Roca Man, Ex-Wife Arrested in Elder Abuse Case

Roca man, ex-wife arrested in elder abuse case
May 10, 2013
By JONATHAN EDWARDS / Lincoln Journal Star

A 45-year-old Roca man wiped out his mother’s $150,000 life savings over the past two years to pay for child support, a motorcycle and his ex-wife’s tanning and cosmetic surgery, Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner said.

On a doctor’s recommendation, Brian Glen Robinson’s 69-year-old mother gave her son and his then-wife, Carla Robinson, power of attorney in February 2011 and added both as signers to her checking and savings accounts, an affidavit for their arrest says.
During the next two years, Wagner said, the Robinsons drained her bank account of $156,000, including $67,000 in cash withdrawals, $49,000 in child support payments and a divorce settlement, restaurant meals, trips to day spas and tanning salons.
They also racked up a $19,200 debt on her credit card, he said.
“Her entire life savings has been depleted,” Wagner said. “Unfortunately, the money’s gone. It’s not recoverable.
“It’s very devastating for the victim.”
A month after getting power of attorney, Robinson’s mother put a $71,000 down payment on a Roca house where the three of them would live. The mother agreed to pay the mortgage, as long as her son and daughter-in-law paid for utilities and groceries.
Investigators didn't list the house payment in the affidavit, because the mother agreed to pay it, Wagner said.
He said elder abuse cases are tough because investigators have to wade through transactions and parse out which are legitimate and which are theft.
For example, Brian and Carla Robinson paid for his mother's care while they also were allegedly stealing from her, Wagner said.
The document granting Brian and Carla Robinson power of attorney forbids them from transferring money to themselves or using it to pay for their legal obligations, the affidavit says.
But after they moved in, it says, Robinson blocked his mother from looking at her mail, including bank statements, locking them in a room upstairs along with her purse.
Brian and Carla Robinson split up in late 2011 and divorced the next July. A Lancaster County District Court judge ordered him to pay $984 a month in child support for six months, and then $1,210 after that.
The judge also ordered him to pay her a one-time lump sum of $10,000.
Robinson made good on the order by paying $49,000 from his mother’s account between May 2012 and February, Wagner said.
One of the mother’s friends grew suspicious and took her to talk to investigators, who started looking into the matter in February.
Deputies jailed Brian and Carla Robinson on Wednesday and Tuesday, respectively, and prosecutors charged them with felony theft and abusing a vulnerable adult.
County Judge Jeffrey Marcuzzo let Brian Robinson out of jail on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.
County Judge Thomas Harmon ordered Carla Robinson to pay 10 percent of her $10,000 bond before she was released from jail Tuesday

SOURCE:        The Journal Star
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Camborne Carer Jailed for St. Ives Nursing Home Abuse (UK)

Camborne carer jailed for St Ives nursing home abuse
11th May 2013
Cornwall

A care home worker from Camborne has been sent to jail for nine months after abusing care home residents.
Fiona Sally Salmon, aged 40, of Fore Street, mistreated patients over a five month period at Cornwallis Nursing Home, which caters for those suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's disease in particular.
On March 14 she was found guilty of seven charges of ill-treating or neglecting residents suffering from insufficient mental capacity.
The court had heard statements from a former collegue that Salmon had rubbed a resident's face with a flannel so hard it caused a nosebleed, squeezed talcum powder into a woman's face and called a resident a grubby b***h.
Other accusations included pinching and slapping residents, according to the prosecution.
She was handed the prison sentance yesterday at Truro Crown Court.
Salmon no longer works at Cornwallis Care Services' home in St Ives

SOURCE:        ThisIsTheWestCountry

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Governor Signs Elderly Abuse Law (Georgia USA)

Kevin Hall The Moultrie Observer
May 3, 2013

MOULTRIE — Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law on Friday a bill to help fight abuse of the elderly, and he came to a Moultrie personal care home to do it.

House Bill 78, sponsored by Rep. Wendell Willard, R-Sandy Springs, and five others, increases the number of mandated reporters of abuse and collects the language of various state laws on the matter into a single act, according to remarks by Deal and Commissioner Clyde Reese of the Department of Human Services.

