Newsfeed –Wednesday, January 29, 2014
The newsfeed includes articles and stories related to abuse of elders and adults with disabilities. Articles related to elders appear in the top half of the newsfeed. Articles related to abuse of adults with disabilities appear towards the bottom. To subscribe to the NCEA listserv, please send an email with your name, occupation, your organization/agency name, city and state, and a statement about your professional interest or expertise in elder abuse to NCEA@UCI.edu. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter! An archived collection of previous newsfeeds is available here: http://ncea.posthaven.com/
A calendar of upcoming elder abuse and neglect events and funding opportunities can be found at the bottom of the newsfeed.
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ELDER ABUSE NEWSFEED
NATIONAL, Healthline News, January 27, 2014
U.S. Official: Elder abuse is ‘broad and widespread’
http://www.healthline.com/health-news/senior-elder-abuse-more-common-than-you-think-012714
Sixteen years ago, the National Center on Elder Abuse conducted the first national study ever of the scope of elder abuse. That report showed that 90 percent of abusers are family members. Greenlee said it remains one of the fastest-growing aspects of elder abuse, a problem that is snowballing as America ages. “I think people falsely assume we have created a federal infrastructure,” Greenlee said of state-run Adult Protective Services programs. “This is not Child Protective Services. We do not have sufficient services.”
CALIFORNIA (Orange County), Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot, January 24, 2014
Seniors get help fighting fraud
http://www.coastlinepilot.com/news/tn-cpt-me-0124-elder-abuse-20140124,0,4236745.story?page=1
Elder abuse can take many forms, and in Laguna Beach seniors have a variety of groups ready to offer assistance to fight off those who mean to do harm. Laguna Beach Seniors offers classes and activities that foster interaction among seniors, along with counseling appointments, while researchers at UC Irvine are identifying risk factors, training, and tips on how a person can avoid becoming a victim of abuse.
CALIFORNIA (Lake Elsinore), Lake Elsinore-Wildomar Patch, January 24, 2014
Alleged fake contractor from Lake Elsinore denied lower bail
A judge Thursday denied a request for lower bail for a Lake Elsinore man accused of posing as a licensed contractor and taking customers' money for jobs that he barely started -- and never finished -- before disappearing. Reynaldo Rodriguez Jr., 31, was arrested Dec. 10 following an investigation by Riverside County sheriff's detectives that culminated in the filing of more than four dozen felony and misdemeanor charges, including grand theft, burglary, contracting without a license, embezzling from an elder or disabled victim and a sentence-enhancing allegation of committing a white- collar crime.
CALIFORNIA (Petaluma), Petaluma Patch, January 24, 2014
Fake lotteries, phony jailing’s and other scams target Petaluma seniors
A number of Petaluma seniors have been victimized in recent months by scammers claiming to be out-of-state lottery officials, relatives and potential friends from other countries. Last week, the family of a 95-year-old Petaluma man came to police and said he had sent $124,000 to numerous locations after being told he had won an out-of-state lottery.
COLORADO (Boulder), Daily Camera Boulder News, January 24, 2014
Boulder’s Anam Chara care home, top administrator indicted in elderly injury case
Anam Chara -- a now-closed Boulder home for the elderly that helped residents through aging and death -- and one of its administrators have been indicted on felony charges in Boulder County after investigators allege the home tried to cover up an incident in which a resident suffered extensive injuries and that staff were so poorly trained some of them had to look up treatments on YouTube.
GEORGIA (Fayette County), The Columbus Dispatch, January 26, 2014
Are nursing homes high-need residents at high risk?
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/01/26/high-need-residents-high-risk.html
The records for Carlton Manor nursing home, which is facing imminent shutdown, say that a man threatened a nurse with a radio antenna; another punched his roommate in the face. One, with a history of sexual abuse, fondled the breasts of a woman with developmental disabilities. As the state moves to close the Fayette County nursing home because of repeated violations, everyone involved seems to agree on this: Such a group of people deserves high-quality care, but how to best achieve that is complicated.
ILLINOIS (Chicago), Springville Journal, January 27, 2014
Elder fraud: one woman’s story, a nationwide epidemic
Rosalind “Joy” Walker died without her daughter or grandchildren by her side. The Alzheimer’s patient had been a victim of elder fraud, in which the woman’s attorney, Janet Colton, next-door neighbor Joanne Turner and Betty Miller, a supermarket clerk, had conspired to obtain power of attorney and guardianship of the elderly woman, estranging her from her daughter, Glynnis Walker the article states.
IOWA, Des Moines Register, January 28, 2014
Register exclusive: ailing vet ‘dumped’ by Onawa care site
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20140128/NEWS/301280095?odyssey=mod%7Cmostcom
A seriously ill, disabled Navy veteran was evicted from an Iowa nursing home last fall for failure to pay his bill, then was dropped off at an unfurnished apartment with no food, medication or phone. The 65-year-old man was suffering from a life-threatening blood infection, congestive heart failure, insulin-dependent diabetes and other ailments when he was dropped off, alone, at an apartment building in Mapleton on Nov. 1, according to state and county records.
