The Many Faces of Elder Abuse

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In penning today’s piece on the ugly reality of elder abuse, I recalled an unsettling article I read a few months ago. You are likely familiar with New York socialite and philanthropist Brooke Astor, now 104, or for you later crop of baby boomers, her son, Anthony Marshall. Marshall currently controls Astor’s $45 million fortune, siphoning off $2.3 million each year for his role as “caregiver.” Ironically, Mrs. Astor wears torn nightgowns, dines on mashed peas and oatmeal and sleeps on a urine-soaked sofa. Her grandson, Philip Marshall, alleges that his father, Anthony Marshall, has neglected her care and spent some of Mrs. Astor’s money on his own business ventures. The senior Marshall won’t even throw down for a hospital bed for his mother, who has repeatedly fallen out of bed, or in her case, the sofa. Mrs. Astor is a very public example of the oft-concealed problem of elder abuse. Financial exploitation is but one form of elder abuse, which happens at all social and economic levels. According to the best available estimates, between 1 and 2 million Americans age 65 or older have been injured, exploited or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depend for care and protection. Elder abuse manifests itself in many ways, including:

• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Emotional or psychological abuse
• Neglect
• Self-neglect
• Abandonment
• Financial or material exploitation

Financial abuse, as in Mrs. Astor’s case, takes on many forms, including taking property or money, forging a senior’s signature and getting a senior to sign a deed or a will through coercion or deception. The New York State Bar Association’s Elder Law Section (NYSBA) provides tips to help seniors protect their finances. "If you feel you're being abused, tell close friends you're concerned and don't be afraid to go to a lawyer," says Les Kotzer, an attorney and author of "The Family Fight-Planning to Avoid It."

How can we protect our elders and ourselves? Report it! If you or a loved one is the victim of elder abuse, contact Adult Protective Services (APS) by calling your state’s elder abuse hotline. If you suspect abuse in a nursing home, call your long-term care ombudsmen. If it’s an emergency, call the police.

To your continued health and safety...Ami Icanberry

Posted in: Elder Abuse, Nursing Care, Skilled Nursing, What Legal Documents Do I Need?

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5 Responses to “The Many Faces of Elder Abuse”

1. m-rappaport Says:
   

   Thanks for addressing this. The Administration on Aging (www.aoa.gov/) has a strong commitment to protecting seniors from elder abuse. Another great source of informtation and contacts for seniors dealing with this.

2. renez1953 Says:
   

   Very important topic that oftentimes goes unnoticed. I heard about a case in where Attorney General Tom Corbett has filed a 19-count civil lawsuit against a hearing aid fitter and seller accused of practicing medicine without a license and defrauding consumers by making misleading and deceptive claims.

3. bullied no more Says:
   

   I have started a blog to inform others about bullying of the frail elderly. When it occurs in the home, it is reprehensible and difficult to understand. Until I researched the topic on the Internet, I did not understand the nature of bullying and how it could happen to someone in a weakened state. Exposing the bully truly does make one fearful, but what alternative has we?

4. Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes—Part I | Gilbert Guide Blog Says:
   

   […] In continuing the discussion on elder abuse, and its myriad forms, I intend to inform and arm you with ways to recognize and fight against abuse and neglect, particularly in nursing homes. First, the numbers. There are nearly 17,000 nursing homes in the US that currently care for 1.6 million residents—a figure expected to quadruple to 6.6 million residents by 2050, according to the Committee on Government Reform. With the rise in the number of nursing facilities, there’s been an increase in the reported instances of elder abuse. Experts maintain that for every report, there are another five instances that go unreported. Elder abuse manifests itself in many ways including physical, sexual or emotional abuse, neglect, abandonment and financial abuse. In this blog, I’m focusing on physical abuse and neglect, and how to identify if you—or a loved one—is a victim. […]

5. angelo pizzi Says:
   

   Elder abuse is harder to detect in the general community. Esp. those perpetrated by family members.
   Came across an interesting case published on the net. Worth visitng:

   http://www.inthenameofthemother.com

   That poor man!

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