Up to 10 percent
of nation's elderly suffer abuse from in-home caregivers
While
seniors often are the target of a variety of telephone and Internet
scams, some of the most common forms of elder abuse are committed by
those closest to vulnerable adults, such as in-home caregivers.
As
there are few requirements for an individual to become a caregiver, it
can be difficult to find a reliable, trustworthy caregiver, Kalkaska
County Commission on Aging (KCOA) Director Gay Rowell said. The KCOA
can place caregivers in homes and does full background and reference
checks, as well as helping families work out payment methods.
"We
put caregivers in the home," Rowell said. "We do in-home services and
we encourage the family to let us help."
According
to nationwide statistics from independent studies compiled by the
National Center on Elder Abuse, an estimated one to two million
Americans age 65 and older have been injured, exploited, or mistreated
by a caregiver.
"The
sad reality is that most of the financial exploitation that we see is
committed by somebody known to the victim," said Lynne McCollum, Legal
Services Developer and Elder Abuse Prevention Specialist for the
Michigan Office of Services to the Aging. "There are the investment
scams and the stranger scams, foreign lotteries and that kind of thing,
but what we see most frequently is somebody who was already known and
trusted or have befriended someone. It’s that trust relationship that
is used, then abused, to steal from and harm an adult."
The
estimated frequency of elder abuse ranges from two percent to 10
percent of the elderly population nationwide and only one in 14
incidents of elder abuse in domestic settings, excluding incidents of
self-neglect, as well as one in 25 incidents of financial exploitation
are reported.
In
cases that are reported, it can often be difficult to prove abuse has
occurred, McCollum said. She said one reason why elder abuse continues
to be prevalent is because many of the safety nets established to help
protect people from child and domestic abuse have not been established
for the protection of the elderly.
"Overall,
we still are a good 10 to 20 years behind where (cases of) child abuse
and domestic violence are right now," McCollum said.
Former
Gov. Jennifer Granholm initiated a task force during her second term
that focused on elder abuse, McCollum said.
"Out
of that task force came a series of recommendations," McCollum said. "A
number of those were legislative recommendations and ever since that
time, we’ve been trying to get bills passed with no success."
There
are 18 bills in total which constitute the "Elder Protection Package,"
which has already been passed by the Michigan House of Representatives
and has since been acknowledged by Governor Rick Snyder, who urged the
Michigan Senate in his State of the State address to pass the bills,
McCollum said.
Several
of the bills address issues regarding elder abuse court cases, such as
proposing increased penalties for certain fraud violations and
financial exploitation of vulnerable adults, permitting use of video
testimony in certain cases, preventing magistrates from refusing
complaints filed by people other than victims in such cases and
redefining certain legal terminology regarding elder abuse.
"Some
of the bills will increase penalties for financial exploitation, which
will put it in line with other types of embezzlement," McCollum said.
"One of the bills would prevent someone convicted of abusing a
vulnerable person from inheriting from that person, unless there has
been specific forgiveness granted after the conviction. Right now, the
threshold at which a person is unable to inherit is first-degree
murder, so we’re trying to just make it a little less lucrative to
steal from a vulnerable person."
Other
bills address the prevention of elder abuse, such as creating a Senior
Medical Alert Program similar to the Amber Alert, requiring financial
institutions to provide written discloser educating consumers about
joint bank accounts, setting notice and disclosure regulations for
insurance agents regarding replacement life insurance and requiring
reporting of abuse to outside authorities by long-term care facility
employees.
"The
bills will also provide for required training for financial
institutions on elder abuse, so their staffs are more aware of the
issues and dynamics," McCollum said. "The latest word is that there is
every intention (by the Senate) of getting these scheduled and having
some hearings in early February. There are maybe some of these that
will be more contentious than others, but our hope is that we can get
the majority of these bills through."
Those
who suspect that elder abuse has occurred are encouraged to report it,
even if there is no proof, McCollum said.
Suspicions
of elder abuse can be reported to Adult Protective Services through the
Department of Human Services (DHS), as well as to local law
enforcement. The Kalkaska County DHS can be contacted at 231-258-1200.
Those seeking to report elder abuse or receive more information can
contact the statewide Vulnerable Adults Help Line at 800-996-6228.
Those interested in seeking a caregiver through the KCOA should contact
231-258-5030.
Warning signs of elder abuse
-Abrasions,
broken bones, bruises, burns and pressure marks may indicate physical
abuse, mistreatment or neglect
-Withdrawl
from normal activities, a change in alertness and unusual depression
may indicate emotional abuse
-Bruises
around the breasts or genital region may indicate sexual abuse
-Sudden
changes in financial situation may indicate financial exploitation
-Bedsores,
poor hygiene, unattended medical needs and unusual weight loss may
indicate neglect
-Belittling,
threats and other uses of power or control by the caregiver or spouse
are indicators of emotional or verbal abuse, as are strained
relationships and frequent arguments.
