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![CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY
www.gerontology.vt.edu
What is Elder Abuse?
Elder abuse refers to intentional or neglectful
acts by a caregiver or “trusted” individual that
lead to, or may lead to, harm of a vulnerable
elder (National Center on Elder Abuse [NCEA],
2009).
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Elder financial exploitation gov conf presentation
- 1. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu PromotingFinancial Security by Preventing Elder Financial Exploitation Pamela B. Teaster, Ph.D. Professor and Associate Director Karen A. Roberto, Ph.D. University Distinguished Professor and Director Center for Gerontology Virginia Tech The Governor’s Conference on Aging Tools & Strategies to Prevent Financial Exploitation Richmond, Virginia, May 2, 2016
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- 3. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu Agenda 3 ▪Understand the scope of elder financial exploitation ▪ Recognize strategies for preventing elder financial exploitation ▪ Identify the roles of organizations and entities involved in addressing elder financial exploitation in Virginia and nationally
- 4. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu AWarning-- It Can Happen to Anyone… To those seniors and especially elderly veterans like myself, I want to tell you this: You are not alone and you have nothing to be ashamed of. If elder abuse happened to me, it can happen to anyone. Mickey Rooney Testimony to Senate Special Committee on Aging March 2, 2011
- 5. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu Whatis Elder Abuse? Elder abuse refers to intentional or neglectful acts by a caregiver or “trusted” individual that lead to, or may lead to, harm of a vulnerable elder (National Center on Elder Abuse [NCEA], 2009). 5
- 6. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu HowMuch Elder Abuse Exists? One year incidence rate: ▪ emotional abuse = 4.6% ▪ physical abuse=1.6% ▪ sexual abuse = 0.6% ▪ potential neglect = 5.1% ▪ financial abuse = 5.2% 6 Acierno et al., 2010
- 7. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu Whatis Elder Financial Abuse? When a person who stands in any position of trust to an elder or dependent adult takes or appropriates that person’s money or property to any wrongful use or with the intent to defraud 7
- 8. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu Prevalenceof Financial Abuse ▪ 3rd most commonly substantiated type of elder abuse ▪ Accounts for 30-50% of all abuse and 2.9 billion (MetLife Mature Market Institute, 2011) ▪ For every known case of elder financial abuse, it is estimated that 4, to 5 cases go unreported 8
- 9. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu SomethingMore: Financial Abuse as a Catalyst for Other Types of Abuse ▪ FAB involved deceit, threats, and emotional manipulation of the elder in almost all cases ▪ Physical abuse and neglect and sexual violence frequently occurred in tandem with financial crimes 9
- 10. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu WhoAre the Likely Victims? ▪ More women than men, but the numbers vary by type of abuse ▪ Older adults who are isolated ▪ Older adults who are lonely ▪ Older adults who are unfamiliar with financial matters ▪ Older adults with cognitive impairment ▪ Some connections to SES, place but relatively unexplored as yet 10
- 11. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu WhyDo People Abuse Elders? ▪ Perpetrator-victim dependency ▪ Perpetrator deviance ▪ Victim vulnerability ▪ Caregiver stress ▪ Social isolation ▪ Ageism ▪ Inadequate resources ▪ Lack of knowledge of the problem 11
- 12. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu Primary,Secondary, and Tertiary Prevention 12
- 13. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu PrimaryPrevention: Prevents Financial Elder Abuse from Occurring at All by Preventing Exposure to Risk Factors 13
- 14. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu Whyare Older Adults Targets of Financial Abuse? ▪ Accumulated wealth ▪ Often home alone ▪ Socially isolated ▪ Need for assistance 14
- 15. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu RiskFactors ▪ Gender – females victimized nearly 2:1 ▪ Age – most vulnerable at 80-89 years ▪ Living alone – with observable vulnerability ▪ Personality – tenuous, values independence 15
- 16. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu AdditionalRisk Factor: Cognitive Impairment ▪ Normal aging includes cognitive decline in several domains ▪ Dementia prevalence climbs rapidly after age 60, doubling with every 5 years of age ▪ Roughly 50% of the population 80+ has some form of medically diagnosed cognitive impairment 16
- 17. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu reasoning planning speech movement emotions problem- solving visionperception of touch pressure temperature pain perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory Brain Functions by Region *Executive Function* 17
