Newsfeed – Thursday, December 5, 2013
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!
Did you know? 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
ARIZONA (Kingman), Las Vegas Review-Journal, December 4, 2013
Laughlin lottery winner talks about son’s stealing ways
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/laughlin-lottery-winner-talks-about-sons-stealing-ways
Dion Wolfe, 53, was given a four-year prison term Tuesday when sentenced as prescribed in a plea agreement convicting him of two counts of theft for raiding the bank account of his 85-year-old father. Bullhead City police concluded that he stole more than $236,000 from his father through the check forgery scheme, electronic fund transfers and credit card fraud. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Robert Wolfe said of loss at the hands of his son. “The total is closer to $800,000.”
ARIZONA (Phoenix), The Republic, December 2, 2013
Men get probation for abuse in their mother’s death in back of van packed with animals
Two men who admitted to abuse in their mother's death in a filthy van carrying 35 emaciated animals were each sentenced to two years of probation. The three family members didn't seek medical care and instead drove her in a van with 35 animals to Phoenix, where she was pronounced dead.
CALIFORNIA (Los Angeles), Courthouse News Service, December 3, 2013
Foreclosure consultant accused of elder abuse
http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/12/03/63362.htm
A "foreclosure consultant" defrauded an elderly woman of her home in Beverly Hills, stole her jewelry and imprisoned her in a car, the woman claims in court. The woman seeks damages for fraud, elder financial abuse, false imprisonment and five other counts.
CALIFORNIA (Orange), Orange County Register, November 26, 2013
Orange man accused of stealing $110,000 from aunt’s insurance policy
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/insurance-538966-hanashiro-storm.html
A former insurance agent was arrested last week on suspicion of stealing more than $110,000 from his elderly aunt’s life insurance policy, officials said Tuesday. The 78-year-old woman's nephew, 47, was booked into Los Angeles County Jail on Friday on suspicion of four counts of financial elder abuse, said Patrick Storm, a spokesman for the state Department of Insurance.
CALIFORNIA (Salinas), The Monterey County Herald, November 27, 2013
Your Town: Woman gets three years of probation for financial elder abuse
A woman who offered services to protect seniors' assets was sentenced to felony probation for three years, including 120 days in jail, for financial elder abuse. Sandee Larkin, 65, was allowed to write checks, including her own salary. She increased her own pay for several months, ultimately taking at least $5,000 she had not earned.
CALIFORNIA (San Diego), UT San Diego, December 2, 2013
Phone scam ruse: health care
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/02/tp-phone-scam-ruse-health-care/
In a new twist to an old phone scam, crooks are using health insurance as a ruse to extract personal information from people, especially senior citizens. A 78-year-old Escondido woman reported to police in November that she received a call from a man who told her the way she received her prescription medicines in the mail was going to change, and tried to extract personal information from her.
CALIFORNIA (Santa Barbara), KCOY 12, November 27, 2013
Police: caretaker arrested for elder abuse
http://www.kcoy.com/story/24089674/elder-abuse-arrest
Santa Barbara Police arrested a woman they say stole money from an 80-year-old man with Alzheimer's Disease. Police say the 57-year-old woman was the victim's caretaker. The investigation started last December when relatives found the man malnourished living in poverty and filth.
FLORIDA (Kissimmee), Freeline Media Orlando, December 2, 2013
Kissimmee man arrested for elder abuse, attempted murder
http://freelinemediaorlando.com/kissimmee-man-arrested-for-elder-abuse-attempted-murder/16693/
A 78-year-old man was lying on the front porch of the home. According to the sheriff’s report, he had been severely beaten. There were injuries all over his face, and his head was bleeding. According to the sheriff’s office, the elderly man left lying on the porch is related to Robertson – who deputies say beat the man after an argument.
ILLINOIS, PR Web, December 2, 2013
Illinois leads way in laws protecting seniors: John Marshall professor
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/12/prweb11381906.htm
Lawyers often are empowered as seniors’ first, strongest allies against abuse, Barry Kozak, director of the Elder Law Program at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, said during a recent panel held at the school. Illinois has had the Elder Abuse and Neglect Act for several decades, which until recently had protected adults over age 60. The law was amended this year and renamed the Adult Protective Services Act, so now adults ages 18 to 59 with disabilities also are protected from abuse, neglect and exploitation.
