BSO: Man first helps, then takes $4,000, from wheelchair user
By Linda Trischitta, Sun Sentinel
October 5, 2012
FORT LAUDERDALE
When James Talley was paying for a meal at The Glass Key restaurant, someone was watching as the senior citizen in a wheelchair drew from an envelope that held more than $4,000.
"The victim is a retired toll collector on Florida's Turnpike who was going to pay first and last months' rent on a new apartment," said Broward Sheriff's spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright. "That's why he had so much money on him."
Talley, who lives in the Palm Aire neighborhood, encountered Randolph Soto at 361 NW 27th Ave. in Pompano Beach on Aug. 9, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
Soto, 31, who also lives in the city, offered to help Talley cross the street.
But before they parted, Broward Sheriff's Detective Steven Hoover wrote in his report that Soto helped himself to Talley's envelope.
And then he fled.
"Everybody in that neighborhood knows 'Turnpike,'" Hoover said Thursday of Talley, who uses the nickname. "And most people know Soto."
Soto was arrested Wednesday, two months after the incident.
He was charged with abuse of an elderly or disabled adult without great harm, and robbery without a weapon.
In first appearance court Thursday, Broward Judge John "Jay" Hurley noted there was "no force indicated" on the arrest report.
"[Talley] positively identified you as the person who took his money," Hurley told Soto.
The judge found probable cause for the charges, and Soto was held on $12,500 bond at the Broward County main jail.
Hoover said Talley's money was not recovered.
SOURCE: The Sun-Sentinel
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October 8, 2012
Seniors Need to Be Wary of Medicare Fraud (USA)
Seniors Need to Be Wary of Medicare Fraud
Bernard A. Krooks, Contributor
In previous entries, we’ve discussed different types of financial elder abuse. One thing is certain, Medicare abuse and fraud is rising. Experts estimate that in 2010, Medicare and Medicaid together made $65 billion in improper payments, and that number rose to $98 billion in 2011. [1] As thieves become more sophisticated, seniors and caregivers must become more vigilant – as Medicare abuse and fraud can affect a loved one’s health and healthcare programs. Here’s a quick guide to Medicare fraud and a few tips to protect yourself and your loved ones:
Medicare fraud is defined as any individual or company searching for Medicare reimbursement payments under false pretenses. [2]
There are a few common types of Medicare fraud that include:
• Identity Theft: When a medical professional steals patient information to use to over-bill Medicare.
• Equipment Substitution: An order for medical equipment may be intercepted, with Medicare being billed for newer or more expensive equipment and the patient being provided with cheap or used equipment.
• Phantom Billing: A doctor’s office may bill for services never performed.
• Upcoding: A medical provider may submit bills to Medicare for a more expensive service than the one actually performed.
• Unnecessary Procedures: A doctor may perform procedures that are not medically necessary in order to bill Medicare for the cost.
• Generic Drugs: Medicare is often billed for name brand medications when generic drugs were actually provided to the patient.
Medicare fraud doesn’t just cost the federal government. It often results in substandard medical treatment for the patient, and the additional costs can mean that the patient’s Medicare allotment is used up due to fraudulent billing. Fraud costs also increase health care costs and can eventually lead to higher taxes.
Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself or a loved one from Medicare fraud:
• Review your claims for mistakes or concerns:
• Keep a record of the dates of your doctors’ appointments and save your receipts and statements that you receive from providers to check for errors.
• Compare your records with the Medicare processed records to ensure you were not billed for any services you did not receive. You can review your Medicare claims by:
• visiting www.mymedicare.gov (claims are normally available within 24 hours after processing)
• calling 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227) or
• looking at your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN)
• If you notice an incorrect charge on your bill, call your doctor or health care provider to give you more information to better understand the billing issue—it is possible there was a billing error.
• Make sure that the information below is readily accessible before contacting your doctor, health care provider, or Medicare:
• Your name and Medicare number
• The date of your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN)
• The provider’s name & any identifying number;
• The service or item in question;
• The date the service/item was received;
• The payment amount approved/paid for by Medicare;
• The reason you think Medicare should not have paid;
• Any information providing evidence to show why Medicare should not have paid for the service/item in question.
If you think you or your loved one may have been a victim of Medicare fraud, help is available. The Senior Medicare Patrol is a federally-funded resource to help seniors combat Medicare abuse. To contact the New York Senior Medicare Patrol, call the 24-hour hotline at 1-877-678-4697 or visit http://www.aging.ny.gov/ResourceGuide/HealthInsurance.cfm. For more information about our elder law services, visit www.elderlawnewyork.com.
SOURCE: The New York Times
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Bernard A. Krooks, Contributor
In previous entries, we’ve discussed different types of financial elder abuse. One thing is certain, Medicare abuse and fraud is rising. Experts estimate that in 2010, Medicare and Medicaid together made $65 billion in improper payments, and that number rose to $98 billion in 2011. [1] As thieves become more sophisticated, seniors and caregivers must become more vigilant – as Medicare abuse and fraud can affect a loved one’s health and healthcare programs. Here’s a quick guide to Medicare fraud and a few tips to protect yourself and your loved ones:
Medicare fraud is defined as any individual or company searching for Medicare reimbursement payments under false pretenses. [2]
There are a few common types of Medicare fraud that include:
• Identity Theft: When a medical professional steals patient information to use to over-bill Medicare.
