Raising Awareness of and Preventing Elder Abuse (USA)

By Michael David Schulman

For the Times Herald-Record

06/19/1

It's common knowledge that the Orange County population is growing older. According to the 2009 census, more than 37,000 of its residents were 65 or older, and more than 4,600 were 85 or older.

While those 65 and older make up 10 percent of the Orange County population, a full 30 percent of all fraud and abuse cases, including identity theft, are committed against them.

Wednesday was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, an event organized by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse to raise awareness of this important problem.

Knowledge of the types and symptoms of abuse and fraud will become an integral component of dealing with older adults who are dependent, financially or otherwise, on others.

Shorter life expectancy

Victims of fraud and abuse have been shown to have a shorter life expectancy than the nonabused. In addition to shorter life spans, victims suffer from the loss of their dignity, independence, homes, life savings, health and security. Just ask the victims of Bernie Madoff.

Here are a couple of examples of the varying forms elder abuse may take:

--Thelma, 83, wears sunglasses to hide the bruises on her face from the driver who delivers her noon meal.

The driver notices a tear coming from under the glasses.

"What's the matter, Thelma?" he asks.

Thelma begins sobbing and closes the door. She explains that she financially supports her 62-year-old alcoholic brother who lives with her. He regularly threatens to put her in a nursing home if she doesn't give him money. Although she feels trapped in her home, she can't make her own brother leave. Yesterday, in a drunken rage, he demanded money, then slapped her when she refused. She gave him the money.

--Warren, 68, gets a call from a woman identifying herself as being "from the bank."

She explains that there has been a computer error at the bank, and she wants to verify Warren's personal information. Warren gives the caller his date of birth, Social Security number and bank account numbers. Within hours, his accounts are emptied.

If you suspect that an adult is being abused, call Adult Protective Services, located in the local Department of Human Services. If you feel that the older person is in immediate danger, or you're not sure who to call, call your police or sheriff's office, or 911.

Michael David Schulman is the principal of Schulman CPA in Central Valley. He can be reached at 928-7336.

SOURCE:      RecordOnline
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Elder Abuse Allegation: Majority of a South Dublin Nursing Home (DUBLIN)

Majority of Rostrevor residents now moved

June 18, 2011

EITHNE DONNELLAN, Health Correspondent

THE MAJORITY of residents at a south Dublin nursing home at the centre of elder abuse allegations have now been moved to alternative accommodation, it has been confirmed.

The Health Service Executive, which has taken charge of Rostrevor House nursing home in Rathgar, yesterday said that most of the 23 residents in the private nursing home had been moved out and the remainder were expected to move early next week.

The HSE took over the running of the private nursing home two weeks ago after the Health Information and Quality Authority, which is responsible for inspecting all nursing homes, obtained an interim court order effectively shutting down the facility.

It obtained the order at Dublin District Court, without notice to the owners of the home, after telling the court it had been informed of allegations that residents were beaten, kicked and abused in the home by a male care assistant since mid-2008.

Director of the home Sarah Lipsett claims the allegations are unfounded. The home went to the Circuit Court to try to stop the dispersal of residents from the facility in advance of the District Court making a final pronouncement on Hiqa’s application to have the home’s registration cancelled.

However, its application failed with Circuit Court president Mr Justice Matthew Deery saying his court had no jurisdiction to hear such a case. The proper place to bring such an application was in the District Court, he said.

The case has still not come back before the District Court for a final order and it is unlikely to do so for at least another week.

Asked to where Rostrevor residents were being moved, a HSE spokeswoman said they were going to alternative accommodation found for them by the HSE in consultation with their families.

It is understood most families were attempting to find other nursing homes in the area so their loved ones could remain close to them.

Meanwhile, a woman who visited an elderly friend in Rostrevor nursing home every day over an eight-month period in 2010 has told The Irish Times she was very impressed with the care assistant who is now being investigated by gardaí for having allegedly physically and verbally abused five elderly residents.

Eileen Coyne, who now lives in Belfast, said she never once heard him raise his voice to anyone, either visitor, resident or colleague. “He impressed me greatly with his kindness, patience and compassion towards my ill friend and everyone he came into contact with,” she said.

In its sworn affidavit to Dublin District Court, Hiqa said it had been provided with details of a number of incidents of alleged abuse perpetrated by the care assistant dating back to 2008.

