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Victims of elder abuse may suffer monetary scams

Some elderly Californians may require full-time assistance in a nursing home. Relatives of these seniors may worry about the care their loved ones will receive in a home. Unfortunately, elder abuse is not unheard of in facilities that are supposed to take care of this population. June 15 was designated by the United Nations as International Elder Abuse Awareness Day in order to call attention to the many seniors who are victims of all types of abuse. A growing concern is the targeting of elders in financial scams.

Residents of California considering putting their elderly relatives in a home should become educated about how to protect them from these financial scams. One of the most common scams involves informing seniors that they have won a lottery or sweepstakes while another popular scam among con artists is telling elders that a family member needs money due to an emergency situation. The person then asks for a money transfer through a service like Western Union. Sometimes, the con artist creates a fake online persona as part of the con.

California couple arrested for elder financial abuse

A couple in Vallejo has been charged with abuse of an elderly person after allegedly stealing more than $840,000. Authorities believe the financial abuse began when the couple met a widowed 69-year-old man in 2009 and slowly worked their way into his confidence, taking over his personal matters and eventually moving him into a home with them in Berkeley.

Some of the money was spent on the victim's living expenses, but other sums were spent to purchase an Audi coupe and to pay the woman's tuition to the University of California. The two men entered into a business partnership in 2012 when the victim gave the man $125,000 to be used in trading foreign currency. According to the victim's testimony, this was the only large sum he willingly gave to the couple.

Promoting awareness of elder abuse

Because of a maturing of baby boomers and a decrease in overall family size, experts speculate that by 2050, the number of people older than 60 will probably be more than the number of younger people in California and around the world. With this in mind, the problem of elder abuse is receiving global attention. This attention can be attributed to the World Health Organization reporting that about 4 to 6 percent of the populations suffers from some type of abuse. The numbers are actually likely to be much higher as much of this abuse goes unreported.

The United Nations wanted to spotlight the problem and set aside June 15, 2013, as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. In addition to raising awareness of the issue, the focus was on countries promoting respect for elders and groups cooperating to reduce overall elder abuse. The Alameda County Library's Older Adult Services hosted a workshop that addressed the topic and provided resources for elders. The seminar brought together a number of speakers from law enforcement agencies, victim advocate groups, and other supporters of elder rights who addressed issues such as definitions, education and proactive measures to combat the problem.

Elder abuse on the rise in America

California residents may be interested to learn that, in 2011, the Elder Maltreatment Alliance estimates that between three and five million elderly residents of the United States were victims of some type of abuse. Elder abuse takes many forms, including financial and physical abuse.

In one case, an heiress was admitted into a hospital, where she remained for 20 years. During that time, she was visited by hospital officials seeking donations. Some even brought her gifts. The woman did not need constant medical attention. It is alleged that the hospital's chief executive and his mother took part in this behavior. By the time she passed away, the woman had donated more than $4 million to the hospital and altered her will to include a $1 million bequest.

Elder abuse a growing problem in California nursing homes

The mistreatment of elders is very common today and many believe that elder abuse is under-reported, but at least as common as child abuse. Many long-term care facilities, including senior care facilities in California, have been found to neglect and abuse their elderly patients. Elder abuse can occur fairly easily because the elderly may be unable to report the abuse themselves, and sometimes family members may not be able to identify signs of abuse or may not visit the elderly patient often enough to notice.

Estimates on the abuse of the elderly speculate that five million or more elderly Americans may currently be the victims of abuse. The National Center on Elder Abuse has divided elder abuse into broad categories. These categories include emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, exploitation and abandonment. The Older Americans Act of 1965 works to create a nationwide system to provide care and services to elderly Americans, and is the organization which oversees the National Center on Elder Abuse.

Laws increase penalties for elder abuse

With the problem of elder abuse highlighted across the nation from California to Maine, advocates for elder's rights are watching a new law in Alabama. The Protecting Alabama's Elders Act, which recently successfully wended its way through the Alabama Legislature, clarifies the definition of elder abuse and provides greater protection for their economic situations. The new act has strengthened the consequences for existing crimes and added new crimes.