KENTUCKY, Courier-journal, January 25, 2014
Adult abuse registry would protect elderly and disabled, advocates say
At age 18, Crystal Johnston’s autistic son, Daniel often struggled to communicate with her. But after noticing he wasn’t eating or sleeping well, she eventually learned that a staffer at a camp for the disabled had been accused of striking and threatening Daniel. While Kentucky maintains a registry of people found to have abused or neglected children, disability advocates say there is no accessible system to track personal caregivers who abuse, neglect or exploit elderly or disabled adults.
NORTH CAROLINA, News & Record, January 26, 2014
Adult care centers difficult to close
http://www.news-record.com/news/local_news/article_c4c2d192-7c99-5a65-ab5a-4c69171afb24.html
In recent weeks, people have asked the News & Record about the state’s process for closing troubled centers. Their questions were prompted by our report about Greensboro Living Center, a center off High Point Road for people with dementia. In the case of Greensboro Living Center in July, state investigators said staffers made five mistakes in 31 medicine deliveries. Investigators also said the center didn’t protect residents and staff members from a man who hit residents and, on one occasion, barricaded himself in his room.
PENNSYLVANIA, The Mercury Columns, January 24, 2014
OP-ED: Improving the health, welfare of Pa. seniors a top priority for 2014
One of the most alarming trends we have seen is the increasing instances of neglect and abuse, fraud, and inefficient care, the author states. Our 2014 Agenda for Seniors, says two state senators, includes advocating for a comprehensive rewrite of the Older Adult Protective Services Act (OAPSA); improving the reporting requirements for suspected elder abuse, as well as providing investigators with enhanced tools to prosecute these crimes; and, working to strengthen background checks for those who are providing direct care for our seniors.
SOUTH CAROLINA (Bluffton), Island Packet, January 24, 2014
Appeal pending in Bluffton elder abuse lawsuits
http://www.islandpacket.com/2014/01/24/2910817/appeal-pending-in-bluffton-elder.html
Three lawsuits seeking damages for elder abuse at a Bluffton senior living facility are on hold as the center's parent company appeals to the S.C. Supreme Court. Three victims of mistreatment at Carolina House sued their former caregiver and Brookdale Senior Living in 2011, but debate over an arbitration clause in their residency agreements has stalled the cases.
INTERNATIONAL (Mississauga, Canada), Mississauga, January 24, 2014
Peel cops probe report of extreme elder abuse
http://www.mississauga.com/news-story/4334253-peel-cops-probe-report-of-extreme-elder-abuse/
Peel Regional Police are investigating a reported case of elder abuse after a woman was rushed to hospital in critical condition from a north Mississauga home this afternoon. Paramedics became concerned about the "poor living conditions" and called police.
INTERNATIONAL (United Kingdom), The Visitor, January 26, 2014
Pressure mounts for care home apology
http://www.thevisitor.co.uk/news/pressure-mounts-for-care-home-apology-1-6389033
Chris Haywood, 37, whose father Ken was abused at Hillcroft Nursing Home, Slyne, said: “These people, in such a small community, are diminishing their reputation as a business by not saying sorry and being big enough to put their hand up and say ‘we made a mistake’." Hillcroft’s managing director John Ayrton has so far declined an interview.
ABUSE OF ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES
TEXAS (San Antonio), Fox 29, January 24, 2014
House fire sparks attention of Adult Protective Services
Officials with adult protective services are investigating a group home on San Antonio’s Eastside after a fire broke out Friday afternoon. Flames sparked after a mattress got too close to a space heater and two mentally ill people were inside the home alone at the time.
RELATED ISSUES
ALABAMA (Birmingham), WHNT 19 News, January 25, 2014
Senior woman with dementia is missing in Jefferson County
http://whnt.com/2014/01/25/senior-woman-with-dementia-is-missing-in-jefferson-county/
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in finding a missing senior woman. The 66-year-old woman suffers from dementia and has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, according to the Sheriff’s Office, and is believed to have left on foot carrying a large gym bag.
FLORIDA (Miami), Miami Herald, January 25, 2014
Seniors on Medicare fraud patrol in Miami
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/25/3893598/seniors-on-medicare-fraud-patrol.html
Medicare fraud has become one of the most profitable illegal activities in the country — and South Florida is the most likely place to get fleeced the article states. Florida, and Miami in particular, is considered the epicenter of illegal claims against Medicare, a government insurance program that provides health care to more than 46 million elderly and disabled Americans.
ILLINOIS (Glencoe), Chicago Sun-Times, January 25, 2014
Glencoe man, 82, with dementia remains missing despite search Saturday
Public safety workers and about 70 volunteers joined in a search Saturday but turned up no sign of a missing 82-year-old Glencoe man with dementia. The man was last seen by his wife around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday when he walked away from his home near Dundee Road and Forestway Drive.
