Senior Citizens Deserve to be Protected (USA)

April 30, 2011

No one of decent character would argue that elder abuse isn't just plain disgusting.

The thought of someone taking advantage of or physically harming your grandparents or someone else's grandparents is reprehensible.

Yet thousands of senior citizens are victims of one or more of the many types of abuse existing today. It's not a new problem, but that doesn't mean we have to accept it.

Fighting the problem is only right, and part of that battle is awareness. Consequently, any effort that enlightens people about the problem warrants support.

We are endorsing this year as Elder Abuse Awareness Year.

As Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said in a recent news release, "By raising awareness of elder abuse, the hope is to prevent crimes against vulnerable adults."

Elder abuse includes physical and/or emotional abuse, financial exploitation and self-neglect. Statistics indicate more than 80,000 vulnerable adults in Michigan are victims of at least one form of elder abuse.

To help spotlight the problem and promote public awareness, the Serving Adults who are Vulnerable and/or Elderly Task Force was launched in 2005. The SAVE Task Force is a partnership among service agencies and businesses that serve the senior population, law enforcement and Oakland County Health and Human Services to protect the rights and safety of vulnerable adults.

For more information about elder abuse, visit www.oakgov.com/seniors/assets/docs/help_readable_format.pdf.

Anyone who suspects that someone is being abused or neglected may make an anonymous report to Adult Protective Services at 1-866-975-5010

SOURCE:   The Heritage.com
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Haverford Nursing Home Loses License Over Elder Abuse (USA)

By PHILLIP LUCAS

April 30, 2011

The family of Lois McAllister, a 78-year-old dementia patient, used a hidden camera to catch nursing-home workers physically abusing her, making her stand partially naked in front of them, and taunting her when they visited her room in late March.

The 12-minute video prompted an investigation by the state Department of Public Welfare, and the agency yesterday stripped Sunrise Continued Care, the parent company of the nursing home, of its license to run the home.

Ronald Melusky, acting DPW director, said in a letter to the company that the investigation revealed gross incompetence, negligence and misconduct at the Quadrangle, the Haverford nursing home McAllister was living in when she was abused.

According to reports, the elderly population is a little less than a quarter of Michigan's total. But crimes against them recently have been nearly one-third of the state's total. Many elderly are lonely and happy to engage with friendly types. Some are more gullible and naive, even if they were less so when they had many more daily interactions with others.

Criminals see seniors as easy marks. Also, many relatives of seniors find it easy to take advantage of their elders. These individuals often see the older family member as merely a source of extra revenue. They don't have the care and respect for the seniors that they should have.

There are metro area organizations, such as Citizens for Better Care, that can help identify abusive situations. Elder abuse educators provided by the Detroit-based organization work with long-term care staff, residents and their families to recognize and combat sexual, physical, emotional and financial abuse, neglect, exploitation and abandonment.

Elder abuse shouldn't be happening. People are supposed to respect their aging parents and grandparents. However, the problem is pervasive throughout our society and anything that can help fight it should be instituted or utilized.

So, mom and dad - grandma and grandpa deserve all of the help we can muster.

--Courtesy of The Oakland Press

SOURCE:     Philly.com


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Lawsuits Target Oakley Pastor Over Fraud Allegations (USA)

By Roman Gokhman and Rowena Coetsee

Contra Costa Times

05/01/2011

Police investigations and lawsuits over accusations of fraudulent loans target an Oakley pastor whose financially troubled ministry includes a lavish estate that bears his name.

Rio Vista and Brentwood police have launched separate investigations of 61-year-old Jerry Hanoum, who founded Mountain View Christian Center and Trinity Christian Schools. The church and school operate on a vacant public school campus in Oakley, where they have failed to keep up with rent and tax payments.

A Rio Vista woman is suing Hanoum and Jerry Dellinger, an associate, alleging financial and psychological elder abuse stemming from loans she made totaling $230,000.

The suit claims that Hanoum and the church used properties as collateral that they didn't own. One of the properties is the nearly 5-acre Hanoum Estate in Oakley that Mountain View advertises as a pastoral retreat and event center.

