THE OBSERVER
Elderly suffer most abuse in their homes
Sunday March 12, 2006
http://society.guardian.co.uk/longtermcare/story/0,,1729186,00.html
The full extent of the abuse of vulnerable elderly people taking place in their own homes and being inflicted by members of their own family will be revealed in a report published tomorrow. The study, commissioned from a leading charity by the Department of Health, looked at 639 cases referred to the authorities for adult protection over a six-month period last year. Well over half involved people above the age of 65 and a fifth involved those over 85. More women were victims than men.
THE GUARDIAN
'I said to the nurse, please feed her'
January 7, 2006
http://www.guardian.co.uk/family/story/0,,1680652,00.html
Suddenly a robust, cheerful woman of 79, whose only mobility problem had been climbing stairs, began to talk of never leaving hospital again but of being "laid out on a marble slab" - and when the hospital asked for our permission not to resuscitate her should she lose consciousness, we realised this was no paranoid fantasy. Thanks to the efforts of her five children, who travelled long distances to see her, brought food, pleaded with staff not to write her off and eventually - because the pleas were falling on deaf ears - moved her to another (I'm afraid, private) hospital, my mother-in-law is still around, less active than she used to be, but alive to see in another new year. She was lucky. We were lucky. But as I'm beginning to discover, many people with elderly relatives are not.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Family Feud Sheds Light on Differences in Probate Practices From State to State
December 28, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/28/national/28probate.html
Lillian Glasser, by all accounts, never intended to spend her twilight years in Texas. Or her $25 million fortune. A lifelong New Jerseyan, Mrs. Glasser owned a million-dollar home and a second house in Highland Park, N.J., with her husband Ben, a doctor who died in 2002. But to the consternation of Mrs. Glasser and the New Jersey authorities, Texas now has a major grip on her life and her money - a consequence of a family feud and anomalies in probate practices from state to state. Ms. Matthews acknowledged in court that that she had not informed her mother - "I did not want to hurt her feelings," she testified - and had structured the transfers so that they were effectively irreversible by Mrs. Glasser. Ms. Matthews also acknowledged using the accounts to pay for a son's college tuition and for gifts and other expenses, which she said her mother would have approved. "I act in my mother's best interest all the time in this," Ms. Matthews testified.
THE WASHINGTON POST
Man Faces Trial for Wife's Starving Death
March 13, 2006
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.../AR2006031300075_pf.html
ELKTON, Md. -- Weighing just 81 pounds, Mary Elizabeth Kilrain was found dead in a sparsely furnished, filthy room that was outfitted with a doorknob locking it from the outside. Authorities say the 46-year-old woman was starved to death by her longtime partner, John Joseph Dougherty, who took care of her after an aneurism in 1999 left her unable to work. "It was just deplorable conditions, to say the least," said Sgt. Bernard Chiominto, a detective for the Cecil County Sheriff's Department. "Just the stench alone coming from the room. It was one of the worst ones I'd ever seen."
OAKLAND TRIBUNE
Elder-abuse prosecution guru sheds light on crimes
April 11, 2005
http://www.findarticles.com/.../ai_n15818992/print
Paul Greenwood is an elder abuse prosecutor in San Diego County and chair of the California District Attorneys Association's Committee on Elder Abuse. Greenwood is considered the state's guru on the subject, and he recently spoke with Judy Campbell of KQED public radio about how the criminal justice system is changing the way it handles crimes against the elderly.
OAKLAND TRIBUNE
Obscure tactic puts elder abusers in prison
April 11, 2005
http://www.findarticles.com/.../is_20050411/ai_n15820412
Norman Roussey rubs big hands over his jowly face, and looks down at his feet. "I'm a dummy ... I don't know how this all came about," the 77- year-old man mumbles, standing in a tiny apartment with food rotting on the kitchen counter and clothes strewn on the floor. Once he owned a three-bedroom house in San Mateo. Once he was a millionaire. Once he had a true friend named Ronald Brock, who spent years keeping his accounts straight and his house clean until - tempted by Roussey's impaired mental state and bulging bank account - he finally gave in and plundered his friend's finances. Brock probably would have gotten away with it if not for an unusual legal tactic used by a San Mateo County prosecutor to put Brock in jail.