Reese said in the current fiscal year, the Department of Aging Services, a division of his agency, is investigating 2,100 cases of elder abuse, 2,700 cases of financial exploitation, 3,600 cases of neglect, 3,700 cases of self-neglect and 73 cases of sexual abuse of an elderly person.

“We want to make sure we don’t allow people to abuse the elderly of our state,” said Deal, a former prosecutor.

The changes made by the new law will make prosecution of crimes against the elderly easier, he said. It also expands similar protection to disabled adults of any age.

SOURCE:         The Moultrie Observer

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Bank Employee Accused of Defrauding Elderly Woman (CA. USA)

BY SARAH BURGE
 STAFF WRITER (PE)
 May 03, 2013

A Murrieta man was arrested Thursday, May 2, on suspicion of defrauding an elderly woman he met while working at a bank, authorities said.
Don Leon Foster, 35, was arrested at his current workplace in San Diego County, Riverside County sheriff’s officials said in a news release.
Sheriff’s officials said Foster took advantage of the woman — who recently died — while he was working at a bank in Temecula, defrauding her of “a large sum of money.”
Investigators did not disclose the amount of money taken. But the bail in such cases typically reflects the amount of money believed to have been stolen. Foster’s bail is set at $183,000, jail records show.
After arresting Foster on University Drive in Vista, investigators also served a search warrant Thursday evening at Foster’s home in the Mapleton area of Murrieta.
He was booked into the Southwest Detention Center in French Valley on suspicion of financial elder abuse, sheriff’s officials said.
A case to transfer conservatorship of the woman and her estate from Foster to a public guardian was filed in Riverside County probate court in November, court records show.
Foster contested the case, saying in court records that he was a legitimate caretaker. He said he met the woman in 2007 while working at Wachovia Bank. He said they became friends and she opened accounts there. He and his family began to spend time with the woman, who had no close relatives, and helped take care of her, Foster said. The friendship continued when he left Wachovia in 2009 and took a job at U.S. Bank, he said.
That same year, the woman signed a will leaving her estate to “my good friend, Don Leon Foster” and gave him power of attorney.
When a court-appointed lawyer spoke with woman at her residential care facility in November, she was by then 88 years old, in declining health and suffering from dementia. She was very confused, the lawyer wrote in court records, and was unable to recall who Foster was.

SOURCE:       The Press-Enterprise
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Protect Seniors in the Year of Elder Abuse Prevention (USA)

Every year an estimated 2.1 million older Americans are victims of elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation. And that’s only part of the picture: Experts believe that for every case of elder abuse or neglect reported, as many as five cases go unreported.

Elder abuse happens, but everyone can act to protect seniors.

The Administration on Aging (AoA), an agency of the Administration for Community Living (ACL), is sponsoring the Year of Elder Abuse Prevention (YEAP) to encourage national, state, and local organizations to protect seniors and raise awareness about elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
Please Protect Seniors and join us in taking a stand against elder abuse this year! Enter a Pledge Card and commit to do something extra this year to raise awareness in your community about elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation!
As part of the YEAP, the AoA is pleased to provide information, tools, and resources to support partners in their efforts to raise public awareness about elder abuse and shed light on the importance of preventing, identifying, and responding to this serious, often hidden problem.

The YEAP toolkit includes:  (PLEASE GO TO SOURCE FOR RESOURCES)

• YEAP Toolkit Information Sheet: Protect Seniors in the Year of Elder Abuse Prevention
• YEAP Outreach Guide: How Your Organization Can Generate Awareness and Foster Action to Guard Against Elder Abuse
• Fact Sheets:
o 10 Things Anyone Can Do to Protect Seniors
o Warning Signs of Elder Abuse
o How to Answer Those Tough Questions About Elder Abuse
o Protect Yourself From Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation
• Logos
o File Type: .jpg
Download Logo: | Color | Black & White
o File Type: .eps
Download Logo: | Color | Black & White
o File Type: .gif
Download Logo: | Color | Black & White
• Poster