 SOURCE:      The Irish Times

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Prosecutor Ramps Up Protection for Elders (HAWAII)

Financial fraud that targets senior citizens has increased, and officials detail scams

By Lynn Nakagawa 

June 18, 2011

Honolulu Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro said Friday he is expanding his office's unit that handles crimes against older citizens in response to a doubling of reported crimes against elders since 2009.

The focus will be on financial scams that target seniors, he said.

"The most prevalent type of crime against the elderly is financial abuse," Kaneshiro said at a news conference. "Thousands of dollars and property are stolen from the elderly, and these are people who have worked their entire lives to accumulate these savings."

The prosecutor's office reported that it handled 57 elder abuse cases in 2009, 102 cases in 2010 and 60 cases this year through May. Dave Koga, an executive assistant to Kaneshiro, said most of the cases involve financial fraud.

Kaneshiro said his office is bolstering its elder abuse justice unit, which was established in 2008. It increased the number of elder abuse attorneys this year to four from two and is adding two investigators to the unit.

The Honolulu Police Department took a similar step in February by launching a scam awareness program called S.C.A.M. ("Stop Criminals from Acquiring your Money").

The effort uses brochures and bus placards to highlight common scams and how to avoid them.

"We are hearing that strangers are befriending seniors, even driving them to the store or on other errands to gain their victim's trust and access to their financial information," Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha said at the news conference. "Always be cautious of strangers offering unsolicited help."

He encouraged people who think they are victims of a scam to report it to the Police Department.

Kealoha said a recent case involved two men who posed as undercover police officers and stopped an elderly man for jaywalking.

"They demanded money from the victim, who unfortunately gave the men a large amount of cash," Kealoha said. "We want the public to know that police officers never, under any circumstances, ask for or collect money. If this happens call 911 immediately."

Dwight Kealoha, chief executive officer of the Better Business Bureau of Hawaii, said a common scam the bureau has received multiple calls about is door-to-door sales for bogus security alarm systems.

AARP Hawaii said debt collection scam is the top fraud complaint it receives. Scammers posing as debt collectors incessantly call consumers to pay off a debt that they most likely do not owe.

Jackie Boland, associate state director of AARP Hawaii, emphasized that scams are not limited to seniors.

"People just can't keep up with all the creative ways scammers come up with to part people from their money," she said.

SOURCE:    The Star Advertiser
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Elder Abuse (INDIA)

Now bahu assumes the role of abuser

Press Trust Of India

June 18, 2011

The traditional 'Saas-Bahu' equation seems to have taken a swirl, with the daughter-in-law emerging as an "abuser" of the elderly in the country's lower socio-economic strata, according to a recent study. "Nationally, daughter-in-law emerged as the major abuser of the elderly (63.4%) followed by the son

(44%) from lower socio economic strata as against the son (53.6%) last year in the higher socio-economic strata," said a report on "Elder abuse and crime in India", released by HelpAge, India.

Based on the findings in nine cities in the country, the report lists verbal abuse including "speaking loudly, using foul language, name calling, accusing and blaming" topping the kind of abuse faced by the elderly in the lower socio-economic strata.

Among the higher socio-economic segment of population the abuse takes form of "showing disrespect" to the elderly.

"While verbal abuse was highest in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai reaching 100%, physical abuse was highest in Patna (71%) and the lowest in Ahmedabad," it notes.

Abuse by son was reported more in Patna (71.4%) and Bangalore (58.8%), while abuse by daughter-in-law was highest in all cities except Bangalore, with Delhi NCR topping at 100%.

Among the factors contributing to the malaise are the shrinking sizes of residences in cities, drastic changes in the social fabric and cultural values and a preference of the new generation for nuclear family, the study released on the occasion of 'World Elder Abuse Awareness Day', observed on June 15, stated.

The study observed that on a national level, elder abuse is highest among the 70-plus elderly and it is mostly elderly women who face abuse due to dependence on their sons.

More than one fifth of the elderly (22%) have experienced abuse, the report based on interviews with respondents said.

"Bangalore tops elder abuse, with 44% cases, and is closely followed by Hyderabad (38%), Bhopal (30%), Kolkata (23%) while Chennai recording the lowest at just 2%," the study claimed.