• Equipment Substitution: An order for medical equipment may be intercepted, with Medicare being billed for newer or more expensive equipment and the patient being provided with cheap or used equipment.
• Phantom Billing: A doctor’s office may bill for services never performed.
• Upcoding: A medical provider may submit bills to Medicare for a more expensive service than the one actually performed.
• Unnecessary Procedures: A doctor may perform procedures that are not medically necessary in order to bill Medicare for the cost.
• Generic Drugs: Medicare is often billed for name brand medications when generic drugs were actually provided to the patient.
Medicare fraud doesn’t just cost the federal government. It often results in substandard medical treatment for the patient, and the additional costs can mean that the patient’s Medicare allotment is used up due to fraudulent billing. Fraud costs also increase health care costs and can eventually lead to higher taxes.
Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself or a loved one from Medicare fraud:
• Review your claims for mistakes or concerns:
• Keep a record of the dates of your doctors’ appointments and save your receipts and statements that you receive from providers to check for errors.
• Compare your records with the Medicare processed records to ensure you were not billed for any services you did not receive. You can review your Medicare claims by:
• visiting www.mymedicare.gov (claims are normally available within 24 hours after processing)
• calling 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227) or
• looking at your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN)
• If you notice an incorrect charge on your bill, call your doctor or health care provider to give you more information to better understand the billing issue—it is possible there was a billing error.
• Make sure that the information below is readily accessible before contacting your doctor, health care provider, or Medicare:
• Your name and Medicare number
• The date of your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN)
• The provider’s name & any identifying number;
• The service or item in question;
• The date the service/item was received;
• The payment amount approved/paid for by Medicare;
• The reason you think Medicare should not have paid;
• Any information providing evidence to show why Medicare should not have paid for the service/item in question.
If you think you or your loved one may have been a victim of Medicare fraud, help is available. The Senior Medicare Patrol is a federally-funded resource to help seniors combat Medicare abuse. To contact the New York Senior Medicare Patrol, call the 24-hour hotline at 1-877-678-4697 or visit http://www.aging.ny.gov/ResourceGuide/HealthInsurance.cfm. For more information about our elder law services, visit www.elderlawnewyork.com.
SOURCE: The New York Times
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October 3, 2012
Elderly Patient Left to Wet Bed in Hospital Corridor (NSW. AUSTRALIA)
Lateline
By Matthew Carney
October 2, 2012
An elderly woman was left in a corridor for six hours and told to urinate in her bed when she needed to go to the toilet in a disturbing case of neglect at a major Sydney hospital.
Doctors say the incident at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital points to a system in crisis.
The 89-year-old woman's daughter told ABC1's Lateline that her mother was rushed to the hospital with a serious staph infection early last week.
The daughter, who wants to remain unidentified, says her mother was left on a trolley in a corridor in the emergency department for six hours.
"I'm disgusted, terrified that I might be in the same position one day. Where do you go? And what if she didn't have me as her voice?" she said.
When the elderly patient asked for a bedpan her daughter says a nurse told her to urinate in her clothes in bed.
She was sobbing, she said 'I'm 89-years old, I've paid my taxes all my life, and this is what's happening to me. I have to urinate in the bed.' And her anguish transferred to me and I didn't know which way to turn.
Daughter of a St Vincent's patient
"She was sobbing, she said 'I'm 89-years old, I've paid my taxes all my life, and this is what's happening to me. I have to urinate in the bed'," she said.
"And her anguish transferred to me and I didn't know which way to turn."
The daughter says her mother was left for two hours in the same bed sheets. She says her mother then asked for painkillers.
"She was in extreme pain, was given none of her medication," she said.
"When I told them what medication she was on, a certain painkiller, they said 'we don't use that in emergency because it's too expensive'."
St Vincent's says the system was under stress when the 89-year-old patient entered the hospital and a full investigation will be undertaken.
"The easy answer would be that the hospital was extremely busy at the time, and it was; clearly there was a lot of acute and complex patients who were presenting to the emergency department," spokesperson David Faktor said.
"But that doesn't absolve ourselves of extending just basic levels of care to distressed patients."
The daughter of the patient says the hospital was chronically understaffed.
St Vincent's has apologised to the family, but says it cannot comment on whether this incident is symptomatic of a wider problem.
"I think anyone in those circumstances would be most significantly humiliated," Mr Faktor said.
"But I think the second emotion would be very angry and disappointed and we, as a society, deserve better than that.
"We as a hospital certainly aim to provide care that is leaps and bounds better than that."
System in crisis
Brian Owler, president of the NSW branch of the Australian Medical Association, says the public hospital system is in crisis.