MICHIGAN (Holland), Holland Sentinel, November 28, 2013
Former state house candidate removed as friend’s financial guardian
http://www.hollandsentinel.com/article/20131128/NEWS/131129206/1994/NEWS
In three months, Terry Burns spent $80,000 of a $167,000 trust set up an 84-year-old friend. He was removed as guardian earlier this month. Burns said he borrowed the money from his friend, just as the pair had done reciprocally over the course of their long friendship.
MISSOURI (St. Louis), Courthouse News Service, November 27, 2013
Conviction stands in horrific elder abuse case
http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/11/27/63304.htm
A woman whose mother's rotting flesh led to a fatal staph infection cannot overturn her first-degree elder abuse conviction, a Missouri appeals court ruled. A jury convicted Linda Gargus, a certified nurse assistant, of first-degree elder abuse and acquitted her of first-degree involuntary manslaughter in Clark County Circuit Court.
NEBRASKA (Fairbury), 1011 NOW, December 4, 2013
Fairbury woman arrested after police say she stole more than $17,000
A Fairbury woman is facing charges after police say she stole money from a woman who trusted her. During the investigation police discovered the woman wrote over $17,000 in checks that were unauthorized. Police say she had power of attorney over the victim.
NEW JERSEY, Real Estate Rama, December 3, 2013
Dancer introduces bill requiring regular auditing of nursing home records and statements
Assembly Republican Ron Dancer, R-Ocean, Burlington, Monmouth and Middlesex, has introduced legislation (A-4480) that requires the Commissioner of Health to annually audit a minimum 10 percent of a nursing home’s records and quarterly statements to ensure residents’ funds are not misappropriated. In the event a misappropriation is discovered, charges will be filed against the person responsible, the nursing home, or both.
OHIO (Athens County), NBC 4 I, December 3, 2013
Wife of man accused of killing dad pleads guilty
http://www.nbc4i.com/story/24126888/wife-of-man-accused-of-killing-dad-pleads-guilty
The wife of a man accused in the death of his father has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against her husband. According to the Athens County prosecutor's office, Rhonda Degarmore, 37, pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony counts of theft, receiving stolen property, and obstructing justice.
OHIO (Athens County), The Athens News, November 26, 2013
Elderly pair removed from decrepit garage home, hospitalized
http://www.athensnews.com/ohio/article-41197-elderly-pair-removed-from-garage-home-hospitalized.html
An 88-year-old woman who was hospitalized after being found, suffering from a serious burn, in a garage where she was living with her brother in The Plains Saturday, was reportedly undergoing surgery in a Columbus hospital as of Tuesday morning. Her 73-year-old brother, also found by an Athens County Sheriff's deputy living in the reportedly filthy and unsafe lodgings, which had no plumbing or running water, was taken to O'Bleness Memorial Hospital.
OHIO (The Plains), The Columbus Dispatch, December 1, 2013
Self-neglect by seniors on the rise
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/12/01/self-neglect-by-seniors-on-the-rise.html
The 6,604 reports of elderly self-neglect in the fiscal year ending June 30 were more than double the 3,262 cases of neglect of the elderly by others in the same period, according to state data. Usually, the cases of elderly self-neglect that are reported to the county are not publicized. That is for privacy reasons, said Jack Frech, director of the Athens County Job and Family Services office.
OKLAHOMA, FOX 23, November 27, 2013
Oklahoma nursing homes: allegations of abuse and neglect
FOX23 main anchor Clay Loney spent two months investigating a woman’s allegations of mistreatment involving her 93-year-old mother in a Green Country nursing home. In his series of four special reports, Clay exposes serious concerns about how the Oklahoma State Department of Health handles allegations of patient abuse and neglect.
