NCEA Newsfeed 4-30-13

NCEA Newsfeed – Monday, April 30, 2013 – 46 days until World Elder Abuse Awareness Day!

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!

 

Learn what the Administration on Aging is planning for the Year of Elder Abuse Prevention!

http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/AoA_Programs/Elder_Rights/YEAP/index.aspx

  

Did you know? A calendar of upcoming elder abuse and neglect events and funding opportunities can be found at the bottom of the newsfeed.

 

ELDER ABUSE NEWSFEED

 

1.         NATIONAL, PsychCentral, April 26, 2013
Beware of Financial Abuse of Psychologically Vulnerable Seniors
http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/04/26/beware-of-financial-abuse-among-elders-with-psychological-vulnerability/54125.html
A new study advises clinical gerontologists to be aware that psychologically vulnerable seniors are at risk of financial exploitation. Researchers at Wayne State University, in collaboration with Illinois Institute of Technology, discovered financial exploitation of the elderly is on the rise. This exploitation, which includes telemarketing scams, fake home repairs, fake check scams, identity theft and more, costs approximately $3 billion each year.

 

2.         CALIFORNIA (Los Gatos), Los Gatos Patch, April 28, 2013
Man Arrested in Los Gatos on Suspicion of Elder Abuse
http://losgatos.patch.com/articles/man-arrested-in-los-gatos-on-suspicion-of-elder-abuse
A suspect was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of elder mistreatment, a court order violation, prohibiting use of a phone line, destruction of a phone line and willful obstruction or resisting arrest, according to a police report.

 

3.         CALIFORNIA (Novato), Novato Patch, April 26, 2013
Man Arrested on Suspicion of Robbery, Vehicle Theft and Elder Abuse
http://novato.patch.com/articles/man-arrested-on-suspicion-of-robbery-vehicle-theft-and-elder-abuse
A 21-year-old Novato resident was arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of robbery, vehicle theft and elder abuse—after the victim went to the police station to report him. The victim, a 65-year-old woman whose name was withheld, went to the Novato Police Department to report that the suspect—who lived with her—had assaulted, threatened and demanded money, said Novato police Sgt. Sasha D'Amico.

 

4.         CALIFORNIA (Placerville), Sacramento Bee, April 28, 2013
Trial date set for nurse accused of elder abuse
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/27/5375994/trial-date-set-for-nurse-accused.html
The former head nurse at a Placerville nursing home will stand trial on charges of felony elder abuse after a judge Friday rejected a defense motion to dismiss the case.

 

5.         CALIFORNIA (San Diego), Lemon Grove Patch, April 26, 2013
Couple Charged with Bilking $1.9 Million from Seniors
http://lemongrove.patch.com/articles/couple-charged-with-bilking-1-9-million-from-seniors
A husband and wife accused of bilking $1.9 million from hundreds of San Diego County senior citizens with a phony insurance scam will face 11 felony counts. The San Diego District Attorney announced that the couple have been charged with burglary, grand theft, theft from an elder, tax evasion and other charges for their alleged involvement in selling fake “in-home service agreements” to victims. If convicted, they face up to 16 years in prison.

 

6.         CALIFORNIA (San Francisco), San Francisco Gate, April 24, 2013
SF ‘blessings’ scam trial wrapping up
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/SF-blessings-scam-trial-wrapping-up-4460981.php
Four people accused of cheating elderly, Cantonese-speaking women out of their cash and jewelry were well-rehearsed con artists who told the women their sons would die if they didn't hand over their valuables for "blessings," San Francisco prosecutors said Wednesday. The defendants' attorneys, however, said the four had been forced to commit their crimes because they owed money back home in China.

 

7.         FLORIDA (Miami), Miami Herald, April 25, 2013
Elderly, disabled targets for more abuse
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/04/25/3364885/elderly-disabled-targets-for-more.html
If the Legislature fails again to enact laws to protect people who are at the mercy of neglectful ALFs and nursing homes, state administrators will have to step up enforcement and punishment as the Agency for Health Care Administration did this month.