"It's a symptom of a hospital system - whether it's New South Wales or any other state - that's under enormous stress and pressure," he said.
"It's a result of underinvestment in infrastructure of health care, right across the country. Not just governments in place now but governments that have gone before them."
The AMA says emergency departments do not have enough beds to cope with increasing demand and budget cuts are making the situation much worse.
"Having cuts on top of that to a system that's already under stress means that, whether you make the cuts to the back line or not, the frontline clinical services are always going to be affected, particularly in a system that's already under stress, and where there's no surplus jobs that exist in particular in NSW Health," Dr Owler said.
The New South Wales Government rejects the claim that the health system is in crisis.
In a written statement NSW Health Minister Gillian Skinner says she will be redirecting $2.2 billion in savings to frontline health services.
SOURCE: ABC, Australia
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October 2, 2012
Sons are Major Abusers of Elderly Parents in India
Sons are major abusers of elderly parents in India
26 per cent said verbal abuse was very common
IANS
September 30, 2012
GULF NEWS
New Delhi: A large percentage of India’s elderly face abuse from their sons, rather than their daughters-in-law, with financial dependence being one of the main reasons for neglect and abuse.
While the government gives a paltry monthly pension of Rs.200 (Dh13) to those over 60 years in below-poverty-line (BPL) families, social activists are fighting for raising this to Rs.2,000 a month for all the elderly, irrespective of economic background.
October 1 is the International Day of the Elderly.
A survey conducted by HelpAge India on elder abuse indicates that the elderly suffer abuse silently — mostly at the hands of their sons.
There is a common belief that only daughters-in-law abuse elders. On the contrary, 56 per cent of those surveyed felt it was their sons who abuse them; daughters-in-law scored as low as 23 per cent,” Mathew Cherian, chief executive of HelpAge India, told IANS.
Over 44 per cent of the elderly said disrespect was the most common form of abuse, while 30 per cent said it was neglect and 26 per cent said verbal abuse was very common.
The report is based on a survey across 20 major cities, with a sample size of 5,600 and 280 elders per city.
Only a few of the elderly were willing to accept they faced abuse in some form while others chose to keep mum for the sake of family honour.
“Nearly 33 per cent of them are living without their children. Around 22 million widows, fairly a large group, have no form of subsistence. The widow’s pension reaches only about 10 per cent of the widows,” said Cherian.
“Overall, the situation of the elderly in the country is very bleak,” he added.
Financial burden is one of the main reasons for the neglect and abuse. Experts say universal old age pension would help the elders in a big way.
While a majority of the elderly know the police helpline numbers and services, they never call up — “for the sake of family honour”.
An activist of Pension Parishad, an initiative to ensure universal pension to all workers in India, told IANS: “Under the Indira Gandhi Old Age Pension Scheme those above 60 get Rs.200 a month and those above 80 get Rs.500 per month as pension.
“This amount is too less and the scheme covers only below-poverty line citizens. Only 18 million of the elderly population benefit from this scheme. We are demanding a programme for pension irrespective of whether a person belongs to below poverty line or above poverty line.”
The activist who did not want to be named said union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying that the Rs.200 pension amount was “an insult” to the individual since it’s too low an amount.
While the Pension Parishad, of which social activist Aruna Roy is a member, is fighting for reducing the age limit for pensions to 55, Minister Jairam Ramesh is not in agreement. He wants it to remain at 60 years.
According to Cherian, the government should implement universal pension and health insurance. “Only then will the situation of elders who are 60-plus be better,” Cherian said.
The HelpAge report also said that around 62 per cent elderly felt that children needed to be sensitised to prevent elder abuse and the inter-generational bonding strengthened. However, 38 per cent felt that only economic independence would solve the problem.
The activist added that the government had to increase more health insurance packages which are tailor-made for people who can only afford low premiums.
The report says that Madhya Pradesh tops elder abuse cases with 77.12 per cent. This is followed by Assam — 60.55 per cent, Uttar Pradesh — 52 percent, Gujarat — 42.97 per cent, and the lowest is Rajasthan — 1.6 per cent. The national capital, including the National Capital Region (NCR), has 29.82 per cent cases.
Of those interviewed in Delhi and NCR, 30 per cent admitted to facing abuse. The primary perpetrators of abuse were sons in 60 per cent cases, followed by daughters-in-law in 24 per cent cases.
SOURCE: Gulf News
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26 per cent said verbal abuse was very common
IANS
September 30, 2012
GULF NEWS
New Delhi: A large percentage of India’s elderly face abuse from their sons, rather than their daughters-in-law, with financial dependence being one of the main reasons for neglect and abuse.
While the government gives a paltry monthly pension of Rs.200 (Dh13) to those over 60 years in below-poverty-line (BPL) families, social activists are fighting for raising this to Rs.2,000 a month for all the elderly, irrespective of economic background.
October 1 is the International Day of the Elderly.
A survey conducted by HelpAge India on elder abuse indicates that the elderly suffer abuse silently — mostly at the hands of their sons.
