California Elder Law Attorney Blog

You probably have heard in the news about cases of elder abuse and financial exploitation. When you hear of elder financial exploitation, you might think of unscrupulous home improvement contractors, phony investment schemes or Internet
scams. According to law enforcement officials, abuse and exploitation by family, caretakers and "new best friends" are just as common. and are thriving says Los Angeles Elder Abuse Attorney Steven C. Peck.

The National Center on Elder Abuse reports more than 1 million cases of elder abuse are reported each year. This number does not represent the actual incidence of elder abuse because these crimes often go unreported. The center said because of the intimate and family nature of elder abuse, as many as four out of five cases go unreported.

Elder abuse and financial exploitation also is drastically on the rise in a seriously depressed economy as desperate people prey on the population most likely to have income and assets, accumulated after a lifetime of work.

One method of elder exploitation I have seen many times is a child or other family member who is a professional dependent.

One type of professional dependent is the child who might have convinced you they need your help. You now are regularly giving them checks to help them out. These checks could be in the thousands of dollars.

Another type of professional dependent is a child who regularly takes you to the bank to withdraw cash for your day-to-day living expenses. That cash, sometimes also in the thousands of dollars, then just mysteriously disappears.

A child who lives with you also can be a professional dependent. You might have a child who lives with you but contributes nothing to the household operation, either financially or timewise. All too often, a child will move in with you and just sponge off of you.

It could be the child who never moved out and who, now is in his 50s, still is trying to decide what he wants to do with his life. He might even have a job but never helps out with the household expenses or chores.

It is not uncommon for a child to move in with you "temporarily" after a major life event such as a divorce or loss of a job. He or she might even bring their significant other. The "child" then just sleeps, sits around watching television or playing video games, doesn't look for a job and doesn't help with household chores. This "temporary" arrangement many times becomes permanent.