• Customizable YEAP Templates
o PowerPoint
o Fact Sheet/Newsletter
o Event Flier
o Certificate
• Web Banners
o Banner Ad - 160x600
o Banner Ad - 180x150
o Banner Ad – 180x55
o Banner Ad - 300x250
o Banner Ad - 278x90

• Social Media Tools

SOURCE:      Administration of Aging

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AGING AND ABUSE

The most recent estimates suggest 1 in 10 seniors are abused, neglected or exploited, and that has serious implications for individuals and communities. Victims of elder abuse are much more likely to end up in hospitals and nursing homes. Seniors lose almost $3 billion a year due to financial exploitation, which leaves them vulnerable and dependent on government or family assistance. With an aging population, elder abuse is only expected to increase, and social service agencies are often not able to keep up. In this five-part series, we look at the complexities of elder abuse in the D.C. region and why the problem is so difficult to address.

WHERE TO GET HELP IN DC, MARYLAND, VIRGINIA

WARNING SIGNS OF ELDER ABUSE

COUPLE TALE OF ABUSE

James and Etta Jennings moved to the Forest Hill neighborhood of Richmond in 1959.  They were young - just married - and the first owners of their red brick ranch house.  They had children and then grandchildren, who gathered in their family room for holidays and learned to swim in their backyard pool.
But when their granddaughter, Jeannie Beidler, approached the home on July 27, 2010, she was confronted by a grim reality.  Paramedics, police and Adult Protective Services social workers were on the scene.
"You could smell the stench of urine and feces," she says, standing at the foot of the driveway.  "From this point, we already knew what we were about to walk into."
The Jennings' son, Beidler's uncle, was supposed to be caring for them, but it became clear very quickly that something had gone horribly wrong.  The Jennings were living without running water or even a fan.  James was confined to a chair.  His blood pressure was high and he was fading in and out of consciousness.  Etta was living on a broken bed crawling with maggots.
Beidler was overwhelmed.
"To think how could this have happened to her?  I can't think of a sadder moment in my life or a heavier moment in my life than that," she says.
It's hard to imagine how a family home could sour and rot as the Jennings' had, or how somebody could watch two elderly parents wasting away.  But neglect is not uncommon, especially for seniors with dementia and complicated medical conditions who are also at risk for physical and emotional abuse, as well as financial exploitation
In a study funded by the National Institute of Justice, approximately 1 in 10 seniors reported being abused or neglected in the previous year, and financial exploitation of seniors is estimated to total $2.9 billion dollars a year.  Victims of abuse are more than twice as likely to die prematurely and more than four times as likely to be admitted to a nursing home or rehab center.

Abridged
SOURCE:      AMERICAN UNIVERSITY RADIO
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Toughen Maine Law to Prevent, Fight Financial Exploitation of Elderly