There is a common belief that only daughters-in-law abuse elders. On the contrary, 56 per cent of those surveyed felt it was their sons who abuse them; daughters-in-law scored as low as 23 per cent,” Mathew Cherian, chief executive of HelpAge India, told IANS.
Over 44 per cent of the elderly said disrespect was the most common form of abuse, while 30 per cent said it was neglect and 26 per cent said verbal abuse was very common.
The report is based on a survey across 20 major cities, with a sample size of 5,600 and 280 elders per city.
Only a few of the elderly were willing to accept they faced abuse in some form while others chose to keep mum for the sake of family honour.
“Nearly 33 per cent of them are living without their children. Around 22 million widows, fairly a large group, have no form of subsistence. The widow’s pension reaches only about 10 per cent of the widows,” said Cherian.
“Overall, the situation of the elderly in the country is very bleak,” he added.
Financial burden is one of the main reasons for the neglect and abuse. Experts say universal old age pension would help the elders in a big way.
While a majority of the elderly know the police helpline numbers and services, they never call up — “for the sake of family honour”.
An activist of Pension Parishad, an initiative to ensure universal pension to all workers in India, told IANS: “Under the Indira Gandhi Old Age Pension Scheme those above 60 get Rs.200 a month and those above 80 get Rs.500 per month as pension.
“This amount is too less and the scheme covers only below-poverty line citizens. Only 18 million of the elderly population benefit from this scheme. We are demanding a programme for pension irrespective of whether a person belongs to below poverty line or above poverty line.”
The activist who did not want to be named said union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying that the Rs.200 pension amount was “an insult” to the individual since it’s too low an amount.
While the Pension Parishad, of which social activist Aruna Roy is a member, is fighting for reducing the age limit for pensions to 55, Minister Jairam Ramesh is not in agreement. He wants it to remain at 60 years.
According to Cherian, the government should implement universal pension and health insurance. “Only then will the situation of elders who are 60-plus be better,” Cherian said.
The HelpAge report also said that around 62 per cent elderly felt that children needed to be sensitised to prevent elder abuse and the inter-generational bonding strengthened. However, 38 per cent felt that only economic independence would solve the problem.
The activist added that the government had to increase more health insurance packages which are tailor-made for people who can only afford low premiums.
The report says that Madhya Pradesh tops elder abuse cases with 77.12 per cent. This is followed by Assam — 60.55 per cent, Uttar Pradesh — 52 percent, Gujarat — 42.97 per cent, and the lowest is Rajasthan — 1.6 per cent. The national capital, including the National Capital Region (NCR), has 29.82 per cent cases.
Of those interviewed in Delhi and NCR, 30 per cent admitted to facing abuse. The primary perpetrators of abuse were sons in 60 per cent cases, followed by daughters-in-law in 24 per cent cases.
SOURCE: Gulf News
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No Policy, Law About the Elderly in Pakistan
No policy, law about the elderly in Pakistan
2 October 2012
President Asif Ali Zardari has reiterated the government’s commitment to continue working for the welfare and protection of elderly people.
In a message on the occasion of International Day of Older Persons falling on October 1, Zardari called up philanthropists and the affluent members of society to step forward and play their role.
“Through concerted action by all, the private and the public sector, we can make the lives of elderly more comfortable and meaningful,” he said.
In a similar message, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said the older people are repository of experience, knowledge and wisdom as they have been through thick and thin in life.
Meanwhile, Global Age Watch which gathers data and analyses on population ageing in a report has pointed out that thanks to empty rhetoric from successive governments, Pakistan has neither a policy on ageing nor a national legislation for older people.
Population trends in the country indicate that the percentage of people of 60 years or more is 6.5 per cent and by 2050 this will rise to 15.8 per cent. With a ranking of 123 out of 195 countries in terms of percentage of population aged 80-plus, Pakistan doesn’t have a comprehensive pension system, says the report.
According to the Planning Commission, the population with 60 years or more will increase from 3.78 million in 2011 to 4.31 million by 2015 and 7.45 million by 2030.
The latest national review and appraisal report under the ‘Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing’ submitted to the United Nations by the ministry of human resource development says the population of older persons in Pakistan is very small because of high incidence of heart diseases, diabetes, hepatitis, tuberculosis, malaria, diarrhoea, kidney diseases and water-borne diseases in the country.
The report submitted to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific for its second review and appraisal of the international plan of action that concluded last week admitted that Pakistan neither had a policy on ageing nor a national legislation for older people.
The report recommended that Pakistan should replicate the Expanded Senior Citizens Act, introduced by the Philippines which provided social pension to the older persons.
SOURCE: KhaleeJTimes
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2 October 2012
President Asif Ali Zardari has reiterated the government’s commitment to continue working for the welfare and protection of elderly people.
In a message on the occasion of International Day of Older Persons falling on October 1, Zardari called up philanthropists and the affluent members of society to step forward and play their role.
“Through concerted action by all, the private and the public sector, we can make the lives of elderly more comfortable and meaningful,” he said.