TENNESSEE (Murfreesboro), 4 HD WSMV, November 27, 2013
Lawyer who stole from dementia patient sentenced
http://www.wsmv.com/story/24086035/lawyer-who-stole-from-dementia-victim-sentenced
A Nashville attorney has been sentenced to an additional eight years in prison for stealing money from the wards he was supposed to protect. An investigation by the Rutherford County Clerk and Master discovered Clemmons had stolen about $120,000 from the ward, Russell Church.
VERMONT (Addison County), Addison County Independent, November 26, 2013
Vermont state police log: caregiver cited for financial exploitation
Trooper Andrew Leise reported a 30-year-old woman of Brandon provided caregiving services to an 84-year-old Addison man for approximately five months. During that time frame she allegedly accessed the man’s credit card and checkbook to make purchases for herself. Police claim that the caregiver took more than $2,500 from the man.
INTERNATIONAL (United Kingdom), The Telegraph, November 28, 2013
Care home workers abused residents ‘for fun’
Three female care home workers have been found guilty of bullying and assaulting elderly residents. The offences spanned from May 2010 to September 2011 and related to eight alleged victims, all aged in their 70s or 80s, with the eldest aged 85.
INTERNATIONAL (United Kingdom), Express, December 2, 2013
Revealed: Scandal of how 1,000 elderly ‘die of thirst in care homes’
Being left without water and becoming severely dehydrated was linked to 1,158 deaths of elderly and vulnerable patients between 2003 and 2012. Last year the Care Quality Commission issued 818 warning notices to adult social care services in England – around two thirds more than the preceding year.
INTERNATIONAL (United Kingdom), Gazette, November 28, 2013
Sharp rise in reports of vulnerable adults at risk
http://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/news/10841548.Sharp_rise_in_reports_of_vulnerable_adults_at__risk/
The number of people reporting concerns about the safety of vulnerable adults in Gloucestershire has risen dramatically in the last year. The number of safeguarding concerns being brought to the attention of Gloucestershire County Council’s Adult Helpdesk has risen by 61 per cent in 2012/13 compared to the previous year.
ABUSE OF ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES
NEW JERSEY (Denville), Daily Record, December 3, 2013
Denville man charged with sexually assaulting disabled woman
http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20131203/NJNEWS/312030031/?nclick_check=1
A 58-year-old Denville man has been charged with sexually abusing a 23-year-old “severely autistic” woman entrusted to his care, according to authorities and a criminal complaint. Raymond Boyle of Riekens Trail was charged Monday with sexual assault and neglect of a disabled person and lodged in the Morris County jail on $35,000 bail, which a corrections officer Tuesday afternoon said Boyle was in the process of making.
RELATED ISSUES
ARIZONA (Cochise County), Arizona Daily Star, November 30, 2013
Missing Cochise County woman who took an SUV has dementia
Deputies are still trying to find an elderly St. David woman with dementia who took an SUV on Sunday. The woman has not driven in about a decade, but she “frequently went to the vehicle and sat inside without attempting to leave the area,” Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, said in a news release.
CALIFORNIA (Los Angeles), Los Angeles Daily News, December 3, 2013
North Hollywood man, 79, with dementia is missing
http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20131203/north-hollywood-man-79-with-dementia-is-missing
Los Angeles police asked for the public’s help Monday to find a missing 79-year-old man with dementia. The man went missing from his home in the 13000 block of Burton Street in North Hollywood about 6 p.m. Friday, police said.
FLORIDA (Flagler County), The Daytona Beach News-Journal, December 2, 2013
Man charged in high-speed chase suffers from dementia
The 70-year-old defendant, who suffers from dementia, will eventually be sent to a crisis-stabilization unit and a Baker Act petition will be filed. The man's ruling came after at least one doctor and a psychologist testified Pinkerton remained incompetent to stand trial.
INTERNATIONAL (British Columbia, Canada), Fox News, November 27, 2013
Murder charge dropped against 95-year-old dementia patient in Canada
Prosecutors in British Columbia have decided not to prosecute a 95-year-old dementia patient with second-degree murder in the death of his roommate at a residential care facility. The province's Criminal Justice Branch announced Wednesday it was not in the public's interest to prosecute John "Jack" Daymouth Furman because of his physical health and advanced dementia.