Abridged
SOURCE:     The Mercury News


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Woman 'Bitten' at Nursing Home (AUSTRALIA)

Woman 'bitten' at nursing home

By Peter Gardiner

21st April 2011

A GOVERNMENT watchdog has identified a “serious risk” to residents at a Tewantin nursing home.

It has ordered a number of sanctions, including the appointment of an independent nursing supervisor.

The Department of Health Care and Ageing has ordered that the Noosa Nursing Centre in Moorindil St cannot take new residents for six months.

Any breach of strict supervision conditions could result in the removal of its approved carer status.

The news comes as the daughter of an elderly resident claims her mother was assaulted with a serious bite on the hand by another resident.

The daughter claimed nursing management she had dealt with had been openly hostile when she raised a range of concerns.

The woman said a complaint which she considers to be baseless was made to the state authorities over her adult guardianship of her mother’s affairs and an interim guardian had been appointed.

A resident told the Daily that standover tactics were used on staff and residents by a management officer, who had recently ceased employment there.

The department’s website reports that the agency audit identified serious risk in relation to:

“The home’s registered and care staff do not have sufficient and/or accurate information to ensure care is provided in accordance with residents’ individual needs or changes to care needs.

“Information systems and communication in relation to clinical care are ineffective.

“Not all registered staff had appropriate skills and knowledge to perform their roles and responsibilities. Management are not monitoring and evaluating staff performance.”

The sanctions are in force until October 8, when the department spokeswoman said there will be a further review.

Noosa Nursing Centre spokesman Jamie Profke said the sanctions related to mostly administrative shortcomings that had occurred there in the “recent past”.

He said “no one’s been harmed, no one’s been injured” because of these identified shortcomings.

Mr Profke said the senior staff who had overseen these system inadequacies had recently chosen to leave the centre and the centre was working with a fully qualified person appointed last Sunday to oversee the necessary improvements in keeping records and paperwork.

In relation to the alleged attack on the resident, Mr Profke said that no nursing centre can provide one-on-one care to residents at all times and that the real issue was Queensland Health sending out people with mental illnesses to residential care centres.

He said the Noosa Nursing Centre had received strong support from the relatives of the residents in care at a meeting held last week to discuss the sanctions, as well as support from a senior state palliative care bureaucrat.

Mr Profke said the nursing centre, which has spaces for 130 high care residents and 100 low care, offered some of the best care facilities in the state

SOURCE:     The Sunshine Coast Daily
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Rochester Man Accused of Neglecting His Elderly Mother, 85 (UK)

By JOSH ROSENSON

April 20, 2011

DOVER —

A Strafford County Superior Court grand jury has indicted a Rochester man on felony and misdemeanor level offenses alleging he neglected his elderly mother.

Leo Gordon Carter, 55, of 12 Crockett St., was indicted on Class B felony charges of criminal neglect of an elderly, disabled or impaired adult and second-degree assault as well as a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of an incompetent person.

According to a news release from the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, in July 2010, emergency medical services responded to Carter's residence, where he was the sole caretaker of his 85-year-old, bedridden mother. The woman was found to be suffering from malnutrition, severe dehydration and infected bedsores.

The Attorney General's Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Unit, headed by Assistant Attorney General Tracy Culberson, is prosecuting the case, which was originally investigated by the Rochester Police Department.

"We see anywhere from three to five cases a year come in, where there is an allegation of criminal neglect," Culberson said. "Our goal is to investigate and prosecute cases of elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation."

Culberson said his unit also consults on similar cases being prosecuted by county attorneys across the state. He added that a grant has, over the past year, enabled the performance of statewide training for police and prosecutors aimed at increasing public awareness and "awareness among law enforcement and what to do when you see it."

Culberson said Carter is not currently being detained, and no arrest was made, rather the case was a straight indictment. Carter is due to be arraigned on April 28 at 9 a.m. in Strafford County Superior Court.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt; rather, it means a grand jury has found sufficient evidence to warrant a trial. 

SOURCE:    Fosters.Com
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‘Carer’ Stole £2,000 (UK)

22 April 2011

A MAN who swindled more than £2,000 from an elderly dementia sufferer to pay for his extravagant lifestyle has been jailed.