In a similar message, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said the older people are repository of experience, knowledge and wisdom as they have been through thick and thin in life.
Meanwhile, Global Age Watch which gathers data and analyses on population ageing in a report has pointed out that thanks to empty rhetoric from successive governments, Pakistan has neither a policy on ageing nor a national legislation for older people.
Population trends in the country indicate that the percentage of people of 60 years or more is 6.5 per cent and by 2050 this will rise to 15.8 per cent. With a ranking of 123 out of 195 countries in terms of percentage of population aged 80-plus, Pakistan doesn’t have a comprehensive pension system, says the report.
According to the Planning Commission, the population with 60 years or more will increase from 3.78 million in 2011 to 4.31 million by 2015 and 7.45 million by 2030.
The latest national review and appraisal report under the ‘Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing’ submitted to the United Nations by the ministry of human resource development says the population of older persons in Pakistan is very small because of high incidence of heart diseases, diabetes, hepatitis, tuberculosis, malaria, diarrhoea, kidney diseases and water-borne diseases in the country.
The report submitted to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific for its second review and appraisal of the international plan of action that concluded last week admitted that Pakistan neither had a policy on ageing nor a national legislation for older people.
The report recommended that Pakistan should replicate the Expanded Senior Citizens Act, introduced by the Philippines which provided social pension to the older persons.
SOURCE: KhaleeJTimes
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Elderly Can Sue Over Poor Care (UK)
October 1,2012
By Sarah O'Grady
PENSIONERS treated badly in hospitals and care homes can sue for compensation under new age-discrimination laws to be introduced today.
The new rules will also ban the NHS from denying older patients treatments simply because of age.
Recent evidence that old people have been left hungry, dehydrated and lying in soiled clothing in NHS hospitals and care homes has caused outrage.
Doctors have also admitted that they routinely restrict access of some treatments to the elderly.
However, while age discrimination in the workplace is already outlawed, there has been no legal protection in the provision of elderly care services.
This new legislation, the final part of the Equality Act 2010, will ensure that older people cannot be discriminated
against in the provision of goods, facilities and services.
Under the Act, age discrimination claims will be heard by county courts, and patients may be entitled to large sums in compensation.
The rules complement existing laws banning age discrimination in the workplace.
Specific exemptions are included in the laws to allow some positive discrimination, such as the provision of age-related benefits such as free bus passes or certain medical treatments like flu jabs.
General health and social care provision are not included in the exemptions to ensure fair treatment for older patients.
SOURCE: The Express, UK
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By Sarah O'Grady
PENSIONERS treated badly in hospitals and care homes can sue for compensation under new age-discrimination laws to be introduced today.
The new rules will also ban the NHS from denying older patients treatments simply because of age.
Recent evidence that old people have been left hungry, dehydrated and lying in soiled clothing in NHS hospitals and care homes has caused outrage.
Doctors have also admitted that they routinely restrict access of some treatments to the elderly.
However, while age discrimination in the workplace is already outlawed, there has been no legal protection in the provision of elderly care services.
This new legislation, the final part of the Equality Act 2010, will ensure that older people cannot be discriminated
against in the provision of goods, facilities and services.
Under the Act, age discrimination claims will be heard by county courts, and patients may be entitled to large sums in compensation.
The rules complement existing laws banning age discrimination in the workplace.
Specific exemptions are included in the laws to allow some positive discrimination, such as the provision of age-related benefits such as free bus passes or certain medical treatments like flu jabs.
General health and social care provision are not included in the exemptions to ensure fair treatment for older patients.
SOURCE: The Express, UK
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Minister of State Hightlights Elder Abuse Awareness Project (CANADA)
Minister of State (Seniors) Highlights Elder Abuse Awareness Project on National Seniors Day
OTTAWA, ONTARIO
(Marketwire)
10/01/12
The Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors), delivered opening remarks today, on the occasion of National Seniors Day, at an elder abuse awareness event organized by the Federation des ainees et aines francophones du Canada (FAAFC).
"National Seniors Day is an occasion to recognize seniors, and all of the valuable contributions they have made and continue to make in our communities, workplaces, families and society," said Minister of State Wong. "On this day, the Government of Canada is proud to pay tribute to seniors and remains committed to better protecting Canadian seniors from elder abuse."
The FAAFC received $700,000 in pan-Canadian project funding under the New Horizons for Senior Program (NHSP) to update and improve elder abuse awareness tools, create a national network of partners and train senior volunteers to facilitate awareness activities for seniors in francophone communities across the country. This is one of 33 pan-Canadian NHSP projects, totalling $14.6 million, that the Government of Canada announced in early summer to help increase awareness of elder abuse.
The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the well-being of seniors. For relevant and easy-to-access information on federal, provincial and territorial services and benefits available to Canadian seniors, please visit www.seniors.gc.ca.
SOURCE: USPolitics Einnews
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OTTAWA, ONTARIO
(Marketwire)
10/01/12
The Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors), delivered opening remarks today, on the occasion of National Seniors Day, at an elder abuse awareness event organized by the Federation des ainees et aines francophones du Canada (FAAFC).
