NCEA | Newsfeed Collection

NCEA Newsfeed – Friday, November 30, 2012

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!

Calendar of upcoming elder abuse and neglect events can be found at the bottom of the newsfeed.

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ELDER ABUSE NEWSFEED

1.         ALABAMA (Mountain Brook), Al.com, November 28, 2012
Elder abuse town hall meeting focuses on identity theft, fraud cases in the state
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/11/elder_abuse_town_hall_meeting.html
State Representative Paul DeMarco and a panel of experts from the Alabama Department of Senior Services and the Alabama Securities Commission, sat down with a room full of senior citizens at an Elder Abuse & Fraud Prevention Town Hall meeting early this afternoon to discuss ongoing fraud trends and provide information on how to spot potential scams. In 2010, the Federal Trade Commission reported that a total of 3,339 complaints of identity theft had been recorded in the state of Alabama alone. Those FTC figures, which equal to approximately 70 complaints per 100,000 residents, rank Alabama at number 15 among the states with the highest rates of identity theft. In 2011, Alabama rose in the ranks to number 12.

2.         CALIFORNIA (Placerville), Mercury News, November 28, 2012
Nurse ordered to trial for felony elder abuse
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22080314/nurse-ordered-trial-felony-elder-abuse
The former head nurse at a California nursing home is facing trial for felony elderly abuse in the death of an Alzheimer's patient. Investigators say a 77-year-old woman was supposed to be constantly monitored by nurses at Placerville’s El Dorado Care Center when she died of fecal impaction in 2008 after 13 days in the nursing home.

3.         CALIFORNIA (Placerville), Sacramento Bee, November 28, 2012
Head nurse to stand trial in connection with woman’s death at Cameron Park care facility
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/28/5014521/head-nurse-to-stand-trial-in-connection.html
The former head nurse at a Placerville nursing home will stand trial for felony elder abuse in connection with the 2008 death of a 77-year-old Cameron Park woman, an El Dorado County judge ruled Tuesday. More than 4 ½ years after the death of the woman, a judge found there was sufficient evidence to move forward in the criminal case against the suspect.

4.         CALIFORNIA (Watsonville), Watsonville Patch, November 29, 2012
Watsonville Police Arrest Capitola Woman for Elder Abuse
http://watsonville.patch.com/articles/watsonville-police-arrest-capitola-woman-for-elder-abuse
Police arrested a woman in Capitola on charges of elder abuse for financial gain. During a year-long investigation, Watsonville police learned that she had obtained a brand new vehicle and $101,884 in cash from a 78-year-old Watsonville resident. The suspect claims that the vehicle and money were given to her as gifts, but the family of the alleged victim claims that the suspect befriended and manipulated the victim and later took financial advantage of their relationship.

5.         COLORADO (Arapahoe County), Our Colorado News, November 29, 2012
Sharpe tapped to serve at-risk elders, children
http://www.ourcoloradonews.com/centennial/news/sharpe-tapped-to-serve-at-risk-elders-children/article_de7799a2-3a59-11e2-b73f-0019bb2963f4.html
Arapahoe County Commissioner Nancy Sharpe has been appointed by Colorado Counties Inc. to serve on the statewide Elder Abuse Taskforce and appointed by Gov. John Hickenlooper to serve on the Colorado Executive Leadership Council on Child Welfare. The Elder Abuse Taskforce was established this year by Senate Bill 12-078 to address protection issues related to elderly, at-risk adults who may be mistreated and exploited.

6.         CONNECTICUT (Litchfield County), The Register Citizen, November 27, 2012
New report underscores gaps in national strategy on elder financial abuse
http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2012/11/27/news/doc50b531ba69139296042749.txt
A new government report highlights the need for better collaboration among federal agencies, banks and state authorities to combat elder financial exploitation.

7.         ILLINOIS (Chicago), Diagnostic Imaging, November 28, 2012
Radiologists Find Patterns Indicative of Elder Abuse
http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/conference-reports/rsna2012/content/article/113619/2116641
Radiologists can more accurately diagnose abuse of elderly patients thanks to Canadian research that points to a discernible pattern of symptoms, according to a new study presented Tuesday in Chicago. The study claims that compared to accidental injuries, abused individuals were more likely to have severe, repetitive injuries. Access to prior imaging can also be invaluable when determining abuse and because of this, radiologists can play a critical role as sentinel in identifying evidence to piece the picture together.