ELDER ABUSE
The Underreported Tradegy
http://www.addictionrecov.org/paradigm/P_PR_S99/mcgrogan.htm
The dilemma often facing elders in an abusive situation is whether fear of more abuse is stronger than fear of punishment for revealing information. Even though words may be unspoken, the media, in highly publicized reports of hideous living conditions, reinforces the fear of institutionalized life. So elder abuse, a tragedy that affects between four and ten percent of the senior population in the United States, goes largely unreported. Some experts estimate that only one of 14 domestic elder abuse incidents, only seven percent of the total, comes to the attention of authorities.
ELDER LAW PROF BLOG
Nashville 83-year old allowed to marry despite dementia
February 09, 2006
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/elder_law/.../index.html
A judge who had to decide if it was love or Alzheimer's disease ruled in favor of romance. Davidson County Circuit Judge Randy Kennedy granted permission Tuesday for an 83-year-old man who lost control of his financial affairs because he has a mild form of senile dementia to marry his 48-year-old fiancee. Relatives of the man, Vic Varallo, have opposed the marriage saying his disease prevents him from understanding what he is doing. They claim his fiancee, Sheila White, has kept Varallo away from family and friends. Others see the ruling as upholding the rights of the elderly. "Today's victory for Mr. Varallo restored dignity to him as a person and as a man," said Nashville attorney Paul Housch, who represented White. The decision affirms that people his age "can carry on a fulfilling life, a happy life and be active and live in this world happy."
ABOUT.COM
Defining Elder Abuse
Why a definition of elder abuse matters
http://alzheimers.about.com/od/frustration/a/def_elderabuse.htm
The National Center of Elder Abuse estimate that between one and two million Americans over the age of 65 have been injured, exploited or mistreated by someone who they depend on for care. The Senate Special Committee on Aging puts their estimates even higher, possibly as high as 5 million victims every year. Definitions of what constitutes elder abuse varies. The difficulties are in part due to the problems of stating at what point behavior tips into abuse. For instance, sometimes well-intentioned caregivers will try to deal with difficult behavior with excessive behavior modification programs in the belief they are helping their relative. Is that abuse?
EMEDICINE
Elder Abuse
August 18, 2004
http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic160.htm
Over the past 35 years, tremendous strides have been made in identifying and increasing awareness about patterns of abusive relationships. Child abuse and domestic violence have received significantly more recognition than elder abuse and continue to receive more attention in both public and medical domains, although abuse clearly occurs in persons of all ages. People are living longer with current medical advances and healthier lifestyles. In 1990, it was estimated that older persons comprised just 13% of the US population. By the year 2050, this proportion is projected to increase to 25%; the number of people older than 85 years is expected to double. As a result, the number of elder abuse cases will increase, and the impact of elder abuse as a public health issue will grow. Aging adults involved in abusive relationships often visit the ED for treatment. Emergency physicians are well positioned to help these victims.
ABOUT.COM
Understanding Elder Abuse An introduction to issues of elder abuse
http://alzheimers.about.com/od/advocates/a/elderabuse_intr.htm
Elder abuse affects men and women of all ethnic backgrounds and social status. Estimating the numbers of elders who are victims of abuse is difficult. Research and awareness of elder abuse is something that has only been studied comparitively recently and there is no uniform reporting system. Bodies such as the National Center on Elder Abuse periodically collects, analyzes, funds and publishes statistics on abuse of older persons in the United States. Their estimates of the number of elders who are victims of abuse, neglect or exploitation are shocking.