"National Seniors Day is an occasion to recognize seniors, and all of the valuable contributions they have made and continue to make in our communities, workplaces, families and society," said Minister of State Wong. "On this day, the Government of Canada is proud to pay tribute to seniors and remains committed to better protecting Canadian seniors from elder abuse."
The FAAFC received $700,000 in pan-Canadian project funding under the New Horizons for Senior Program (NHSP) to update and improve elder abuse awareness tools, create a national network of partners and train senior volunteers to facilitate awareness activities for seniors in francophone communities across the country. This is one of 33 pan-Canadian NHSP projects, totalling $14.6 million, that the Government of Canada announced in early summer to help increase awareness of elder abuse.
The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the well-being of seniors. For relevant and easy-to-access information on federal, provincial and territorial services and benefits available to Canadian seniors, please visit www.seniors.gc.ca.
SOURCE: USPolitics Einnews
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September 26, 2012
Care for Elderly but Avoid Errors: Expert
ACHARA DEBOONME
THE NATION
September 25, 2012
Proper planning and an appropriate financing scheme are key for Thailand to achieve a sustainable scheme to support its ageing population and avoid the failures witnessed by several countries such as Japan and some European nations.
"The philosophy is important. The financing scheme is critical. Plan very well and don't misuse funds. You have to pin down the objectives and stick to the rules," Professor Naohiro Ogawa of the Nihon University Population Research Institute said yesterday.
"Life expectancy changes fast. Humans are creating this disaster," he said, explaining that this was the result of maintaining a decades-old retirement age without changing it to match the longer life expectancy.
Like Ogawa, Mathana Phananiramai, a former lecturer at Thammasat University, urged the government to extend the retirement age to cope with higher expenditures on the elderly. When Ogawa said this was the easiest option for Thailand to ensure sustainability of the pension scheme, Mathana said this was the only way to allow Thais to save more to support themselves in retirement.
She suggested the initial extension of the retirement age in some industries.
With people aged 60 and older to account for 25 per cent of the population in 2030 compared with 12 per cent now, Thailand is not prepared for the greying of society when fewer workers will be in the labour market to support the older population.
According to a research project overseen by Mathana, Thailand's elderly now rely evenly on their own savings, labour income and financial support from their children, while government support is near zero.
On the sidelines of the "Asian Regional NTA Conference on Intergenerational Transfers, Population Ageing and Social Protection in Asia", Ogawa urged Thailand to think carefully on what would be the right kind of pension scheme for the Kingdom and how to finance it.
In 1961, Japan established a national pension scheme to provide job security. After changes in the economic structure that made seniority-based promotion unworkable, coupled with the misuse of pension funds for investment in golf courses and resorts, many Japanese lost trust in the scheme and some have refused to pay their contributions.
The government now has to help finance the operation and the burden will only rise, as Japanese life expectancy is over 90 years on average. To fix the problems, the retirement age in Japan will be raised to 65 next March, while companies are allowed to pay half-salary to employees aged 60 or more.
"You should just forget lifetime employment and live with an ability-oriented approach. The Japanese now want to work after retirement. Twenty years ago, they left jobs because of health. Now, at 65, they are still healthy," Ogawa said.
Drawing a lesson from this, when it started a national pension scheme in 1997, South Korea required everyone to work hard in return for financial benefits. Still, despite the lessons, some countries failed. Kazakhstan, for example, initiated its scheme in 2004 on the recommendation of the World Bank, only to report huge losses from the 2008 financial crisis.
"China, India, the Philippines and Thailand - everybody wants to come up with the best social-security system. But we just can't duplicate the same thing," said Ogawa, who oversaw a regional research project in cooperation with the Thailand Development Research Institute.
Commissioned by the International Development Research Centre, the project involving academic and research institutions in China, India, the Philippines and Vietnam. They set out to examine ways to cope with lower productivity when the population grows older and other socio-economic inequalities hurt both the young generation and the elderly. In some countries, it turned out that Asian governments invested so much on the youth, mostly on education, that few resources were left for the elderly. And as these two age groups compete for resources, taxpayers or those in the working-age group bear the burden.
The research project basically employs the framework of national transfer accounts (NTAs) developed by Professor Ronald Lee of the University of California at Berkeley and Professor Andrew Mason of the University of Hawaii.
Mason said the framework helped establish statistics on economic contribution from people of different age groups and their consumption as well as government spending to different groups. For Thailand, where government spending on the elderly is almost nil, the statistics show the need for all workers to save up. But when the Thai government wants to start a social safety net, it needs to fulfill promises.
"Globally, we expect modest population decline but we don't promote fertility to cope with the ageing structure. We're rather moving to become human-capital-intensive, when the number of workers doesn't matter any more.
"A lesson drawn is that ageing poses some challenges for us. We need good safety nets. It's really important to have in place a social safety net to help people deal with the risks," Mason said.
