Let's unite to fight financial abuse of our elders

Exploiting their trust, their decency, their fragility.

Financial abuse of elders, according to Prosecutor Sherri Adams, is on the increase.

"It is to the point where it's nearly overwhelming," she said.

In only the last few weeks, we've seen two ugly examples:

A former Lodi bookkeeper was convicted of bilking nearly $900,000 from her clients, some of them elderly.

A Clements woman agreed to serve eight months behind bars and repay $261,000 she was accused of improperly taking from an elderly woman who had been in her care. (The amount includes interest on the original amount.)

Adams and sheriff's detective Tracy Nugent, who investigates elder fraud, both believe that many, many cases of financial elder abuse never go reported.

The elder may decline to report or help prosecute, afraid of hurting or embarrassing a friend or loved one, even one who has done them wrong.

More frightening, the abuse is never revealed, as the victimizer isolates the elder and insidiously gains control of their money.

This abuse is as shocking as it is widespread.

We suspect financial rip-offs of the elderly constitute a new crime wave, one we can all help address.

Adams and Nugent suggest the following:

• If you are the friend or relative of an elder, be vigilant. Look out for those who might try to "separate and isolate" an elder to take advantage of them.

• Be sensitive to major changes in the elder's finances. A large personal check to an individual or a sudden request to refinance a house may signal trouble.

• If you are elderly, be careful about leaving cash or financial statements where care providers or others can spot them. Sometimes, elder fraud is a crime of opportunity.

Help fight elder financial abuse

Here are key contacts:

• San Joaquin County Adult Protective Services: (888) 800-4800.
• Lodi Police Department: (209) 333-6727.
• Det. Tracy Nugent, San Joaquin Sheriff's Department: (209) 468-4747.
• San Joaquin County Long Term Care Ombudsman: (209) 468-3785.
• Community Against Senior Exploitation: Suzanne Schultz: (209) 468-2400.

First published: Saturday, February 10, 2007

Also, share financial information only with trusted friends, family or advisers. If you have two or three people you trust, consider sharing the same information with them so they may provide a check-and-balance on one another.

• Contact Adult Protective Services or law enforcement if you suspect abuse. Too often, abuse is reported well after it has begun; the elder's finances by then have been drained.

• If you are a church or community leader, coordinate a session to share information on elder abuse. The county's new CASE (Community Against Senior Exploitation) program provides fliers and speakers on the subject. (See adjacent box of contact information.)

Working together, Lodians can make a difference in protecting our elders.

•••

Being First Amendment cheerleaders, we waved pom-poms while reading Lt. Bill Barry's Behind the Badge column earlier this week.

Making a public record of arrests is a front-line defense against tyranny, and the good lieutenant demonstrated self-effacing civic-mindedness by noting "the public has the right to know who the cops are putting in jail."

However, another important benefit of publicly revealing who's been jailed bears underlining: If you know who the police suspect of dishonesty and violence, you can protect yourself.

Of course, those who are arrested are not always guilty.

But if arrest records weren't public, it would take months or years to find out you live down the street from a suspected brawler, thief or worse. In the United Kingdom, the courts protect suspects from the embarrassment of being thrown in the pokey. Here, we factor in the public safety benefit of knowing what our police officers know about those they arrest for crimes.

We like our system better.

Lodi News-Sentinel

First published: Saturday, February 10, 2007

Reader Feedback

MPM wrote on Feb 17, 2007 9:47 AM:

" Lodian.. I actually have plenty of compassion for the elderly. My own grandma was a victim of financial abuse. Of course back 7 years ago when you would report it the authorities wouldn't do anything about it. I just know that in Jan's case there were other motives from her accusers and many lies and that is my problem with this case. Jan loved Betty, she took care of her as if she were her own mother. Betty did lend Jan money, that has never been a question. Jan never stole from anyone!! "

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Lodian wrote on Feb 17, 2007 12:10 AM:

" OTH: You're probably right. Ya know, I really don't think some people will ever get it until it happens to them or someone they love and care about in their own family. I guess we can call that behavior "shallow". They have no compassion for the old that get taken advantage of. They just don't get it. "

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Financial crimes... wrote on Feb 16, 2007 8:08 AM:

" Financial crimes of elders are no different then ID theft. Both need to stop! The criminal element know this is fast cash with limited punishment (if ever captured). The LCC at one time opted to not support funding (gov't match at that) for an officer(s) to combat these issues. Hence, the esculation continues. "

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sup wif dat wrote on Feb 15, 2007 8:30 PM:

" Happy Days, aren't you glad your parents angry and complaining about how much time, effort and money that is cost them to take care of you and raise you as a child? Don't you feel that you owe your parents some respect and appreciation or do you feel their social security, medicare etc. is also stealing from you? "

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OTH wrote on Feb 15, 2007 5:53 PM:

" To Lodian.........maybe Happy Days is never going to get old. He won't get to experience what somee elderly people go through. "

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Lodian wrote on Feb 15, 2007 5:06 PM:

" Happy Days: Wow, that's quite a stretch in trying to connect the issue you present to the one being discussed here. "

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sup wif dat wrote on Feb 14, 2007 6:01 PM:

" Since Lodi's City Council members are pushing to designate land for Senior living along Railroad Avenue on the eastside of town, right in the middle of gangsterville, why would anyone think Lodi would support fighting any form of Elder abuse? "

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Happy Days wrote on Feb 14, 2007 12:39 PM:

" How about we stop our Elders from stealing from future generations? These people underfunded social security, medical, and medicare, demand perscription drugs, discounts, etc. They have used the infrastructure built by their parents and have not expanded or maintained it. Instead, they've left it for Gen. X, Y and the rest to fund and fix. Who's fleecing who? "

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Lodian wrote on Feb 14, 2007 9:22 AM:

" Enough: You can't be serious. I think this issue is not anywhere near exposed enough. These two low-lifes and every other slime that abuses the elderly need to be front page news! Remember, someday you too will be vulnerable. How would you like your abuse handled? "

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Captain America wrote on Feb 13, 2007 7:46 AM:

" Quote, Contact Adult Protective Services or law enforcement if you suspect abuse. Too often, abuse is reported well after it has begun; the elder's finances by then have been drained" APS is a joke! In the face of obvious abuse they will refuse to do anything unless "it fits a certain criteria". Typical beuracracy and horribly run! "

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Enough! wrote on Feb 10, 2007 10:02 PM:

" Oh geez enough already about these cases, talk about beating a dead horse! I think the prosecutors need to move on to fresh examples and stop the stoning in towns square of the same two people. What I would like to see is a follow up story on the victims and where these prosecutions have taken them and how their living standards have improved from the work of the writers of this editorial. "

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localreader wrote on Feb 10, 2007 3:58 PM:

" OTH, it's my understanding that financial abuse is much harder to detect and prosecute for. But, I agree, abuse is abuse and all of it should be taken seriously. "

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OTH wrote on Feb 10, 2007 1:25 PM:

" Why stop the abuse of elders at financial? Elderly people are punched, kicked, pinched,and subject to verbal abuse. It's all abuse and should be stopped. Unfortunately for our seniors some are unable or incapable of speaking for themselves. They are frightened. If the sentences weren't such a joke one might think the law was serious. "

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