The law specified three levels of elder neglect and abuse, which could mean a misdemeanor or even a felony crime for the offender. In addition, if a care giver or someone with power of attorney is taking advantage of an elder financially, they could be taken into custody under the new financial exploitation rule. The new law makes exploitation of an elder for more than $500 a felony, an amount that is easily exceeded in most cases. The manager of a nursing home supports the bill and hopes that people think before they neglect or abuse their elders.

Study spotlights seniors vulnerable to fraud

Every year, seniors in different parts of the country, including California, report instances of fraud to the Federal Trade Commission, the government agency responsible for looking into fraud and exploitation reports. A recent study shows that certain seniors are more prone to fraud than others. During the study, researchers from a Detroit university found that elderly individuals who are disabled, living by themselves and/or suffer from depression are most vulnerable to being exploited by con artists. The scholar created a victim profile after finding that seniors over the age of 60 who were depressed or alone were more likely to be victims of scams or hoaxes.

The study prompted U.S. representatives from different parts of the country to develop a bill that would get law enforcement agencies more involved in looking into elderly fraud cases. If the bill goes into law, the FCC would be required to report any instances of elderly fraud to local law enforcement agencies, which would then be required to investigate the cases. The bill is meant to provide additional protections against senior financial exploitation.

Veterans may have long waits for benefits

Veterans in California and elsewhere who are waiting for the Aid and Attendance pension benefit may have trouble qualifying and receiving this money if recent developments hold true. Many individuals and families who have already applied for these veteran benefits have reported interminable waits and rejections associated with the program. The Aid and Attendance program is designed to pay as much as $2,019 per month for a veteran and spouse or $1,094 for the widow of a veteran for nursing home or assisted living care.

Veterans and their families are reporting that many die without receiving a penny of these benefits and that many others are rejected. Confusing rules, long delays and unexplained rejections have led many veterans and family members to simply give up on acquiring these benefits. Some have described the A&A program's administration as an "utter disgrace." The application is reportedly 10 pages long, and there are several other forms that must also be completed during the procedure. Ultimately, the process can be frustrating and discouraging for those who apply.

Medicare Part D irregularities lead to calls for more oversight

Medicare Part D was created to give seniors in California and across the nation the opportunity to purchase prescription medications at affordable prices. While the program has succeeded at making drugs for the elderly more accessible, an investigation of recently released documents has highlighted some irregularities in the prescribing patterns of several Medicare physicians. This has in turn led some to call for greater oversight of Medicare Part D from the federal government.

Many Americans are relying on elder care provided by physicians at nursing homes or assisted living facilities, but in some cases, these physicians are routinely prescribing drugs that have been shown to cause adverse reactions in the elderly. There are also documented cases of physicians prescribing drugs originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat one condition for completely different, "off-label" conditions. Examples cited in the investigation include prescribing anti-psychotic drugs to treat dementia in the elderly and prescribing Alzheimer's drugs to treat autism or other cognitive disabilities.

Elder abuse national problem

Because Southern California is a popular destination for retirees, its residents should be aware of a national study on elder abuse. The study indicated that about 10 percent of elderly Americans suffer from neglect or abuse. The National Center on Elder Abuse further indicated that for every case that is reported, 23 additional cases are not reported.

One doctor who specializes in geriatrics further observed that paid caregivers are not the main problem when it comes to elder abuse. Family members, including a partner or grown child, are more often the ones who abuse the elderly. Sometimes the abuse is a result of stress or feeling overwhelmed due to providing constant care for a loved one. She further added that these challenges can cause caregivers to act in ways that are out of character. The doctor recommended that people look for any indications of abuse, such as bruises or frequent falls. Loved ones can ask the elderly if they are afraid of someone or if someone has hurt them.

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