Taxpayers, who in the United States shoulder 30-35 per cent of elderly expenses, should not be entirely burdened or that would lead to no sustainability, he added.
SOURCE: TheNation, Thailand
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THE NATION
September 25, 2012
Proper planning and an appropriate financing scheme are key for Thailand to achieve a sustainable scheme to support its ageing population and avoid the failures witnessed by several countries such as Japan and some European nations.
"The philosophy is important. The financing scheme is critical. Plan very well and don't misuse funds. You have to pin down the objectives and stick to the rules," Professor Naohiro Ogawa of the Nihon University Population Research Institute said yesterday.
"Life expectancy changes fast. Humans are creating this disaster," he said, explaining that this was the result of maintaining a decades-old retirement age without changing it to match the longer life expectancy.
Like Ogawa, Mathana Phananiramai, a former lecturer at Thammasat University, urged the government to extend the retirement age to cope with higher expenditures on the elderly. When Ogawa said this was the easiest option for Thailand to ensure sustainability of the pension scheme, Mathana said this was the only way to allow Thais to save more to support themselves in retirement.
She suggested the initial extension of the retirement age in some industries.
With people aged 60 and older to account for 25 per cent of the population in 2030 compared with 12 per cent now, Thailand is not prepared for the greying of society when fewer workers will be in the labour market to support the older population.
According to a research project overseen by Mathana, Thailand's elderly now rely evenly on their own savings, labour income and financial support from their children, while government support is near zero.
On the sidelines of the "Asian Regional NTA Conference on Intergenerational Transfers, Population Ageing and Social Protection in Asia", Ogawa urged Thailand to think carefully on what would be the right kind of pension scheme for the Kingdom and how to finance it.
In 1961, Japan established a national pension scheme to provide job security. After changes in the economic structure that made seniority-based promotion unworkable, coupled with the misuse of pension funds for investment in golf courses and resorts, many Japanese lost trust in the scheme and some have refused to pay their contributions.
The government now has to help finance the operation and the burden will only rise, as Japanese life expectancy is over 90 years on average. To fix the problems, the retirement age in Japan will be raised to 65 next March, while companies are allowed to pay half-salary to employees aged 60 or more.
"You should just forget lifetime employment and live with an ability-oriented approach. The Japanese now want to work after retirement. Twenty years ago, they left jobs because of health. Now, at 65, they are still healthy," Ogawa said.
Drawing a lesson from this, when it started a national pension scheme in 1997, South Korea required everyone to work hard in return for financial benefits. Still, despite the lessons, some countries failed. Kazakhstan, for example, initiated its scheme in 2004 on the recommendation of the World Bank, only to report huge losses from the 2008 financial crisis.
"China, India, the Philippines and Thailand - everybody wants to come up with the best social-security system. But we just can't duplicate the same thing," said Ogawa, who oversaw a regional research project in cooperation with the Thailand Development Research Institute.
Commissioned by the International Development Research Centre, the project involving academic and research institutions in China, India, the Philippines and Vietnam. They set out to examine ways to cope with lower productivity when the population grows older and other socio-economic inequalities hurt both the young generation and the elderly. In some countries, it turned out that Asian governments invested so much on the youth, mostly on education, that few resources were left for the elderly. And as these two age groups compete for resources, taxpayers or those in the working-age group bear the burden.
The research project basically employs the framework of national transfer accounts (NTAs) developed by Professor Ronald Lee of the University of California at Berkeley and Professor Andrew Mason of the University of Hawaii.
Mason said the framework helped establish statistics on economic contribution from people of different age groups and their consumption as well as government spending to different groups. For Thailand, where government spending on the elderly is almost nil, the statistics show the need for all workers to save up. But when the Thai government wants to start a social safety net, it needs to fulfill promises.
"Globally, we expect modest population decline but we don't promote fertility to cope with the ageing structure. We're rather moving to become human-capital-intensive, when the number of workers doesn't matter any more.
"A lesson drawn is that ageing poses some challenges for us. We need good safety nets. It's really important to have in place a social safety net to help people deal with the risks," Mason said.
Taxpayers, who in the United States shoulder 30-35 per cent of elderly expenses, should not be entirely burdened or that would lead to no sustainability, he added.
SOURCE: TheNation, Thailand
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Abuse Cases Highlight Home Caregiver Perils
ABUSE CASES HIGHLIGHT HOME CAREGIVER PERILS
Families and advocates say oversight is lacking for independent agencies
Written by Kristina Davis
Sept. 24, 2012
A World War II veteran neglected and living in squalor in his East County home.
An elderly Rancho Bernardo man slain after being scammed out of a half-million dollars.
A blind couple suffering from dementia duped into signing over their Cardiff house.
In each case, in-home caregivers have been charged criminally for the abuse.
And now, two caregivers have been charged with punching, kicking and shoving a young autistic man hundreds of times at his family’s home in Valley Center.
Law enforcement and health care advocates in San Diego County say such cases underscore the lack of regulations for home caregivers who are tasked with watching over one of society’s most vulnerable populations.
