Newsfeed – Friday, February 14, 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, Cincinnati, February 11, 2014
Help loved ones avoid being financial victims
One in five seniors falls victim to financial exploitation every year, the article states, with research indicating the incidence is increasing annually and currently believed to be a $2.9 billion issue. To help and protect our elders, it is important to talk with them about the methods and risks of financial exploitation, and be alert for the following signs.
CALIFORNIA, Anchorage Daily News, February 12, 2014
Ex-lawyer sentenced to more than 5 years in federal elder fraud case
http://www.adn.com/2014/02/12/3322580/ex-lawyer-sentenced-to-more-than.html
A disbarred lawyer who stole more than $1 million from an elderly Anchorage widow was sentenced to more than five years in prison Tuesday. The man, California resident Philip Eric Myers, 61, worked with the victim's nurse, 54-year-old Brian Ben-Israel, to steal millions of dollars from her estate from 2007 to 2009.
CALIFORNIA (Cathedral City), My Desert, February 11, 2014
Palm Springs couple arrested in connection to David Zuniga killing
A man and woman have been arrested in the January homicide of a 78-year-old man. Police said they believe that Nista contacted Zuniga on Jan. 9 with the intent of robbing him. “Zuniga met up with Nista, and then drove him back to his residence,” according to Detective Sgt. Paul Herrera. “Nista, who knew the victim was an elder adult, severely assaulted Zuniga in commission of the robbery, which led to his death.”
CALIFORNIA (Fontana), Fontana Herald News, February 10, 2014
Fontana woman is arrested on an elder abuse charge
http://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/articles/2014/02/10/news/doc52f93e6fc3a67044802175.txt
A Fontana woman was arrested on an elder abuse charge on Feb. 6, according to the Fontana Police Department. At about 2:47 p.m., officers responded to the 16000 block of Merrill Avenue for a report of a critical missing adult. The reporting party indicated that she left her 72-year-old mother who suffers from Alzheimer's disease unattended.
IOWA, Des Moines Register, February 12, 2014
Abuse of elderly Iowans is focus of bill clearing Iowa Senate panel
Abuse of elderly Iowans would be broadly addressed for the first time under state law through legislation that cleared an Iowa Senate subcommittee on Wednesday. Iowa law currently covers situations involving abuse of dependent persons, but Senate File 2117 would specifically focus on elder abuse, said Sen. Mary Jo Wilhelm , D-Cresco, who chaired the subcommittee.
KANSAS, The Topeka Capital-Journal: Cjonline, February 12, 2014
Senate bills strike a blow against elder abuse
http://cjonline.com/news/education/2014-02-12/senate-bills-strike-blow-against-elder-abuse
State and local prosecutors joined with advocacy groups Wednesday to tout legislation aimed at strengthening the state's ability to respond to mistreatment of elderly Kansans. The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 354, which would broaden Kansas law to allow for prosecution of offenses against an "elder person," as well as the current standard of dependent adult.
NEW YORK (Medford), Attorney General New York, February 11, 2014
A.G. Schneiderman announces arrest of Suffolk County nursing home employees and lawsuit against the home’s owners alleging pattern of neglect
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the arrests of nine employees of the Medford Multicare Center for Living, Inc. in Medford, New York. Seven of the arrests are in connection with the 2012 death of a 72-year-old resident who was at the facility for what was supposed to be temporary rehabilitation. The corporation operating the home and the facility’s top administrator were also charged with trying to cover up the circumstances surrounding the death.
SOUTH CAROLINA, Metropolitan News-Enterprise, February 13, 2014
S.C. will not revive multimillion dollar award in nursing home fall
http://www.metnews.com/articles/2014/conf021314.htm
The state Supreme Court has declined to review a ruling by this district’s Court of Appeal, ordering a new trial in the case of an elderly man awarded more than $4 million in damages and attorney fees as a result of a fall at a nursing home. The panel, however, upheld the jury’s findings that the defendants violated Samuel Navarrez’s rights under the Patient’s Bill of Rights by inadequately staffing the facility and by failing to offer restraints to keep him from falling, a violation of the statutory duty to provide material information to patients.
ABUSE OF ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES
MASSACHUSETTS (Watertown), February 12, 2014
Agency fighting uphill battle against abuse of disabled adults
While reports of abuse against disabled adults have increased by nearly 20 percent since 2009, the agency charged with safeguarding those individuals from harm has seen its staffing reduced and it would fall further under the governor's budget recommendation. The independent agency investigates crimes against people with disabilities who are between the ages of 18 and 59, maintaining a 24-hour hotline. In fiscal year 2013, the agency received 7,986 abuse reports, up from 6,722 reports in fiscal year 2009.
SOUTH CAROLINA (Rowesville), The Times and Democrat, February 12, 2014
Police: man abused special needs adult
A caregiver has been charged with assaulting a special needs adult with a belt at an Orangeburg community training home. The relatives said they were informed by facility nurses the 61-year-old man had suffered some bruising on his thigh and upper back, according to a report.