The overall percentage of the elderly staying with their sons is put at 72 while Mumbai tops in the category with 86%. Interestingly, Chennai reported the highest percentage of the elderly staying with daughters at 22%.

The report also noted passive acceptance of the abuse by the elderly, as 98% of them did not register a complaint with police.

SOURCE:     The Hindustan Times
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Funeral Home Director Accused of Stealing Thousands of Dollars (KY. USA)

A local funeral home director has been arrested and is facing several felony charges.  Metro Police arrested Maureen Purcell on Thursday.

She's a funeral director at Ratterman Brothers Funeral Home.  Police say she stole thousands of dollars from an elderly woman whose husband died.

Detectives with Crimes Against Seniors say Purcell was able to steal the money by becoming the woman's power of attorney.

Det. John Fogle of LMPD Crimes against Seniors says, "She admitted that she basically had some bad credit, had gotten herself into some civil lawsuits, and was basically taking advantage of a situation.  She also used the term that she robbed Peter to pay Paul."

Purcell was taken to Metro Corrections, but she has already been released on bail.  Meanwhile, police suspect there could be other victims.

SOURCE:    Fox41
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Reverse Mortgage Can be a Burden (AUSTRALIA)

Reverse mortgage can be a burden

John Collett

June 4, 2011

Borrowing money against your house can be risky, writes John Collett.

For cash-strapped retirees whose wealth was decimated by the global financial crisis, a reverse mortgage may seem like an easy solution. But the loan product can balloon over time and wipe out much of the equity in their home.

Also known as ''equity-release'' products, reverse mortgages target the over 60s who are asset rich but income poor and who feel they may have little alternative but to borrow against their homes to access cash.

As no repayments are made on the loan, the interest and fees are capitalised and can eventually leave little or nothing for the estate, especially when the 

loans are taken out over long periods.

The loan is only repaid to the lender when the home is sold, usually when the owner goes into a retirement home or aged-care facility - or it is repaid from the estate when the owner dies.

But consumers may be better off looking for alternative solutions - perhaps downsizing into a smaller home and looking at Centrelink's options (see box).

There are about $3 billion in reverse mortgages, compared with $1 billion only five years ago.

While the loans can work well for some consumers - particularly those without children - the product needs to be fully understood before being entered into, says the principal solicitor of the Consumer Credit Legal Centre (NSW), Katherine Lane. ''It is a serious decision that could be very costly, could affect your ability to enter a retirement village and could cause family squabbles,'' Lane says.

Retirees need to check beforehand whether they will have sufficient money left for an aged-care accommodation band and what impact a lump sum will have on any Centrelink benefits.

Ballooning debt

Weekend Money used the reverse-mortgage calculator of consumer group Choice to show how a reverse-mortgage debt can balloon over a long period of time.

Assume two 65-year-olds whose house is paid off and worth $1 million take a reverse mortgage at 9 per cent. The couple borrow about the maximum allowed by most lenders: $200,000.

We assume the house is sold in 20 years' time and its value grows at 4 per cent a year.

The projected value of the house is $2,191,123 and the outstanding debt is $1,223,685, leaving $967,438 in proceeds from the sale, or 44 per cent of the value of the house.

If $300,000 is borrowed and everything else is the same, the debt rises to $1,828,516 in 20 years' time and 16 per cent of the house value, or $362,607, is left.

It is important to understand that lower house-price growth, higher interest rates or a longer time frame would leave even less to the estate.

Impact of GFC

The better providers of reverse mortgages and those that are members of industry body SEQUAL (Senior Australians Equity Release Association of Lenders) have ''no negative-equity guarantees''; meaning that when the house is sold and the proceeds do not cover the outstanding debt, the lender carries 

the loss.

But there are some conditions in the contract, such as maintaining and repairing the property to a standard required by the lender that, if not met, may void the ''no negative-equity guarantee''.

Data provided by SEQUAL shows the average loan size taken out by couples last year was $76,000 nationally but that average is likely to be higher in capital cities with higher house prices.

Abrdiged
SOURCE:    SMH.COM.AU
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Marathon County Helps Seniors Avoid Scams (USA)

Marathon County helps seniors avoid scams

Jun. 5, 2011

Written by

Jeff Starck

Marathon County officials are meeting with senior citizens to help them avoid being scammed by contractors and ripped off by caregivers and to show them how to report abuse.

