The caretaker, although a live-in, couldn't always be found in the middle of the night for emergencies. Expensive jewelry, collected over a lifetime, went missing.
The abuse was apparent, but without a power of attorney over her elderly parents' health care or executive power over the family trust, most people are completely helpless to do anything. This kind of story is sadly not unique at all, say California elder law and abuse attorney Steven C. Peck of Premier Legal.
Peck says "Roughly, 200,000 California seniors are victims of elder abuse each year."
and, "with the population graying, we should be very very concerned that the problem will only worsen.", dependency and vulnerability on somebody for basically your day-to-day needs creates an imbalance in equity and power."
In many cases, it is a long-term caregiver who took advantage of the elderly individual.
In a recent case a caregiver had taken more than $187,000 from the elder, repeatedly pawning jewelry and writing forged checks, she had been a elderly couple's caretaker for about seven years. In most instances, such as this, it would have never have been realized that the elderly could be so easily conned. In this instance the elders children really thought this person cared for them while she, the perpretator, only saw them as a target.
"Over the past five year period, the number of abuse cases in California has increased 18 percent." Peck explains, furthermore "abuse at the hands of family and caretakers, are the most rampant forms of abuse.
"Generally, we find it's somebody that's close to the senior that can do the most damage, either a family member or a caregiver," says Peck
Abuse ranges from confidence scams -- in which a family member or caretaker incrementally takes advantage of a senior -- to telemarketing schemes that prey on the elderly, talking them into purchasing items they do not need.
"Financial abuse now in the current economy is not only likely to be more prevalent, it's also going to be more damaging as well,"
The National Center on Elder Abuse in Newark, Del., estimates that more than 1 million seniors suffer abuse or neglect each year.
Consumers are bilked of nearly $40 million every year in telemarketing scams, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Seniors account for more than half of those scams.
Seniors who live alone or do not have family and friends checking in on them are at the greatest risk of becoming abused.
"It's the isolated elder who becomes the victim because there is no one else keeping an eye on them," "The number one thing is isolation. The victim in almost every case is isolated."
Check in on the elder frequently. Watch what is going on. Report to the police if you see something that you believe is wrong. Go with your gut.
Steven Peck is an experienced california elder law and abuse attorney who can be contacted toll free at 1-866-999-9085 or at www.premierlegal.org