Brian Hughes, 59, stole £2,204 from 79-year-old Beryl Cavanagh while she was living in a Todmorden nursing home.

For more than a year he had been her carer.

The pair became friends in 2006 and Mrs Cavanagh’s family trusted Hughes so much they moved her into his Mixenden flat with him in 2007.

By August 2008 he said he could no longer be her carer and she was moved into the nursing home.

Just four days later, Hughes starting stealing from her.

The pair stayed in touch, with Hughes taking Mrs Cavanagh on day trips, including to Kent to see her son.

He made cash withdrawals from machines in Hebden Bridge and Halifax and even paid five months of internet dating fees with her card.

The crimes only came to light when staff at the Bradford and Bingley noticed Hughes bullying Mrs Cavanagh.

They described him as overbearing and short with her.

A cashier raised the alarm when Mrs Cavanagh became confused why she was trying to withdraw £750.

Hughes admitted 19 counts of theft from Mrs Mrs Cavanagh, who died last September.

Kenneth Greene, representing Hughes at Bradford Crown Court, asked for any sentence to be suspended.

But Recorder Abdul Iqbal said he had no choice but to jail him for 18 months.

He told Hughes: “You took advantage of a vulnerable and debilitated woman. She placed her trust in you but you stole for extravangances.”

SOURCE:   The Halifax Courier

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Jury Starts Deliberating in Elderly Manslaughter Trial (USA)

Jury Starts Deliberating in Elderly Manslaughter Trial

April 22, 2011

 — A six-member jury has started deliberations in the trial of Richard Cassin, who is charged with aggravated manslaughter of the elderly in the death of his 90-year-old mother.

Cassin, a 53-year-old Grant-Valkaria man, is alleged to have failed to care for his mother leading to her death in June.

Investigators came to Cassin’s house after a complaint by a friend’s girlfriend about the deplorable conditions she was living in.

“The damage that he did caused her death,” said prosecutor Don Loughran during closing arguments today. “That man did nothing to keep her alive.”

Assistant Public Defender Fred Leone said Cassin was a depressed individual who tried to care for his mother.

“Is it because he didn’t have the resources to help take care of his mother?” Leone asked the jury.

Earlier story: Elderly neglect trial begins for Grant-Valkaria man

It was right after opening statements Wednesday when the jury saw the emaciated and withered face of Florence Cassin on a screen, her hands clutching her chest.

The slide show of photographs of the 90-year-old woman who died in June and her home painted a picture of neglect: a kitchen floor cluttered with garbage, soiled bed linens and a barely used bag of adult diapers.

Her son, Richard Cassin, is being tried on a charge of aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person. The 53-year-old Grant-Valkaria man does not have a criminal record in Brevard County, although he was convicted of carrying a concealed firearm more than two decades ago in South Florida.

Neglect is the most common form of domestic abuse of senior citizens, according to statistics from the National Center on Elder Abuse, with 67 percent of victims being women. But only about 1 in 14 elder abuse cases are reported to authorities, according to the center.

The allegations against Cassin are numerous: his mother was so dehydrated that her tongue was brown, there were insects inside her mouth and her diaper had not been changed for weeks.

Inside the house, the deputy found a woman who communicated by moaning and crying. A few weeks after she was removed from the residence, she passed away in a hospital.

An autopsy lists the cause of death as malnutrition, dehydration and septicemia, a life-threatening bacterial infection.

During opening statements Tuesday, prosecutor Susan Stewart said Cassin took better care of his pets than he did of his mother.

"He took wonderful care of them," she said.

"Homicide from neglect," Stewart added, mentioning the reason for the woman's death.

Cassin listened to her as he sat next to Assistant Public Defender Fred Leone.

When it was Leone's turn to speak, he told jurors that Cassin was a loving son who brought his mother from South Florida to live with him because she was not getting along with another son.

"She didn't believe in going to doctors," Leone said. "He did his mother's bidding."

Cassin's mother was demanding and eccentric, and was a heavy drinker, the attorney said. At the Grant-Valkaria home, she had her son take down a portion of a drywall between two rooms so she could look around the house.

"She had her way all her life," Leone said.