INTERNATIONAL (United Kingdom), ITV, February 12, 2014
Care home manager jailed for fraud
http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/update/2014-02-12/care-home-manager-jailed-for-fraud/
A former deputy manager of a Sheffield care home for adults with learning disabilities has been jailed for defrauding more than 20 residents of thousands of pounds. During an audit ordered by the Learning Disabilities Directorate within Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust, it emerged that money was missing and unaccounted for, and it became apparent that Nichols was responsible.
INTERNATIONAL (United Kingdom), Mirror, February 13, 2014
Care home ‘hired convicted killer’ who went on to abuse psychiatric patients
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/alison-richardson-care-home-hired-3138921
A furious judge demanded to know why a hospital hired a convicted killer who went on to abuse psychiatric patients. Alison Richardson, 46 – who stabbed her ex-partner to death – jammed a bin on a patient’s head and put her hands around her throat.
RELATED ISSUES
KANSAS, Hays Post, February 13, 2014
KDADS developing online ‘report card’ for nursing home quality
http://www.hayspost.com/2014/02/13/kdads-developing-online-report-card-for-nursing-home-quality/
State officials say they’re close to launching a website for helping Kansans figure out which nursing home offers the highest quality care in their communities. The new program, called Kansas Nursing Home Report Card, will assign each of the state’s 330 nursing homes a series of one-to-five ratings based on licensure inspections, quality indicators, staffing data, and resident satisfaction surveys.
MASSACHUSETTS (Boston), The Boston Globe, February 13, 2014
Regulators define rules for care of dementia patients
Workers in nursing home dementia care units will have to receive eight hours of initial training and four additional hours annually, under final rules state regulators adopted Wednesday. The rules close a loophole that had allowed nursing homes to advertise dementia units without any specific training for their workers, specialized activities for residents, or safety measures in place, such as high fences, to prevent residents from wandering.
WASHINGTON (Okanogan County), Gazette-Tribune, February 12, 2014
Social Security fraud investigation leads to father’s grave
The investigation of a possible Social Security fraud by an Oroville area man led to the discovery of his father’s dead body buried 16 miles northeast of Ellisforde. Sheriff Frank Rogers said that "During one of their investigations they had received information that a subject living in Okanogan County had been taking his father’s Social Security funds, after the father had killed himself and the son had buried him on their property,” Sheriff Rogers wrote in a press release on Monday.
INTERNATIONAL, McKnight’s, February 12, 2014
30% of nursing home residents with dementia are undernourished, new global report states
People with dementia commonly are undernourished, and long-term care providers should take steps to evaluate these residents' eating habits and maximize nutrition, according to a new report from Alzheimer's Disease International. It affects up to 30% of residents in long-term care facilities, and that number likely is higher in developing countries with high poverty rates and food insecurity, the investigators found.
INTERNATIONAL (Charlottetown, Canada), The Guardian, February 12, 2014
Walk in Silence draws largest crowd ever into streets of Charlottetown
Philip Smith, chair of the Premier's Action Committee on Family Violence, says the walk is a time to give voice to the individual people, victims and survivors who are behind the statistics. "It's a time to draw strength from our shared commitments to building families and communities committed to care, respect, and dignity in equitable relationships. And, our walk is a time of hope for the change our work will surely bring'' Smith says.
INTERNATIONAL (United Kingdom), Nursing Times, February 13, 2014
Care homes found wanting in pain management for dementia
Unqualified care workers are routinely assessing pain in patients with dementia in nearly half of independent care homes, indicates a survey carried out by Napp Pharmaceuticals. Commenting on the findings, Alzheimer’s Society chief executive Jeremy Hughes said: “People with dementia can struggle to communicate and may find it difficult to express that they’re in pain."
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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=
· The Arc’s National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability is holding its second webinar featuring Dr. Nora Baladerian’s presentation, “Crime Victims with Disabilities: An Overview for Professionals in the Criminal Justice System” on February 27th at 12:30 CST, 1:30 EST. This comprehensive webinar will present an overview of the issues surrounding victimization of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), and where various professionals fit into the solution. Contact NCCJDInfo@thearc.org with any questions. To register please use the following link: https://thearc.webex.com/thearc/k2/j.php?MTID=tcac50d94749c6b73e527d08cc6459376
· Aging in America 2014 Conference by the American Society on Aging (March 11-15, 2014) presents the National Forum on Elder Justice Thursday, March 13th from 1:00pm-5:00pm PST. The program will examine elder justice from a multidisciplinary perspective, looking at everything from research and practice to policy and the impact of elder abuse on diverse populations. Pre-registration is required. Find more information here: http://www.asaging.org/national-forum-elder-abuse
· 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
· 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
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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