CORNELL NEWS
Elder Abuse Is Pervasive, Requires Urgent Response
September 30, 2004
http://crime.about.com/od/elderabuse/a/blcu041001.htm
A substantial number of older persons -- from 2 to 10 percent of the elderly population -- are physically or mentally abused, and mistreated seniors are three times more likely to die within three years than those who are not abused, report two Cornell University gerontologists in this week's issue of the medical journal The Lancet.
ABOUT.COM
Elder Abuse The Hidden Crime
http://incestabuse.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm
Mildred, 82, is tied to her bed while her brother is outside working on the farm. She cries a lot. Scars, mixed with open flesh wounds, mark her wrists. This is obviously not the first time that she has been tied to her bed. She is a victim of Alzheimer's disease and her brother ties her to her bed because she wanders away from the house.
LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR
Police investigate Montana woman on suspicion of bilking mom
November 09, 2004
http://www.journalstar.com/.../doc4190020d4941a692925193.prt
A Montana woman has been cited on suspicion of bilking more than $50,000 from her mother, who lives in a Lincoln nursing home. No formal charges have been filed against Nancy Hobbs, 66, of Darby, Mont., said Joe Kelly, chief deputy county attorney, but the Lancaster County Attorney's Office has the reports and is reviewing them. Hobbs, who has power of attorney for her mother, had allegedly quit paying many of the 87-year-old woman's bills, including those from the nursing home and from a pharmacy, said Lincoln Police Investigator Steve Niemeyer. When the pharmacy threatened to quit providing the woman with her prescriptions, adult protective services was notified.
KETV.COM
Man Says Charge Of Abusing His Mother Is False
Nano Explains Incident At Santa Lucia
October 12, 2005
http://www.ketv.com/news/5088523/detail.html
OMAHA, Neb. -- An Omaha man is being ordered to stay away from his mother after a charge was filed alleging that he abused her. Dan Nano, 58, said it's all a big misunderstanding. The Douglas County Attorney's Office has charged Nano with abuse of a vulnerable adult, saying he hit his elderly and disabled mother in public. Nano cared for his disabled mother -- who suffers from dementia -- every day for 15 years. He said he hasn't seen her since an incident last June.
THE IDAHO STATESMAN
Elderly woman cheated in scam, Man lured victim by saying he had check for her
September 18, 2004
http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040918/NEWS01/409180321/1002/NEWS02
The daughter of an 89-year-old Boise woman scammed out of more than $11,000 is warning others to be careful when they hear offers that seem too good to be true. Myrn Gibson's mother sent $11,537.16 to a man in Canada who claimed he received a package meant for the elderly woman. He began calling the woman Aug. 9, according to the Ada County Sheriff's Office. The woman's name is not being released because she is a crime victim.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Governor signs bill making it a felony to abuse a vulnerable adult
March 28, 2005
http://www.ktvb.com/cgi-bin/bi/gold_print.cgi
BOISE -- A bill that won unanimous support from both the state House and Senate was signed into law by the governor today. The new state law makes it a felony to intentionally abuse, exploit or neglect a vulnerable adult. Governor Dirk Kempthorne says the bill filled a gap in the state's penal code.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration on Aging Elder Abuse Is a Serious Problem
December 10, 2004
http://www.aoa.gov/eldfam/.../Elder_Abuse.asp
Each year hundreds of thousands of older persons are abused, neglected and exploited by family members and others. Many victims are people who are older, frail, and vulnerable and cannot help themselves and depend on others to meet their most basic needs.
STATESMAN JOURNAL
Most cases of elderly abuse go unreported About 40,000 incidents per year in Oregon might stay hidden.
November 9, 2003
http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article_print.cfm?i=70520
For complex reasons ranging from fear of retaliation to memory-stealing Alzheimer's disease, most elder abuse cases go unreported. It stays hidden behind the walls of private homes and care facilities, leaving victims unprotected, defenseless and alone, experts say. Elder abuse is a catchall term for varied types of mistreatment, including financial exploitation, physical abuse, sexual assault, neglect and abandonment.
