On October 11, 2012 the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius held the inaugural meeting of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council. On May 13, 2013, Assistant Secretary for Aging and Administrator for Community Living Kathy Greenlee will be joined by Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West in convening the 2013 Spring Council meeting. The agenda for this meeting is to present to the Coordinating Council recommendations for federal action to address elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. These recommendations are drawn from the expert testimony presented during the October 2012 meeting. The meeting will be held 1:00–3:30pm in…
Of all the possible threats to seniors' physical and financial well-being, you might expect their children to be low on the list. But the fact is, abuse of elders is all too common — annually affecting one in 10 adults over the age of 60, according to a study by the Medical University of South Carolina — and it's often perpetrated by a victim's own offspring. "The answer is: about 2 million people." To combat these crimes, a handful of nursing homes around the country have created shelters within their own walls to provide emergency short-term housing and health care…
Representatives of Attorney General Kamala D. Harris have said the state will begin aggressively building more criminal cases statewide. Harris' office is forming three specialized teams –one in Sacramento, two in Southern California– to pursue criminal charges against nursing home administrators and employees where deep, systemic problems are suspected. "Elder abuse is a particularly tragic crime because it targets a beloved population –our aunts and uncles, our parents– at what can be a vulnerable time in their lives," said Harris in a prepared statement, referring to these crimes as ‘serious and often hidden.’ “We know abuse of our elders is…
A new poll examining financial exploitation of American seniors finds that 79 percent of experts surveyed identified theft or diversion of funds by family members as the most common form of financial abuse. The poll asked state securities regulators, financial planners, health care professionals, social workers, adult protective services workers, law enforcement officials, elder law attorneys, and academics about their experiences with elder abuse. Seventy-seven percent of individuals surveyed thought that seniors are very vulnerable to financial abuse, and most cited financial abuse by family members as the most common form of financial abuse. Most respondents indicated that older veterans…
Given that seniors are thought to have a significant amount of money sitting in their accounts. Financial Scammers target seniors. Additionally, financial scams also often go unreported or can be difficult to prosecute, so they’re considered a “low-risk” crime. However, they're devastating to many older adults and can leave them in a very vulnerable position with little time to recoup their losses. Also, it’s not just wealthy seniors who are targeted; low-income older adults are also at risk of financial abuse, as it's not always strangers who perpetrate these crimes. Over 90% of all reported elder abuse is committed by…
Click for a few of the stories uncovered during The Miami Herald’s yearlong investigation into Florida’s assisted living facilities. Thousands of documents revealed a nearly hidden world of questionable deaths, abuse, and cases of neglect towards the elderly and mentally ill. Their project, “Neglected To Death,” chronicled years of caregiver malpractice, unsuitable living conditions, and exposed Florida’s state regulators’ failure to monitor and enforce the laws protecting some of society’s most vulnerable residents. The Miami Herald and WLRN uncovered 70 questionable deaths within the last decade alone. While Florida supposedly holds some of the strictest elder-abuse laws in the nation,…
Nursing homes and long-term care options are never favorite topics for conversation, regardless whether you are the elderly person needing care, or the family member trying to find care for a loved one. Still, with the fact that 40 percent of adults over the age of 65 will spend some time in a nursing home, the topic is likely to come up at some point. The question is how do you choose the right nursing home? SmartMoney addressed the issue in a recent article, offering up some helpful tips. In essence, the name of the game is research, both remote…
Most people regard elder abuse as physical harm i.e abused in nursing home etc. However, financial elder abuse is the exploitation of seniors to gain access to their property, investments, cash, or real estate. Elder abuse includes identity theft, telemarketing cons, stealing Social Security checks from outdoor mailboxes, and fraud by unscrupulous contractors and financial advisers. However, it is not only the stranger but family members also are involved. Here are some signs of exploitation: Your parent has a new "best friend," becomes socially isolated, hesitant to contact unless the “best friend” is present. Unpaid bills – although someone…
Many times the senior may suffer in silence so you need to be conscientious and alert to any changes in personality or behavior. If you suspect an elder is being abused call the protective services agency where that elder lives.
Frederick, MD 
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