Care-giving can sometimes take a high toll. According to a USA Today report, caregivers have one or more chronic conditions, "at nearly twice the rate of all Americans. Of those who say their health has worsened because of care-giving, 91 percent report depression."

In Cassin's case, Leone said, the strain of caring for his mother made him take up drinking. In fact, when the sheriff's deputy came to check on Florence Cassin, Leone said her son appeared to be intoxicated.

In a similar case in March, a suspect, Robert Oropeza, who was slapped with the same charge in the death of his mother, killed himself in his backyard on the day his trial was scheduled to begin.

Leone ended his opening statements by saying that Cassin did not cause his mother's death.

"He grieves his mother's death," Leone said.

SOURCE:     Florida Today
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Determining Elder Abuse is Not an Exact Science

Determining elder abuse is not an exact science

By Kim Lamb Gregory

April 18, 2011

Elder abuse is on the rise in Ventura County due to a number of factors, according to Ventura County Adult Protective Services deputy director Linda Henderson.

"It's due to the baby boomer population, people living longer and elderly people living by themselves more often," Henderson said. "It's also the economy. We've got family members moving back in with elderly parents. I think that puts lots of stresses on families."

Adult Protective Services investigates any reports of elder abuse and neglect in Ventura County. Between July 2009 and February 2010, it found instances of abuse and neglect an average of 323 times a month. (Some cases lasted more than one month, and would figure into the average for the next month, as well.) In that same period of 2010-11, it found an average of 381 instances a month, an increase of 18 percent.

Most of those involved financial elder abuse, according to the agency.

Elder law attorneys agree elder abuse is a serious problem, but cautioned that the rise in elder abuse also means an increase in the number of false claims.

"We've been getting calls from people saying their parents have been abused because they have been put into assisted living," said elder abuse attorney Mitchell Karasov, who handles cases in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Ventura elder law attorney Gregory Johnson says he gets about 10 calls a week suggesting abuse.

"Ninety percent of the calls do not result in cases," Johnson said. "It's usually a case of miscommunication."

Certainly, many claims of financial elder abuse are legitimate, according to Karasov, but sometimes it's just a lack of education. A family member who doesn't realize how expensive it can be to care for a parent may accuse a caregiver of taking money, he said, until they understand what it actually costs.

"People not having all the facts in certain situations may be claiming elder abuse," Karasov said.

In other cases, a sibling's motives may not be as pure, he said.

"What I'm seeing is people calling up and saying it's elder abuse sometimes when it's to their benefit," Karasov said.

Siblings sometimes figure if they can show that an adult sibling caring for a parent is abusing them by, for example, spending too much on caregiving, they can get the caregiver sibling disinherited.

"It goes from Thanksgiving, kiss, kiss everybody loves each other to, 'Wait a minute; you're spending my inheritance on Mom and Dad,' " Karasov said.


© 2011 Ventura County Star.


Abridged


SOURCE:    The VCStars


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Newport Carer Stole from Elderly to Fund Ex's Drink Habit (UK)

Newport carer stole from elderly to fund ex’s drink habit

19th April 2011

By Alison Sanders 

A GWENT carer admitted stealing almost £1,700 from the homes of five elderly people.

Janet Forrester, 40, of Stamford Court, Newport, appeared in Newport Crown Court yesterday having pleaded guilty to nine counts of theft.

The court heard how Forrester worked as a carer for Greenbanks Homecare since July 2009 and had access to clients’ details and combinations for entry into their homes.

Forrester admitted stealing £712 from the home of Margaret Harding between August and September 2009.

On one occasion, Ms Harding’s daughter took out £100 for her mother to pay bills but later noticed £35 was missing from her purse. Forrester returned on another date returning Ms Harding’s walking stick and was invited in. Ms Harding, who was partially sighted, had mobility problems and arthritis, later realised another £10 was missing from her handbag.

Christian Jowett, prosecuting, said Ms Harding believed Forrester took the money because it always went missing when she was present.

Forrester also stole £425 from Frank Maras who had a pacemaker and suffered kidney problems. The cash was taken from a drawer and metal box in his house.

Forrester was suspended from Greenbanks and later started work for Crystal Cleaning Solutions and went on to steal £315 from 82-year-old Joyce Gardner, who had terminal cancer, in September 2009.