8.         NEW MEXICO (Deming), Deming Headlight, November 28, 2012
Senior Center offers elders protection from financial exploitation
http://www.demingheadlight.com/deming-news/ci_22084145/senior-center-offers-elders-protection-from-financial-exploitation
The Deming Senior Center and the Deming-Luna County Commission on Aging has joined the 10th annual "Home for the Holidays" campaign, which is a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging. They are working to fight against exploitation, which impacts as many as five million senior citizens a year with an estimated cost of $3 billion annually.

9.         NEW YORK (Riverdale), Riverdale Press, November 28, 2012
Daniel Reingold wins award for Home’s abuse shelter
http://riverdalepress.com/stories/Daniel-Reingold-wins-award-for-Homes-abuse-shelter,51452
Daniel Reingold, president and CEO of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, received a social entrepreneurship award from the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research on Nov. 14 for spearheading the development of a short-term shelter for elder abuse victims. The Hebrew Home’s Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Center for Elder Abuse Prevention has provided shelter, healthcare, counseling, legal aid and other support services for those who are 60 or older since 2005. It is the nation’s first elder abuse shelter, according to the Hebrew Home.

9.         NORTH DAKOTA (Grand Forks), Grand Forks Herald, November 27, 2012
Elder abuse: An ‘extensive and hidden’ problem
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/250255/group/homepage/
This article discusses the prevalence and damage caused by elder abuse. North Dakota is one of four states that does not require mandatory reporting of elder abuse.

10.       TEXAS (Austin), KVUE, November 29, 2012
Ways to prevent elder abuse
http://www.kvue.com/news/Ways-to-prevent-elder-abuse-181389931.html
A Consumer Reports’ investigation has found increasingly it’s trusted family and friends who are abusing the elderly by draining bank accounts, selling valuables, or even taking over their real estate

11.       WASHINGTON (Port Orchard), Kitsap Sun, November 27, 2012
Family sues dementia facility for woman’s death
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/nov/27/family-sues-dementia-facility-for-womans-death/
The family of a resident at a dementia facility who allegedly was attacked by another resident and later died has sued the facility. The family claims that their mother’s death could have been prevented if Orchard Pointe Memory Care Community had proper safety measures in place.

12.       INTERNATIONAL (Ontario, Canada), Calgary Herald, November 29, 2012
Pattern of broken bones, brain injuries flags possible elder abuse: study
http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Pattern+broken+bones+brain+injuries+flags+possible+elder+abuse/7612957/story.html
A recent study has identified patterns of broken bones and bruises that may suggest elder abuse. The study is based on a review of more than 1,100 cases of abuse in people over age 60. Their analysis showed that these elderly abuse victims were most often in a home setting being cared for by non-professionals, such as a family member or other untrained caregiver.

13.       INTERNATIONAL (Ontario, Canada), Hispanically Speaking, November 28, 2012
Abused Elderly Likely to Have Brain, Head and Neck Injuries
http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/hispanic-health-news/details/abused-elderly-likely-to-have-brain-head-and-neck-injuries/20106/
Elderly people who are abused are more likely to have brain, head and neck injuries than those who suffer accidental injuries, according to a new study at the University Health Network in Toronto. The researchers found that the cause of death in one-third of elder abuse cases was subdural hemorrhage, which occurs when blood pools in the space between the outer and middle layers of the covering of the brain. Broken ribs and injuries to the upper extremities, face, teeth, eyes and larynx are also common among abused older people.

14.       INTERNATIONAL (Oughterard, Ireland), Irish Times, November 27, 2012
Concern at conditions in nursing home
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/1127/1224327144196.html
An inspection of the Owen Riff Nursing Home in Oughterard, Co Galway, has expressed concern about the handling of an abuse complaint and found that insufficient measures were in place to protect residents from being harmed or abused. The nursing home has been the subject of a number of critical reports by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa).

