Photo Courtesy of RambergMediaImages
This blog features a round up of elder justice related news items that were released in November 2012.
National News
- The US Government Accountability Office released a report entitled, Elder Justice: National Strategy Needed to Effectively Combat Elder Financial Exploitation, which studied the challenges facing state and local efforts to combat elder abuse and identified needed federal and state support across systems and levels of government.
- Key findings included the following:
- Participating states identified the need for more safeguards and public awareness activities to prevent elder financial exploitation
- State and federal officials called for greater focus on public awareness
- Difficulty gaining expertise, sustaining collaboration, and obtaining data hinders states’ responses to elder financial exploitation
- Special knowledge and skills are needed to respond to elder financial exploitation
- Key findings included the following:
- The United States Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing on preventing elder financial abuse, which included statements from experts in financial services, consumer protection and elder abuse:
- The panel of speakers included the following:
- Frank Abagnale, author and consultant, inspiration for the film “Catch Me If You Can”
- Kay Brown, Director, Education, Workforce and Income Security at the GOA
- Hubert Humphrey III, Assistant Director, Office of Older Americans at the Consumer Protection Bureau
- Paul Smocer, President, BITS at the Financial Services Roundtable
- Paul Greenwood, Deputy District Attorney, Head of Elder Abuse Unit Family Protection Division
- The hearing, which was entitled “America’s Invisible Epidemic: Preventing Elder Financial Abuse” can be viewed here.
- The panel of speakers included the following:
- The Eldercare Locator announced its 10th Annual Home for the Holidays campaign to help prevent the financial exploitation of Older Adults.
- Kathy Greenlee, Administrator, Administration for Community Living and Assistant Secretary for Aging, HHS, released a statement offering advice and resources to help family members discuss preventing elder abuse and financial exploitation this holiday season with older relatives.
- Protect Your Pocketbook: Tips to Avoid Financial Exploitation (pdf) is a consumer guide to help family members open a dialogue about elder abuse related issues with older relatives, developed by the Eldercare Locator in partnership with the Administration on Aging and The National Center on Elder Abuse.
- The Eldercare Locator was founded twenty years ago by the Administration on Aging, and has received 2.3 million calls since its launch.
Local News (New York State and New York City)
- The Department for the Aging will be spared $8 million in cuts that would have taken place on December 31st, 2012 .
- The cuts would have been the 12th round of reduction to the DFTA, whose budget has been cut by one-third or about $50 million in state funding.
- The Council of Senior Centers and Services of New York collected nearly 7,000 letters opposing the cuts
- The Erie County District Attorney’s Office convicted an abuser for financial elder abuse, obtaining its third major financial elder abuse conviction within the last month.
- Charmesa Brown, a former Administrator with Basset Manor, was convicted of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree after stealing $110,174 from an elderly patient over a year and half.
Elder Justice in the News
- Are Our Parents Sitting Ducks? from Forbes, The Personal Finance Section looks at patterns in recent cases of financial exploitation against Older Americans and offers solutions to prevent this type of abuse.
- Old, Infirm and at the Center of a Legal Struggle from The New York Times, The Business section’s Your Money segment looks at elder abuse prevention through the story of Arthur Cropsey, a victim whose finances were mishandled by two family members.
- Protecting Elders From Financial Abuse from U.S. News & World Report, The Money section’s blog, The Best Life, explores the recent report by the Government Accountability Office and offers advice for preventing the financial abuse of Older Americans.
- Holiday Gatherings Can Put a Fork in Elder Fraud from Forbes, Echoing advice from Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary for Aging, HHS, the Personal Finance Section offers suggestions on how to address financial exploitation and other elder abuse related issues with older members of the family during the holiday season.
- Unknown, Unnoticed, and Unreported: Recognizing Elderly Abuse from The Huffington Post, Writing for the Impact Blog, President and CEO of The Hebrew Home at Riverdale, Daniel Reingold, M.S., J.D., describes the excellent work of The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Center in responding to elder abuse related issues. Mr. Reingold warns readers to look for signs of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in their community and contact organizations, like the Weinberg Center, if they suspect abuse.
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by Alexandra Pearson, MA
Communication Specialist, NYCEAC
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