Ms Gardener's niece gave her £300 in cash to add to the £40 already in her purse but £315 of this was missing after Forrester had been to Ms Gardner's home.

On September 29, 2009, Forrester was working at a sheltered housing complex where she met Olive Thomas who was feeling unwell.

Mr Jowett said Forrester went to their home in what appeared to Mrs Thomas’ husband to be a nurse’s uniform.

He asked her to take a look at his wife and gave her £25 to get her some food supplements and £100 for cigarettes which they never received.

Forrester returned the following day and the couple realised £50 had gone missing.

The court heard Forrester also stole £26 and a £14 British Home Stores voucher from the home of 87-year-old Enid Taylor on October 1, 2009. The purse was found in a police car - dropped by Forrester when she was arrested.

Tracy Lloyd-Nesling said Forrester had been a victim of domestic violence and was expected to fund her former husband’s drinking and gambling habits.

She said Forrester is ashamed of what she did and understands the effect the offences had on the victims and those close to them.

Sentencing was adjourned until May 4.

Greenbanks Homecare and Crystal Cleaning Solutions declined to comment.

SOURCE:    SouthWalesArgus.co.uk
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Elderly People 'Underfed' and 'Ignored' in Care Homes (UK)

Elderly people 'underfed' and 'ignored' in care homes

Elderly people in care are underfed, ignored and abused, an undercover investigation revealed today.

By Myra Butterworth,

Personal Finance Correspondent 

 19 Apr 2011

The alarming findings were unveiled after actors were sent into four care homes, posing as residents.

Food in two of the care homes was reported to be “unappetising and inadequate”, with one researcher losing 7lbs in weight in a week.

In some cases, residents had to wait up to 17 hours between dinner and breakfast without food, according to the investigation by consumer group Which?

One actor witnessed a member of staff dragging a resident towards the lavatory by one arm, while another resident was pushed down into their chair repeatedly by the head and shoulder when trying to stand up.

One actress said: “Resident Mary left the room and the carer brought her back roughly and put her in her seat. Later I saw the carer dragging her by one arm towards the lavatory while talking on her mobile.

“The carer has helped feed another resident Lucy over the last two days and it is not easy to watch. I’m sure Lucy would eat more if this carer gave her the time to chew rather than shovelling in huge spoons of food very quickly.

When Lucy puts up her hand to stop any more food until she has swallowed, this is taken to mean that she doesn’t want any more and the food is removed.”

The actress also reported: “One resident Joyce told a carer that she wanted to go to the loo. The carer snapped back ‘this is a dining room Joyce not a loo’. When the carers judged it was time to start moving the residents out, Joyce was not the first to go, she was third – some 25 minutes after she first asked to go to the loo. She appeared by now to be near to tears.”

Pensioner groups and charities condemned the findings, describing them as a “national scandal”.

Dot Gibson, general secretary of the National Pensioners Convention, said: “Malnutrition, long periods of isolation and examples of abuse are what we might associate with Guantánamo Bay – but not with our care homes.

“People are paying up to £800 a week for this sort of treatment – but there is no way you could call it care. It's a national scandal that older people are being exploited in this way out in the community. We need to speak up on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. We clearly have an inspection system that isn't up to the job and a lack of proper staff expertise. A care home should be a safe place – not one where you stand a chance of being underfed, ignored and abused.”

Michelle Mitchell, director at Age UK, said: “Care homes should be places of safety, warmth, activity and happiness and this research shows that some are falling short of this ambition. Improving poor care is not rocket science; it comes down to how people are treated when they are at their frailest, and often a warm word or extra time spent in chatting or helping can make all the difference.”

The report also raised concerns about basic health and safety in two homes, from damp and dirty facilities to exposed wires and a blocked fire escape.

And there was a ‘worrying’ lack of activity in four homes, leaving residents bored and depressed.

Peter Vicary-Smith, chief executive of Which?, said: “Old age comes to us all, and everyone living in a home has a right to expect their most basic needs to be met. Sadly, the homes we visited left a lot to be desired.”

SOURCE:     The Telegraph.co.UK
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