Representatives from the Sheriff's Department, district attorney's office, corporation counsel and North Central Health Care's adult protective services department met in Athens on May 26 with about a dozen residents to discuss issues that affect seniors.

Additional meetings are planned for this summer in Edgar, Stratford, Mosinee and other communities. Dates have not yet been set.

"We want to go to rural communities so residents can become more familiar with our various roles," said Brenda Christian, adult protective services coordinator at North Central. "We want to create a rapport so (seniors) feel more comfortable contacting us."

Athens Police Chief Aaron Stencil said the crowd was small for the meeting in his community, but residents asked him many questions about contractor, mail and phone scams. Stencil advises seniors to not invest in get-rich-quick schemes because police struggle to find the people responsible after they've gotten away. He recently tracked a scam all the way to Canada before the case ran into a dead end.

"It's frustrating because we've had people here get scammed and we try to track stuff down, but the money often leaves the country," Stencil said.

Assistant District Attorney Sydney Brubacher saw a need for elder abuse education in Marathon County and suggested a model based on senior-focused community programs in Illinois where he attended law school.

Brubacher said people can face criminal charges for stealing from an elderly person whose finances they oversee. Many reports of theft from seniors previously were handled as civil cases, but Brubacher wants seniors to know that Wisconsin law regards theft from elders as a felony offense.

Laws also make it illegal for a person to allow a senior citizen to be subjected to physical or mental abuse, Brubacher said. He recently prosecuted a case of a suspect who yelled at and threw a phone at his elderly father in a business parking lot.

Elder abuse hotline

Do you know an elderly person who is the subject of abuse or is the victim of a crime?

Contact the North Central Health Care elder abuse hotline at:

1-715-841-5160 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            1-715-841-5160      end_of_the_skype_highlighting       or          1-855-487-3338 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            1-855-487-3338      end_of_the_skype_highlighting       to report the abuse.

SOURCE:    Wisconsin Rapids Tribune
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Elderly Abuse rife Since Earthquake (NEW ZEALAND)

Elderly abuse rife since earthquake

By Anna Turner

 30th May 2011

The elderly are taking the brunt of earthquake stress, with elder abuse rife in the suburbs.

Age Concern community nurse Kerry Howley estimated cases of reported elderly abuse had increased by 40 to 50 per cent since the earthquake.

"There's a huge increase in stress and there has been some abuse related to financial issues. Some families in financial hardship treat an elderly person like a bank- using them for money." she said.

Ms Howley knew of one case where a 91-year-old woman had been a targeted in an earthquake shelter by a 41-year-old man.

"A gentleman met an older lady at a shelter and took her home. He built up her trust and then took lots of her money. They didn't know each other before the earthquake. He just saw the opportunity and moved on her," she said.

Much of the abuse was verbal, but could also be physical or neglectful, Ms Howley said.

"I had one elderly couple in their 90s who were put into respite care because their home was so damaged in the earthquake. But their daughter wanted them to return home, even though they had no sewage or water, because she was in charge of their money. When they were in care their social worker wanted to know where all the money was going," she said.

With thousands of houses ruined in February's earthquake, many people have been forced to move in with their elderly relatives.

Police Inspector Dave Lawry said: "There's been a lot of elder abuse going on. People's houses are trashed so they're moving in with mum and dad, or other family members, who they don't necessarily get along with."

Inspector Lawry said fights had been developing, with the elderly often being "pushed around."

Some of the abuse had been "historic," only coming to light after the earthquake as neighbours and friends checked on the usually isolated elderly.

"Sometimes the relationship with the family has always been abusive, but the elderly person just thought it was normal or that nothing could be done about it," Ms Howley said.

SOURCE:      starcanterbury.co.nz
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Elder Care: Breaking the Silence: Voices of Hope

Breaking the Silence: Voices of Hope

A writer at the Swampscott Senior Center is helping to spread the word on elder abuse.

Maria Mello, writer, painter, naturalist and a regular at the Swampscott Senior Center’s Creative Writing Class for over 10 years, recently put her talents to use to assist in the creation and performance of an original play based on true stories of elder abuse and neglect, titled, Breaking the Silence: Voices of Hope.

Mello’s original poem, Afraid, opened the show.

The poem, with its soothing rhythms and rhymes, and Mello’s lilting voice, begins by laying out a simple picture of what most of us want in our later years, and then sneaks in another possible outcome--fear.