By Tabitha Sagner and Kelly Souder, Special to the BDN

April 21, 2013

It is estimated that by 2030, almost 25 percent of Americans will be 60 years of age or older. Elder financial exploitation harms the dignity, health and economic security of millions of Americans. Each year more than 12,000 Mainers are victims of elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation. Elder financial abuse is underrecognized, underreported and underprosecuted. It has not been extensively studied, nor is it well understood.
The oldest demographic, those 85 and older, are the fastest increasing population of seniors and have a 30 percent chance of dementia. Many seniors are dependent on others for help. Sometimes, those helpers exercise substantial influence over seniors. To gain compliance with their demands, perpetrators often use threats of withdrawal of love, care, medications, food and social interactions and threaten institutionalization.
By median age, Maine is the oldest state in the nation and has more 300,000 people age 60 years and older. It’s estimated about 38,000 people in Maine are affected with Alzheimer’s disease and that thousands more suffer from other forms of dementia. One of the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease is financial difficulty due to loss of abstract thinking. Now that Maine’s baby boomers are reaching the age of retirement, there is an increased risk for more instances of financial exploitation in the coming years.
A 2012 study found the annual financial loss by victims of elder financial abuse is estimated to be at least $2.9 billion dollars nationwide. This creates a burden for state and federal services as the victims’ diminished resources are no longer enough to provide for basic needs and standards of living. This is not only a problem for the victim; the problem falls on the shoulders of all Mainers.
Police investigations of financial exploitation are commonly ceased — often because the perpetrator can demonstrate, via a power of attorney, his or her name on a bank account or other legal document. Often the victim consented to the use of funds, even if doing so left the victim destitute.
LD 527, sponsored by Rep. Mark Dion, D-Portland, proposes three modifications to the current statutes to better protect vulnerable adults.
The first modification is the addition of “dementia or other cognitive impairment” to protect people who are not able to adequately judge their situation and cannot give their consent.
The second modification states that consent cannot be given by “undue influence.” This is sometimes described as a deceptive means to control another person’s decision making. Examining undue influence could mean a more involved process of evaluating the true intentions of the vulnerable adult in the changing of their will, power of attorney, name on a joint account or the voluntary turnover of an asset.
Including the use of undue influence provides an increased incentive for law enforcement and prosecutors to pursue cases involving powers of attorney where the person is left destitute because of the misuse of their only assets by someone who had a right to use the assets.
When a power of attorney is misused in violation of the duty created, it is the same as theft. Currently, regardless of the amounts misused, the crime can only be a misdemeanor. This is where the last modification comes into play. The modification increases the penalty to a felony. If the value of the property is between $1,000 and $10,000, it becomes a Class C crime. If the value of the property is more than $10,000, it becomes a harsher Class B crime. This proposed bill would allow for the legal system to offer more punitive penalties to those who take advantage of our older, vulnerable adults.
Elder abuse in Maine is on the rise. Many seniors rely heavily on low incomes for their feeling of identity and independence. Taking a senior’s money creates a devastating loss. The term “financial violence” is more fitting to describe the horrific impact of financial exploitation. This bill creates the initial steps needed to enable prosecutors and law enforcement to better protect our seniors and vulnerable adults.
For these reasons, we encourage people to contact their legislators and urge them to pass LD 527, An Act to Protect Elders and Vulnerable Adults from Exploitation.

Tabitha Sagner of Old Town and Kelly Souder of Winterport are both Master of Social Workstudents at the University of Maine, set to graduate in May. They are also students in theHartford Partnership Program for Aging Education through the University of Maine Center on Aging.

SOURCE:          Bangor Daily News
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Elderly Financial Abuse Costs Seniors $2.9 Billion Annually

By J.R. SCHRADER
The Southwest Times

 An estimated one million older Americans lose $2.9 billion each year through the financial abuse of the elder generation.
The perpetrators are not thugs with guns or threats or strangers, but family, neighbors, friends, caregivers and financial officers.
To combat this menace and help the elderly preserve finances, possessions and homes, the New River Valley Elder Justice Coalition will sponsor a Community Dialogue on Financial Abuse among Older Adults.
The session will be held Tuesday, May 7, at Highland Ridge Rehab Center, Dublin, from   9:30 a.m. to noon.
Brunch will be served. To register, call 674-4193 by May 1. More information about this event is available by calling Janet Brennend, Agency on Aging at 980-7720.
A panel representing law enforcement, long-term medical care, banking and finance and adult protective services will provide information during a question and answer session.
An open discussion on elder financial abuse and resource sharing will also be part of the session.
A grant from the Community Foundation of the New River Valley is funding the session.
Fraud by strangers accounts for 51 percent of elder abuse fraud, with business sector another 12 percent. Medicare and Medicaid fraud adds for percent.
Women are twice as likely as men to become victims of such abuse, most of them 80 to 89 yeas of age, living alone and requiring some level of help.
The typical victim is a frail white female, 70-89 years of age with cognitive impairment. She trusts others, is lonely or isolated. Family members are scattered and seldom visit or uninvolved.
Nearly 50 percent of the perpetrators are men, 30 to 59 years of age.
The abuse often leads to credit problems, health issues, depression and loss of independence, as well as finances, possessions and homes.
Many people know of such incidents, but seldom become involved until it is too late.
There are similar incidents that have occurred locally, but not reported nor any measures taken to overturn them. Recovering the losses are difficult.
One case in Georgia involved a couple, she the caregiver and her husband, were indicted for defrauding an elderly veteran with dementia out of about $182,000. Police say the couple took about $500,000 from the 80-year-old man.
 Another case, in California, involved a CEO and CFO of an investment firm who were charged in 66 felon cases of bilking older investors out of $2.3 million over eight years.
 These may be the exception, but hundreds of thousands of lesser amounts add up to $2.9 billion a year.