“We have victims who can’t advocate for themselves,” said sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Varnau of the department’s elder abuse unit. “These people are prisoners in their own homes. There is no way to summon aid, no ability to pick up the phone, sometimes they are medicated or overmedicated and confined to beds.”
Such was the case with 23-year-old Jamey Oakley, the severely autistic, nonverbal victim who had no way to communicate the alleged abuse he was suffering when left alone with two of his caregivers.
Michael Dale Garritson, 61, and Matthew Alexander McDuffie, 27, were charged with abuse Wednesday after secret video recordings made in July and August showed hundreds of incidents over a three-week period, authorities said.
Both pleaded not guilty in Vista Superior Court Friday.
The case illustrates many of the frustrations and potential dangers families face when opening their homes to caregivers.
While day-care centers and nursing homes are regulated by the state and are required to run background checks on employees, no law requires oversight of independent caregiver agencies.
Many agencies claim to run background checks, but often the reviews aren’t extensive, according to a 2011 report by the state Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes. In other cases, agencies still approved caregivers with criminal convictions, the report found.
Investigators and advocates who deal with the elderly and disabled say that’s why it’s so important for families to do their own homework on caregivers — and recommended going as far as hiring a private investigator.
“If your loved one will be alone with an individual, you really have to make sure they’re protected,” said Ellen Schmeding, assistant deputy director of the county’s Aging and Independence Services.
In the case of Garritson and McDuffie, both came up as having no criminal records when U-T San Diego ran their names using a basic background check service.
But a quick Google search of Garritson brought up news reports about how he was charged, then eventually acquitted, of second-degree murder in a baby’s 1979 death in Orange County, as well as how he was convicted of misdemeanor animal cruelty decades later in San Diego County.
SOURCE: UTSanDiego
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Families and advocates say oversight is lacking for independent agencies
Written by Kristina Davis
Sept. 24, 2012
A World War II veteran neglected and living in squalor in his East County home.
An elderly Rancho Bernardo man slain after being scammed out of a half-million dollars.
A blind couple suffering from dementia duped into signing over their Cardiff house.
In each case, in-home caregivers have been charged criminally for the abuse.
And now, two caregivers have been charged with punching, kicking and shoving a young autistic man hundreds of times at his family’s home in Valley Center.
Law enforcement and health care advocates in San Diego County say such cases underscore the lack of regulations for home caregivers who are tasked with watching over one of society’s most vulnerable populations.
“We have victims who can’t advocate for themselves,” said sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Varnau of the department’s elder abuse unit. “These people are prisoners in their own homes. There is no way to summon aid, no ability to pick up the phone, sometimes they are medicated or overmedicated and confined to beds.”
Such was the case with 23-year-old Jamey Oakley, the severely autistic, nonverbal victim who had no way to communicate the alleged abuse he was suffering when left alone with two of his caregivers.
Michael Dale Garritson, 61, and Matthew Alexander McDuffie, 27, were charged with abuse Wednesday after secret video recordings made in July and August showed hundreds of incidents over a three-week period, authorities said.
Both pleaded not guilty in Vista Superior Court Friday.
The case illustrates many of the frustrations and potential dangers families face when opening their homes to caregivers.
While day-care centers and nursing homes are regulated by the state and are required to run background checks on employees, no law requires oversight of independent caregiver agencies.
Many agencies claim to run background checks, but often the reviews aren’t extensive, according to a 2011 report by the state Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes. In other cases, agencies still approved caregivers with criminal convictions, the report found.
Investigators and advocates who deal with the elderly and disabled say that’s why it’s so important for families to do their own homework on caregivers — and recommended going as far as hiring a private investigator.
“If your loved one will be alone with an individual, you really have to make sure they’re protected,” said Ellen Schmeding, assistant deputy director of the county’s Aging and Independence Services.
In the case of Garritson and McDuffie, both came up as having no criminal records when U-T San Diego ran their names using a basic background check service.
But a quick Google search of Garritson brought up news reports about how he was charged, then eventually acquitted, of second-degree murder in a baby’s 1979 death in Orange County, as well as how he was convicted of misdemeanor animal cruelty decades later in San Diego County.
SOURCE: UTSanDiego
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Nurse Indicted for Patient Abuse, Drug Possession
Nina Perez, 31, of Berwick, Maine indicted by Rockingham County Grand Jury following her arrest in August that she deprived a patient of morphine at Edgewood Centre.
By Robert Cook
September 24, 2012
A Berwick, Maine woman who authorities say deprived an elderly patient of morphine so she could take the drug at a Portsmouth elderly care facility has been indicted by a Rockingham County Grand Jury.
Nina Perez, 31, of 93A Rochester St. in Berwick, Maine was indicted in September for one felony count of possession of a controlled drug and indicted for another felony count of abuse of facility patients while she worked as a nurse in May at the Edgewood Centre in Portsmouth.
According to court documents, Perez allegedly deprived one elderly patient of morphine so she could use it on May 19, 2012.
SOURCE: PortsmouthNHPatch
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