STATESMAN JOURNAL
Abuse, mental health are top elder concerns Facts and figures of elder abuse.
January 26, 2004
http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=74100
Elder abuse - The statistics. The 1998 National Elder Abuse Incidence Study found: 551,011 persons, aged 60 and over, experienced abuse, neglect, and/or self-neglect in a one-year period. Almost four times as many new incidents of abuse, neglect, and/or self-neglect were not reported as those that were reported to and substantiated by adult protective services agencies.
STATESMAN JOURNAL
Legal papers provide peace of mind Decide what happens to your property and choose who may make decisions on your behalf should you no longer be able to make them.
January 26, 2004
http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=74098
Nina Novak has an advance directive that dictates medical care in case she's incapacitated. She has pre-paid funeral arrangements in case she dies. Her money is in a trust. A will outlines all of her wishes and deals with her property. "I feel I can go without any problems," said Novak, a 79-year-old widow and South Salem Senior Center volunteer. "Everyone should do that." The aging population — and for that matter, the younger population — have many choices for outlining financial decisions and healthcare choices. They can be put in place long before needed, to ensure that what people want to do with their body and money is what happens.
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Ferreting Out Elder Abuse; Fitness-Tape Risks; Probing the Dentist's Quesitons on abuse; Risky video; Dentists and AIDS; Cheap flights
December 7, 1992
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/culture/.../archive_018768.htm
FERRETING OUT ELDER ABUSE. Older patients may be startled to hear their doctor ask, "Has anyone at home ever hurt you? Have you signed any documents you don't understand? Has anyone ever scolded or threatened you?" But such questions may soon be standard. New guidelines from the American Medical Association urge doctors to identify, treat and help prevent abuse of the elderly. The AMA suggests that doctors routinely interview elderly patients alone and ask leading questions like those above. Up to 2 million older people a year are subjected to abuse ranging from violence to theft of money. Nearly every state requires physicians and other health professionals to report suspected cases of elder abuse to the adult protective service agency or other appropriate state agencies for investigation.
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
The Elderly Are Not Children So how come abuse laws treat them that way?
January 13, 1992
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/.../archive_017099.htm
Elder abuse did not exist in the public mind until 1979. That year, a group of Boston researchers used a federal grant to test their hypothesis that something akin to child abuse was prevalent among the elderly. Their study argued that the problem did exist, and it set off alarms about mistreated elders, bruised and battered by stressed-out or uncaring children--a view driven home by shock-value congressional hearings run by the late Rep. Claude Pepper in 1981. All this led to the creation of an extensive legal system of reporting, investigation and even sometimes the involuntary institutionalization of a threatened aged person. Today, more than 140,000 cases of suspected abuse are reported yearly. Yet there are now troubling questions: Was it counterproductive to start from the child-abuse model? Did that reinforce unhelpful stereotypes about the elderly, setting back, rather than aiding, efforts to wipe out abuse? Among the myths:
USA TODAY
Seniors should act to keep scam wolves from door
January 6, 2006
http://www.usatoday.com/.../2005-10-13-senior-scams_x.htm
Retirees are prime targets for con artists and swindlers. Many have money in the bank. They're wary of the stock market and tired of earning less than 3% on a certificate of deposit. Even better, they're often too polite to hang up on a smooth-talking solicitor. In today's Managing Your Money, we look at scams, schemes and bad investments that threaten seniors' financial security.
USA TODAY (SOCIETY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION)
Abuse underreported in many states
April 2004
http://www.findarticles.com/.../is_2707_132/ai_115405742
Although all states have laws and services in place to detect domestic elder abuse, only about one in five actual cases is reported and substantiated. How cases are detected and dispatched differs significantly across the nation because laws and regulations vary greatly. In particular, a University of Iowa, Ames, study found that states that demand mandatory reporting and tracking of domestic elder abuse have much higher investigation rates than those without these requirements.
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