MARYLAND (Baltimore City), Fox 45, January 28, 2014
Missing vulnerable adult in Baltimore City
Please be on the lookout for a 72-year-old man. He was last seen at 12:30 AM, Tuesday in the 400 block of Kane St. in Baltimore City. He was wearing a green sweater, blue jeans and tan slippers. He suffers from Dementia and has a Medical ID bracelet with his name, address and DOB.
NEW YORK (Tully), Syracuse, January 27, 2014
Tully school custodian finds 81-year-old Salina man with dementia dead behind high school
An 81-year-old Salina man who suffered from dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and was reported missing Saturday evening, was found dead in a snow bank Sunday afternoon behind Tully Junior-Senior High School, state police said. Cameras on the school building showed the man walking aimlessly around the school parking lot for quite a while Saturday night, the trooper said.
NORTH CAROLINA, Winston-Salem Journal, January 27, 2014
Center Point says mandate on housing for the mentally ill is too hard to meet
CenterPoint Human Services wants the state to help it get relief from a federal mandate for moving eligible people with mental health issues into independent community housing. The initiative is the latest development in the Olmstead legal case, which involves the U.S. Justice Department and the integration aspect of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). CenterPoint is concerned that the potential client list “includes a very high percentage of psychiatrically fragile individuals who are quite dependent upon the structure of their current environment.”
PENNSYLVANIA (Pittsburgh), WPXI, January 26, 2014
Search for missing North Side man with dementia continues
http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/search-missing-north-side-man-dementia-continues/nc3QR/
Authorities continue to search for a missing North Side man who suffers from dementia. The 82-year-old man suffers from dementia and loss of vision. Police said he’s known to frequent the West View shopping plaza and uses the bus to get around.
INTERNATIONAL (L’Isle-Verte, Canada), The Gazette, January 24, 2014
L’Isle-Verte fire: Survivors with dementia ‘lost everything familiar’
The Résidence du Havre had about 52 units for autonomous and semi-autonomous seniors, as well as residents who were not autonomous. Eight people are confirmed dead and about 30 are still listed as missing. About 20 people escaped and some of those are in hospital. For the people with dementia who were lucky enough to get out of the burning building, the impact of being uprooted in such a harsh way may be devastating, the article states.
INTERNATIONAL (Ireland), The Journal, January 28, 2014
Dementia sufferers ‘inadequately assessed’ in Irish hospital
http://www.thejournal.ie/major-dementia-study-results-announced-1285705-Jan2014/
The first National audit into the quality of dementia care in Ireland is to be published today. The audit showed differences in the access to dementia-relevant services between hospitals, with poor access to many diagnostic and support services. It also said that only 69 per cent of hospital wards had minimum staffing levels, that none used color schemes to help those with dementia find their way around and that Ireland has no set standard for dementia care.
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Upcoming Elder Abuse Conferences/Training Events (in chronological order):
· IOM Forum on Global Violence Prevention will host a public workshop on February 26-27, 2014. This workshop will explore a model for thinking about mental health, violence, and prevention with the goal of arriving at a better understanding of the relationships between mental illness and risks of violence perpetration and victimization as well as the mental health consequences of exposure to violence. The workshop will be held at the Keck Center in Washington, DC, and is free and open to the public. However, space is limited. More information found here: http://www.iom.edu/Activities/Global/ViolenceForum/2014-FEB-26.aspx?utm_medium=etmail&utm_source=Institute%20of%20Medicine&utm_campaign=12.18.13+Forum+and+Roundtable+News&utm_content=&utm_term=
· 14th Annual International Family Justice Conference “The Root of All Crime” is April 2-4, 2014 in San Diego, CA. The conference will include training and interactive peer to peer discussions on issues related to the handling of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, elder abuse and stalking cases with special focus on law enforcement response, criminal prosecution, civil legal assistance, and advocacy. For more information click here: https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1231094&utm_source=2014+FJC+Conference+Advertisement+3&utm_campaign=Conference&utm_medium=email
· The 7th Annual Forensic Investigations on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Child and Elder Abuse. This conference will be held in the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri from May 14-16th, 2014. For more information click here: https://www.saintlukeshealthsystem.org/classes-and-events/forensic-conference-7th-annual or contact saintlukesconcierge@saint-lukes.org
· The 3rd World Congress on Adult Guardianship will be convened on May 28-30th , 2014 in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area. It is sponsored by the National Guardianship Network in affiliation with the International Guardianship Network. The theme of the conference is, “Promising Practices to Ensure Excellence in Guardianship Around the World.” Proposals for presentations are due July 31. See http://worldcongressguardianship.org
Funding Opportunities:
Deadline: Feb. 1. Retirement Research Foundation supports projects that improve the availability and quality of community-based and long-term support and services for older adults. Learn more at www.rrf.org
An archived collection of previous newsfeeds is available here: http://ncea.posthaven.com/
National Center on Elder Abuse
Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse & Neglect
University of California, Irvine
Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology
101 The City Drive South
Orange, CA 92868
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