ABUSE OF ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES

1.         CALIFORNIA (Sonoma), Think Progress, November 29, 2012
CA Police Allegedly Covered Up Serial Rape At Facilities For The Disabled
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/11/29/1256611/ca-police-allegedly-covered-up-serial-rape-at-facilities-for-the-disabled/?mobile=nc
California police tasked with protecting developmentally disabled patients turned a blind eye to a pattern of sexual assault by their caregivers, according to an investigation by the independent journalism group California Watch. While there were 36 accusations of sexual abuse at state-run facilities for the disabled in the past four years, the Office of Protective Services — the specialized police force in charge of the facilities — routinely failed to take the basic steps necessary for a real investigation into the allegations. Most notably, they did not order a single rape kit in any one of the cases in question, even though the kits are “widely regarded as the best way to find evidence of sexual abuse:”

2.         CALIFORNIA (Sonoma), Daily Beast, November 29, 2012
California Police Ignored, Mishandled Sex Assaults Reported by Disabled
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/29/california-police-ignored-mishandled-sex-assaults-reported-by-disabled.html
Patients at California’s board-and-care centers for the developmentally disabled have accused caretakers of molestation and rape 36 times during the past four years, but police assigned to protect them did not complete even the simplest tasks associated with investigating the alleged crimes, records and interviews show.

3.         KANSAS (Chautauqua County), Winfield Courier, November 28, 2012
Chautauqua County woman found guilty of Medicaid fraud, mistreatment and animal cruelty
http://www.winfieldcourier.com/articles/2012/11/28/news/news/doc50b581b5c4b71189562853.txt
A Chautauqua County woman was found guilty last week on charges of Medicaid fraud, mistreatment of a dependent adult and animal cruelty, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said. Her charges were one count of making a false claim to the Medicaid program, one count of mistreatment of a dependent adult and eight counts of cruelty to animals.

4.         KANSAS (Chautauqua County), KAKE, November 27, 2012
Woman Found Guilty Of Fraud, Mistreatment, Animal Cruelty
http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/Woman-Found-Guilty-Of-Fraud-Mistreatment-Animal-Cruelty-181046111.html
A Chautauqua County woman has been found guilty on charges of Medicaid fraud, mistreatment of a dependent adult and animal cruelty. Her sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 2, 2013. Local law enforcement and Adult Protective Services removed the defendant’s disabled adult daughter from her home in Sedan on March 5, 2009, due to unsanitary conditions. Numerous animals were also seized and removed from the defendant’s care.

RELATED ISSUES

1.         KENTUCKY (Calloway County), The Republic, November 27, 2012
Calloway County dementia patient who didn’t return home Monday is found in Louisville
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/0d232bcaf16b425080c73c0dd62b0144/KY--Man-Missing
Kentucky State Police say a dementia patient reported missing in Calloway County has been found in Louisville. Police say the 77-year-old man didn’t return to his home after leaving on Monday afternoon in a Chevrolet Impala. The man was found Tuesday morning at a nearby gas station.

2.         MICHIGAN (Detroit), Freep, November 27, 2012
Detroit man with dementia missing since Tuesday
http://www.freep.com/article/20121128/NEWS01/121128026/Detroit-man-dementia-missing-since-Tuesday?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE
Detroit Police are searching for a 78-year-old man suffering from dementia who has been missing since Tuesday. His family says that he has mild dementia, but is in good physical condition. He is about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 177 pounds. He has brown eyes, grey and black hair and was seen wearing black leather, flat style hat, a gray shirt, gold pants, a black coat and brown shoes.

3.         WASHINGTON (Spokane Valley), Seattle Times, November 26, 2012
Spokane Valley man, 71, with dementia missing
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019766159_apwamissingspokanevalleyman.html?syndication=rss
Authorities are looking for a 71-year-old Spokane Valley man with dementia who has been missing since Friday. The man left home to drive to a store in a white 2012 Kia sedan with Washington license AJD4999.

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Upcoming Elder Abuse Conferences/Training Events (in chronological order):

·         California District Attorneys Association 2012 National Elder Abuse Symposium (December 4-7, 2012) Guest speakers to include Paul Greenwood, San Diego County Deputy District Attorney, Bob Nichols, Retired Marin County Deputy District Attorney, and many more. http://www.cdaa.org/training/seminar-conference-registration?regevent_action=register&event_id=35

·       The National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (NCCDP) released their famous 2012 Tool Kit on dementia education on November 1, 2012. http://www.nccdp.org/staff-education-week.htm For the fifth year, they will host Alzheimer’s and Dementia Staff Education Week February 14-21, 2013

An archived collection of previous newsfeeds is available here:
http://nceagov.posterous.com/

National Center on Elder Abuse

Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse & Neglect

University of California, Irvine

Program in Geriatrics

101 The City Drive South

Orange, CA 92868

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