INTERNATIONAL (Vancouver, Canada), The Columbian, December 4, 2013
Police seek public’s help to find missing Vancouver man
http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/dec/04/police-seek-publics-help-finding-missing-vancouver/
Vancouver police are continuing the search this morning for a vulnerable adult male who has been missing since Tuesday night. Police are searching dumpsters and alleyways for the man who was last seen at his residence in the Vancouver Mall area about 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to Vancouver police and 911 dispatchers.
INTERNATIONAL (Southsea, United Kingdom), Portsmouth News, November 30, 2013
Concern for missing ‘vulnerable’ Southsea man
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/local/concern-for-missing-vulnerable-southsea-man-1-5720212
Police have said they are concerned about the welfare of 33-year-old man of Southsea. He was last seen leaving his home, in Milton Road, at around 7am this morning.
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Funding Opportunities:
- December 17, 2013
- Letters of intent to apply for grants from the VNA Foundation. Grants will support nonprofit organizations for home and community-based health care and health services that focus on the needs of disadvantaged people in the metropolitan Chicago area. The foundation awards program, operating, and capital grants in support of home health-care services, community and school-based services, primary care and chronic disease management, and health promotion.
- For more information contact VNA Foundation, 20 North Wacker Drive, Suite 3118, Chicago, Ill. 60606; (312) 214-1521; http://vnafoundation.net/guidelinesprocedures
- December 22, 2013
- Nominations for the Roth Award from the Mary Byron Project for programs that demonstrate promise in ending the generational cycle of domestic violence. A cash award of $10,000 will be given to a program that focuses on disadvantaged people. Such a program provides services to those who are identified as such based on characteristics that include age, race, ethnicity, gender, faith, disabilities, low socio-economic status, non-English speaking, sexual preference, and victims from suburban areas who traditionally do not know how to avail themselves of services or who are too ashamed to find them.
- Find more information by contacting Kathy Paulin, Mary Byron Project, 10401 Linn Station Road, Louisville, Ky. 40223; (502) 992-3444; kathypaulin@marybyronproject.org; http://marybyronproject.org/index.php/our-work/the-roth-award
- January 10, 2014
- Applications for grants from the Needmor Fund, which support community organizing projects that encourage the efforts of people who are working together for justice and the common good; encourage involvement in community affairs by people whose participation has been systematically denied; and foster the active participation of all citizens in crafting values and policies that are more equitable.
- Contact: Needmor Fund, 42 South Saint Clair Street, Toledo, Ohio 43604; (419) 255-5560; http://www.needmorfund.org/procedures.htm
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Upcoming Elder Abuse Conferences/Training Events (in chronological order):
· The New York City JASA Elder Abuse Training Institute has new training classes for Fall 2013. For more details and registration information click here: http://jasa.org/sites/default/files/NextAct_Catalog_Final_8.9.13.pdf Contact Martha Pollack for further questions: 718-286-1540 or mpollack@jasa.org
· The 2nd Annual National Elder Abuse Symposium, hosted by the California District Attorneys Association, will be held at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Anaheim, California on December 3-6, 2013. Register here: http://www.cdaa.org/training/seminar-conference-registration?regevent_action=register&event_id=154
· The Nebraska State Bar Association – Elder Law Section and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services present Financial Exploitation and Elder Rights Issues live Via Web Streaming from Lincoln to 13 Locations Statewide or your desktop computer, December 17, 2013 from 8:45am to 5:00 pm (CST). Topics include Guardianships & Conservatorships, Identity Theft and Scams Update, Low Cost Legal Services in Nebraska, End of Life Issues, Legal and Psychological Elements in Undue Influence, Special Needs Trusts, and Ethics in Representing Elderly Clients. To register, please send an email here emily.hroch@nebraska.gov saying Attn: Emily Hroch.
· The 3rd World Congress on Adult Guardianship will be convened on May 28-30, 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
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
Program in Geriatrics
101 The City Drive South
Orange, CA 92868
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