bryn Mickle

The Flint Journal

April 30, 2009

An elderly Flint woman was found living on a urine-soaked couch and wrapped in a tattered blanket crawling with roaches and maggots.

Her son, who also was her landlord, charged his 73-year-old mother $450 a month to live in an apartment with no heat or running water, police said.

"The place wasn't habitable for an animal, let alone a human," said Genesee County Sheriff Robert J. Pickell.

Anthony V. Cunturso, 47, is being held on $20,000 bond in the Genesee County Jail on charges of embezzlement of a vulnerable adult and second-degree vulnerable adult abuse.

Cunturso's mother was found April 23 after the county elder abuse team got a tip about an incontinent passenger who had been riding the bus.

Three investigators with the Genesee County Elder Abuse and Exploitation Prevention program gagged when they walked inside her Oak Street apartment.

Abridged

SOURCE:    The Flint Journal - Flint,MI,USA

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'Fewer Thank 1 in 10' Older People Supported By Adult Protection (UK)

by Hannah Wooderson

 24dash.com  
 30th April 2009

On average, less than one in ten of older people experiencing elder abuse are actually supported by the systems set up to protect them. That's the stark conclusion of an analysis, by the charity Action on Elder Abuse (AEA), of nearly one hundred Local Authority systems designed to intervene and protect adults at risk of abuse. And, in some areas, the situation is even worse, with less than 2% of estimated elderly victims receiving such support.

"This is an appalling situation," said Gary FitzGerald, Chief Executive of AEA, "made worse by the fact that Government policies fail to treat the protection of adults with the same seriousness as that of children. Or even animals."

The charity is clear that the cause of this problem rests with a Central Government failure to act, and not with the Local Authorities themselves.

"We know that, locally, people are working very hard on adult protection, continued FitzGerald, “but they do not have the resources or the tools to do the job effectively. At the end of January the Department of Health in conjunction with three other Government departments concluded a consultation on the effectiveness of these systems. Everyone - from the police to regulators to Directors of Adult Social Services - told them that legislation is needed to make the systems effective. And yet still they delay. Still they refuse to commit to what they are being told is needed. This is totally unacceptable."

Action on Elder Abuse is now writing to all politicians, calling upon them to make this a cross party issue, urging that priority be given to the protection of adults at risk of abuse, and calling for an immediate commitment to adult protection legislation.

 Abridged

SOURCE:   24dash - Hereford,UK  

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