- 18. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu Whatis Financial Capacity (FC)? 18
- 19. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu Declineof Financial Capacity ▪ Decline of financial capacity usually occurs very early in the course of cognitive impairment ▪ Both older adults and family members may be largely unaware of encroaching deficits in financial skills 19
- 20. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu FinancialAbuse: Warning Signs ▪ Fear or submissiveness to caregiver; any sign of intimidation by another ▪ Isolation from relationships ▪ New “best friend” or “sweetheart” ▪ Withdrawn behavior or disheveled appearance ▪ Missed appointments, uncharacteristic nonpayment for services ▪ Unusual bank activity or withdrawals that cannot be explained 20
- 21. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu WarningSigns (continued) ▪ Anxiety about personal finances ▪ Lack of knowledge about financial status ▪ Missing belongings or property ▪ Significant changes in spending patterns ▪ Sudden changes in financial management, legal documents 21
- 22. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu PreventionStrategies for Older Adults and Families ▪ Stay organized ▪ Stay informed ▪ Stay alert ▪ Never be pressured into making an immediate decision 22
- 23. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu SecondaryPrevention: Seeks to Minimize the Severity of the Exploitation Once it Has Occurred 23 Don't see how the Metlife slides address secondary prevention, but like the focus of the 3 slides I kept - if keep will need some connection points
- 24. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu TheMetLife Study of Elder FAB: Crimes of Occasion, Desperation, and Predation Against America’s Elders Follow -Up Study: 2011 ▪ Expanded analysis of scholarly research ▪ Reviewed articles from Spring and Holidays 2010 ▪ Interviewed select victims identified in 1st study 24
- 25. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu Crimesof Occasion Crimes of opportunity or incidents of financial abuse or exploitation that occur because the victim is in the way of what the perpetrator wants. 25
- 26. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu Crimesof Desperation Crimes of desperation are those in which family members or friends may become so desperate for money that they do whatever it takes to get it. 26
- 27. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu Crimesof Predation Crimes of predation or occupation occur when trust is engendered specifically for the intention of financial abuse later. 27
- 28. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu TheCase of Laura: An Example of Secondary Prevention
- 29. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu HowDo We Minimize the Severity of Financial Abuse? ▪ Involve the medical community ▪ Involve Adult Protective Services & Other Social Services ▪ Involve LTC Ombudsman ▪ Involve Law Enforcement ▪ Involves Faith Communities ▪ Involve Banks ▪ Involve MDTs ▪ Involve Friends & Family 29
- 30. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu TertiaryPrevention: Seeks to Minimize Damage and Disability Due to the Exploitation by Providing Medical Care and Rehabilitation Services 30
- 31. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu Involvementof the The Medical Community 31
- 32. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu Involvementof The Legal Community 32
- 33. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu Involvementof The Social Work Community 33
- 34. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu Involvementof Other Professionals and Policy Makers Community programs and educators ▪ Educate about potential scams, Do Not Call registry ▪ Educate about vulnerabilities, warning signs, and prevention measures Policy makers ▪ Elder Justice Act - March, 2010 ▪ Improved regulation of post-retirement financial sector 34
- 35. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu ▪Equal opportunity transgression, but more women than men appear to be victims ▪ Financial capacity determination may deter the problem ▪ Higher incidence in community dwelling elders (we think) ▪ Under recognized and under reported ▪ Medico-socio-legal problem (and others) ▪ Grave consequences on a multiplicity of nested systems ▪ Prevention and intervention may require a team approach ▪ Numerous areas for researchers and practitioners to join forces ▪ Health effects may be compelling 35 The Take Away
- 36. CENTER FOR GERONTOLOGY www.gerontology.vt.edu SelectedResources ▪ The National Center on Elder Abuse ▪ The National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (including The Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect) ▪ The International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse ▪ The National Adult Protective Services Association ▪ The great resources in Virginia and other states ▪ Your imagination and hard work!
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