What Are The Elderly Vulnerable To Financial Abuse

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.

This essay will examine elder abuse and its role in our society. The definition of elder abuse and the different types of elder abuse will be examined. Additionally, literature that highlight legislative changes to current elder abuse laws and the origins of those laws will be examined. The paper will also discuss national reports of elder abuse statistics and the current status of elder abuse. Finally, recommendations based upon the information researched will be provided as a guide for the future.

It is estimated that one in ten American over the age of 60 are victims of elder abuse each year. Elder abuse is a difficult subject; however, it is a subject that must be addressed. Thousands of senior citizens are being abused or neglected each day in this country. It is everyone’s responsibility to take acts to prevent elder abuse when possible.

Abuse can happen to anyone, but elderly adults residing in nursing homes are more vulnerable and have a higher risk for abuse (Rasansky Law Firm, 2006, para. 1). Elders are among the fastest growing in the population, and because of this many more elderly

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.

Abuse of the elderly is a common issue, but the aging adults are protected by a federal law known as the “Elder Justice Act”. According to Hillier and Barrow (2011), between 3 percent and 6 percent of people over the age of 65 report being abused. However, elderly abuse is usually not reported, because the abuser is typically a family member. So, the abuse adult will not report the abuse because they are afraid of making the abuser angrier or being isolated (Hillier & Barrow, 2011, p. 328). According to the department of health and human services “The “Elder Justice Act” is the first comprehensive federal legislation to address elder abuse, was signed into law by President Obama in March, 2010 as part of the health care reform act.”

Elder mistreatment is a serious problem in America, yet it often overlooked. Elder abuse is defined as abuse in older adults that includes, but isn’t limited to physical, emotional, financial or sexual abuse. It is a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm. It is often misunderstood and dismissed as just a family matter when in fact, that is the least common source of cruelty amongst the elders. According to the National council of aging, 1 in 10 Americans aged 60 and older have experienced some form of abuse. Some estimates range as high as 5 million elders who are reportedly abused yearly.

Elder abuse is a growing concern in today’s modern society and will continue to cause concern the future. It is best to be aware of the many forms of elder abuse, the hardest of these to detect is elder financial abuse, as it hardly leaves any trace. Those that take advantage are commonly known family members or caregivers. The lack of reporting is due to many different reasons that affect the elderly’s life and well

In recent years, the shameful subject of elder abuse has gained more awareness among community members. In particular, the complexity of elder financial abuse often makes manipulative dealings by fraudsters difficult to identify and separate from actual permissive transactions made by older victims. The result is that these cases are very rarely prosecuted and many other undetected cases continue to fall far below the radar of society. The consequences of financial exploitation of older adults are reaching far beyond the immediate distress of financial depletion. Victims may also experience declines in physical and mental health as well as the risk of a decrease in life expectancy (Kemp & Mosqueda, 2005). The purpose of the following

Financial abuse is another common form of elder abuse that occurs when a caretaker is an opportunist and the victim cannot process or understand what is going on. This is frequently perpetrated by caretakers who are either family members or hired on to take over the responsibility of caring for these helpless seniors (Bartle-Haring, Slesnick, & Carmona, 2015).

Financial elder abuse “is the unauthorized or improper use of the elder’s resources for monetary or personal benefit, profit, or gain such as forgery, theft, or improper use of guardianship or power of attorney” (Jarvis, 2016, p.104). Financial abuse has been described as not only stealing money or possessions, but also coarsening someone into signing papers or checks. According to Peterson et al. (2014), the most common person to take advantage financially of elderly person is a family member.

financial elder abuse, eight percent mostly matched, none answered not at all. The framework developed is important to social work as it is valid and a reliable method

According to the Administration on Aging “elder abuse is a term concerning intentional, or negligent acts by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable adult.” Physical abuse consists of any physical behavior concerning an elder that is aggressive towards that person (e.g. assault, battery, unsuitable restraint). Another familiar type of elder abuse is emotional/psychological abuse. Emotional/psychological abuse includes verbal or nonverbal actions that are considered violent and are directed toward another individual. According to Administration on Aging, emotional/psychological abuse consists of “inflicting mental pain, anguish, or distress on an elder person through verbal or nonverbal acts (e.g. humiliating, intimidating or threatening).” Furthermore sexual abuse of an elder is also a common form of elder abuse. Particularly, sexual abuse is any “non-consensual sexual contact of any kind,” (Administration on Aging). Basically, sexual abuse is the violation or exploitation of another individual in a sexual manner. Additionally, an elder can also be a victim or financial abuse/exploitation. The type of abuse consists of “the illegal taking, misuse, or concealment of funds, property, or assets of an elder for someone else’s benefit,” (Administration on Aging). According to the National Institute of Justice (2013), financially exploited elderly people suffered numerous incidents of financial crimes and misdeeds, comprising theft, fraud and misuse of their assets. In many cases these elders did not have someone with whom they can consult or who will supervise their financial pursuits (National Institute of Justice, 2013). Lastly, elder abuse also consists of neglect. Neglect is considered “the failure by caregivers to provide food, shelter, health care, or protection for the elder in their care,” (Administration on Aging). Basically, a caregiver fails to meet the

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).