SOURCE:          
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Conference to Offer Education, Awareness About Senior Abuse, Support Services

By Sheena Read, QMI Agency
April 22, 2013

An upcoming conference will highlight elder abuse and available support systems.
The Nanton Quality of Life Foundation will be hosting a seniors conference called Shining A Light:  A Seniors Conference on May 8.

The one-day conference will offer a series of workshops providing education and awareness to help local seniors, family members, service providers, volunteers and the public understand what elder abuse is.
“We know the need is out there,” says Nanton Quality of Life Foundation executive director Nicole Van Langen. “In there region there has been instances of senior abuse.”
The conference will help participants understand the many facets of abuse, and how to respond to the various forms of abuse.
It is the hope that this understanding will reduce the incidence of elder abuse through increased awareness and knowledge of the issue, says Van Langen.
“I think people are becoming more informed as to what constitutes the specifics of elder abuse,” says Van Langen. “I think it also helps that the government has provided a definition for it.”
Van Langen says she doesn’t believe that elder abuse is increasing, but likens it how there was a movement of growing awareness for domestic abuse about 30 years ago.
Elder abuse can occur in financial, physical, prescription, sexual, emotional and neglect forms.
“I think that education and information equals power,” says Van Langen.
“We have experts in those fields coming in to define all areas of abuse, and what to do if you’re a victim,” says Van Langen.
Included in the day’s workshops will be an expert on frauds and scams.
“I think that what happens is people don’t know what to do once it happens. He’ll show the information on what to do to protect yourself,” she says.
Another workshop will deal with how to maintain mental wellness.
“People will suffer in silence, especially in a small town,” she says. ‘
Van Langen says that the Nanton Quality of Life Foundation has obtained some great resource materials for packages for participants.
Although the target audience for the conference is seniors, Van Langen says that is applicable for anyone who has a senior in their life, as well as service providers like financial institutions, volunteers and care givers.
“In order to pinpoint abuse, sometimes it takes a team effort,” she says. The conference will be holding a limited number of seats for service providers.
“The information provided will be just as applicable,” says Van Langen.
There is no cost to attend this conference, and everyone is welcome.
 For more information, contact the Nanton Quality of Life Foundation office at   403-646-2436.

SOURCE:         The Nanton News
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Lawmakers Push New Elder Abuse Bill

Apr 23, 2013
By WBRC Staff - email
BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)

Several Birmingham lawmakers are taking a step toward fighting elder abuse. They joined Senator Cam Ward in Alabaster on Monday to update the progress of new legislation.
Researchers say 6,000 cases of elder abuse are reported each year, but these lawmakers fear many are not reported. That is why state lawmakers are pushing for this bill
According to experts, neglect and financial exploitation are the most common problems when it comes to elder abuse.
Sen. Ward authored the bill and Monday, he spoke to senior citizens in Alabaster about the specifics of the bill.
Part of that talk included sharing the story of Virginia Frick, who from 2006 to 2010 swindled out of $2.5 million by a man named Joe Giddens, a family friend who was appointed power of attorney.
Giddens received a penalty of 10 years in prison, the same as it would have been had he illegally gained $150 from his victim.
The proposed bill would make it a felony to commit such crimes, depending on the level and amount of abuse. It would also stiffen prison sentences for specific types of elder abuse.
The Alabama Legislature defined elder abuse last year and it will outline it with punishments this year. This bill would also make elderly abuse cases easier to prosecute.
This bill has already passed the full Senate and out of house committee. It's now set to go before the full house.
Sen. Ward says he feels that a vote will happen before the end of the legislative session and he feels confident it will pass.
Proponents of this bill urge seniors to contact their local lawmakers to show their support of the bill.
Copyright 2013 WBRC.

SOURCE:        WSFA

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