Essay on Elder Financial Exploitation

safeguarding, who a vulnerable adult is, different types of abuse, who may abuse, factors and

This research paper is being submitted on December 8, 2011, for Mara Pehkonen’s M230 Medical Law and Ethics Course.

“Abuse is still seriously under reported. I was told by leading British social worker that when they hold training courses for employees, they find that a third of the females and slightly less of the males come forward to talk about their childhood experiences of being abused. Over ninety percent of parents as some time hit their children – and some people hit them several times a week – so there is a great deal of emotional hurt, fear and physical pain in the world today” (Davis 251). For this reason alone it makes perfect sense why violent crime rates are so frighteningly high.

"Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect for Adult Survivors." Child Family Community Australia. N.p., Feb. 2017. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

According to Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services, there are three things that elder abuse can be classified as. It can be classified as abuse, neglect, or likelihood of serious physical harm. While all of these classifications sounds quite similar, there are some subtle differences. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services defines abuse as " the infliction of physical, sexual, or emotional injury or harm including financial exploitation by any person, firm, or corporation" ("Protective Services For Adults," n.d., para. 4). Elder neglect is "the failure to provide services to an eligible adult by any person, firm, or corporation with a legal or contractual duty to do so, when such failure presents either an

Firstly, financial abuse is defined as the illegal or improper use of funds or assets that do not belong to oneself (British Columbia Law Institute, 2011). In a NBC article by Herb Weisbaum (2011), he talks about why the elderly become targets of financial abuse, “Con artists also prey on older people, because as a group they control a tremendous amount of this country’s wealth. And in many cases, poor health — both physical and mental — makes them easy targets for financial predators” (para.

As Americans live longer, it is no surprise that the population of older adults has increased; consequently so has the ubiquitous problem of elder abuse. In the United States elder abuse is an exceedingly, overlooked public health hazard; which covers a wide range of abuses. Approximately 2 million adults, over the age of 60 are abused or mistreated each year. ("Elder Justice: A John A. Hartford Foundation Change AGEnts Issue Brief", 2016) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has defined elder abuse as "an intentional act, or failure to act, by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult, age 60 and older” (“Elder Abuse: Definitions”, 2016) Studies show a vast majority of health care professionals underestimate the occurrence of elder

Financial elder abuse is a prominent issue in the world, and will continue to increase due to financial burdens the Millennials will face in their upcoming years. The fear of Social Security benefit reductions as well as the increase of college tuition prices, will add to future financial elder abuse incidents.

Financial elder abuse has become an epidemic because it is a crime that lives in the shadows, and as long as it remains there, the list of victims is sure to grow. Approximately 12% of the cases reported to the National Center on Elder Abuse relate to finances, and the cost to the elderly and vulnerable victim averages $30,000. It is impossible to get accurate numbers on the radically underreported crime since the victims feels shame or are afraid of losing autonomy. Some estimates put the rate of reporting at just 1 in 44 cases of financial fraud.

B., Resnick, H. S., Muzzy, W., Kilpatrick, D. G., Hernandez, M. A., & Steve, K. (2010). Prevalence and correlates of emotional, physical, sexual, and financial Abuse and potential neglect in the united states: The national elder mistreatment Study. American Journal of Public Health, 100(2), 292-297.doi 10.2105/ajph.2009.163089

Abuse is intentionally causing physical pain, injury, or mental anguish to another. It can also be the lack of providing proper care (Nancy L. Falk, Judith Baigis, & Catharine Kopac, 2012). The perpetrator can be anyone, family member, friends, strangers, or even other healthcare professionals. According to the Elder Abuse Forensic Center (Elder Abuse Forensic Center, n.d.), mistreatment of individuals 65 and over can take the form of physical, sexual, emotional/verbal, and/or financial abuse, or any combination thereof, as well as neglect and self-neglect. Each of the categories will be discussed in the following paragraphs with a scenario.

Elder abuse is a serious problem and almost 14.1 percent of noninstutionalized older adults in the United States have experience it in the past year (govtrack.us, 2016). The elder abuse is any kind of mistreatment that causes harm or loss to an older adults and it is not only limited to physical and psychological abuse, but also include sexual and financial abuse, and neglect (National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, 2008). In addition, the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (2008) mentioned that older adults as a result of abuse can lose their independence, homes, life savings, health, dignity, and security. Most importantly, the older adults who have been abused are 300% at higher risk of death than non-abused older adults (N National Center on Elder Abuse, 2016).

Prevalence and Correlates of Emotional, Physical, Sexual and Financial Abuse and Potential Neglect in the United States- The National Elder Mistreatment Study

To better understand the scope of the problem, it is crucial that society knows what is considered as elder abuse and why it is important to resolve this issue. Elder abuse refers to any intentional or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a risk of harm to a vulnerable adult. There are many forms in which an elder can be abused, “Elder Abuse and Neglect” Journal of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental Health Services distinguishes between the five most common types of elder abuse as well as their effects and/or common signs and symptoms for each. These types of abuse include physical abuse,

There is no doubt that many elderly individuals will eventually need assistance with managing their finances, which includes making purchases on their behalf. Thus the older adult may provide their caregiver with cash, cheques and in some cases they may implement a power of attorney. Essentially, powers of attorney grant considerable power to named individuals, over both finances and property. Unfortunately, over time what evolves is an over spending of the older adults money solely benefiting the caregiver, moreover, these caregivers begin to develop a sense of entitlement (Gibson & Honn Qualls, 2012, p. 27). When considering financial abuse committed by strangers, many simple scams against older adults have surfaced over the years. For example, individuals may offer handyman services, recognizing that many older adults struggle with chores such as exterior window washing. However once paid, the individuals do not return to complete the job. It is interesting to note that of all reported elder abuse cases, financial abuse makes up more than half of all complaints (Friese & Collopy, 2010, p. 60).