As I grow older all I need

Are gentle peace and sunlit days

A simple life I want to lead

Some time to follow my own ways

            And not to be afraid.

The following stanzas examine the ways the peaceful golden years can be anything but peaceful. For example:

Then there’s the friend who takes your check

Pays all your bills and shops for you

She brings you food but holds the change

Who knows what silly things you might do

            You’re lonely and afraid.

In the performance that followed, actors dressed simply in tan pants and black tops voiced different roles in discrete scenes, each of which emphasized different ways seniors are vulnerable. Some of the roles were:

·         the hairdresser whose elderly client’s checks start to bounce after she has taken in a boarder;

·         the widow next door who didn’t want to ask for help because he didn’t want to leave his house and “end up in a home;”

·         the sister who’s worried about her sibling’s sudden new “friends,”  who aren’t friends at all.

All the parts were voiced with feeling. Each scene also told the ways relatives, friends and neighbors can help—step in, rely on the outreach worker at the local senior center, and call elder protective services.

According to Elizabeth Cochran of the Elder Justice Network, which funded the project through a grant from the National Committee to Prevent Elder Abuse, the program is designed so that each time the show is put together at a new location, the participating seniors contribute their own stories, or stories they feel are relevant to the issue of elder abuse and neglect. Thus, every show is different.

Cochran pointed out that as the population of elders increases, so do the occurrences of elder abuse and neglect, including self-neglect.

The play I saw was put together and written by Kelsey McCabe, protective services worker at Greater Lynn Senior Services, along with seniors from Peabody, and performed at the Lynnfield Senior Center.

Elder abuse “can happen in any environment,” says Bill Foley, outreach coordinator at the Swampscott Senior Center. “It can be financial, physical, emotional or sexual.”

Those who suspect abuse in Swampscott, says Foley, should call Greater Lynn Senior Services and say, “I’d like to report elder abuse or contact protective services.”

Although the Center in Lynn is the local point to investigate abuse, Foley said that anyone with questions or concerns about the issue is welcome to call him at the Swampscott Center, at            781 596-8866 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            781 596-8866      end_of_the_skype_highlighting      .

The number at Greater Lynn Senior Services is             781 599-0110 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            781 599-0110      end_of_the_skype_highlighting      .

Swampscott Senior Center Director Marilyn Hurwitz has seen the show and “would love to do it here.”

Which would be just fine with Mello. She smiles. “It was a lot of fun.”

SOURCE:   Swampscott.patch.com
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Elder Care: Self-Neglect

The quiet menace

Self-neglect, the most common mistreatment among Houston's elderly, is a growing threat as baby boomers age

By RENÉE C. LEE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE

May 30, 2011

When caseworker Karen Edward arrives at her client's northwest Houston home, the 74-year-old woman is sitting outside her front door complaining of vision problems and feeling sick to her stomach.

"Do you need care?" Edward asks. "Did you take your insulin?"

"No," Clara replies in a faint voice.

It takes about 15 minutes for Edwards to persuade Clara, a diabetic, to get out of the midafternoon heat and indoors to take her medicine. Clara lifts her weak body from an old lawn chair and shuffles into her home of 49 years.

Loose electrical wires hang outside the front door of the three-bedroom house. The lawn has gone from lush green grass to dry dirt.

Inside, the carpet is worn and the walls need painting. Two weeks ago, neither was fully visible because they were covered floor-to-ceiling with Clara's belongings. She had so much clutter, she couldn't get around without falling.

Self-neglect common

Clara, who asked that her last name not be published, was referred to the Adult Protective Services agency about a month ago. Edward determined that Clara had fallen into self-neglect — the most common form of mistreatment among the elderly and a risk factor for early death, according to geriatric research.

In the Houston area, more than 60 percent of 1,500 cases handled each month by Adult Protective Services deal with elderly people who no longer can protect and provide for themselves, APS officials said.

People tend to dismiss odd behavior in the elderly as eccentricity, or they don't want to get involved in someone else's affairs, experts say. But self-neglect is likely to increase as baby boomers grow older, they say, making intervention and prevention more important than ever.

"We're trying to educate the public and people dealing with the elderly about the services available to them," said James Booker, director of Region 6 of APS, which oversees Harris County and 12 surrounding counties.

Abridged
SOURCE:    CHRON.COM
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