 

8.         GEORGIA (Albany), My Southwest Georgia, April 26, 2013
Caregiver indicted for elder abuse and debit card fraud
http://www.mysouthwestga.com/news/story.aspx?id=890492#.UX8OQaL5XTo
A grand jury has indicted a woman suspected of taking more than $7,500 from her elderly patient. She is believed to have stolen her patient’s debit card to withdraw cash. Police say on average she would take $2 to $300 out at a time several times a day.

 

9.         GEORGIA (Chatham County), East Idaho News, April 26, 2013
Country Singer Billy Currington Charged with Elder Abuse
http://www.eastidahonews.com/2013/04/country-singer-billy-currington-charged-with-elder-abuse/
Country singer Billy Currington was indicted this week on felony charges of making terroristic threats and abuse of an elderly person, according to court records. The 39-year-old The “People Are Crazy” star allegedly screamed at a man named Charles Harvey Ferrelle who was passing by his property, doing a tour on his charter boat with two passengers April 15, according to a police report. Currington then allegedly got in his own boat with a camera and followed Ferrelle before cursing at and threatening him.

 

10.       GEORGIA (Chatham County), Freep, April 26, 2013
Billy Currington booked on elder abuse charges
http://www.freep.com/usatoday/article/2115011
Country singer Billy Currington, 39, turned himself in to Savannah authorities Thursday afternoon at the county jail, where he was booked on charges of making terroristic threats and abuse of an elderly person.

 

11.       GEORGIA (Gwinnet County), My Fox Atlanta, April 25, 2013
Caregiver accused of shackling woman to bed
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/22082308/caregiver-accused-of-tying-up-63-year-old-woman
Authorities in Gwinnett County have arrested a caregiver for allegedly shackling an elderly woman to a table. FOX 5 News has learned that the woman was also arrested in DeKalb County earlier this month along with her mother for running an unlicensed personal care home. The suspect was arrested this week in Gwinnett County for False Imprisonment and Cruelty to a Person 65 and over after an exterminator found the victim on the floor of a sunroom inside a one-bedroom apartment at the Preston Lake Apartments in Tucker.  The exterminator called 911 to report what he saw.

 

12.       GEORGIA (Gwinnet County), WSBTV, April 25, 2013
Caregiver accused of cuffing, shackling mentally disabled patient
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/caregiver-accused-cuffing-shackling-mentally-disab/nXXxk/
Gwinnett County police have arrested a caregiver who they said shackled one of her residents to a table and cuffed her hands.  Investigators said an exterminator was servicing units at the Lakeview Apartments when the worker walked into a unit and found a woman on the ground, shackled to furniture.

 

13.       ILLINOIS (Dupage County), Elmhurst Patch, April 26, 2013
Bond Set for Caretaker Charged with Financial Exploitation of the Elderly
http://elmhurst.patch.com/articles/bond-set-for-caretaker-charged-with-financial-exploitation-of-the-elderly
Bond has been set for a Villa Park man charged with stealing more than $45,000 from an elderly woman for whom he provided in-house care, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.

 

14.       INDIANA (Muncie), The Star Press, April 26, 2013
Police: Driver pins accident on man with dementia
http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20130427/BUSTED/304270004
City police say a Muncie man who fled the scene of a car accident tried to pin the collision on a man left in his care who has dementia. The suspect is preliminarily charged with neglect of a dependent and leaving the scene of an accident.

 

15.       IOWA (Davenport), Des Moines Register, April 26, 2013
Bunkhouse caretaker denies abuse of disabled workers
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20130426/NEWS/304250127/1039/LIFE/?odyssey=nav%7Chead
One of the bunkhouse caretakers for Henry’s Turkey Service denied allegations Thursday that he physically abused the company’s mentally disabled employees.

 

16.       MICHIGAN (Detroit), United Press International, April 27, 2013
Study: Depressed, lonely elderly most apt to be defrauded
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2013/04/27/Study-Depressed-lonely-elderly-most-apt-to-be-defrauded/UPI-54821367102109/
Elder exploitation -- such as telemarketing scams, fake home repairs, check scams and identity theft -- costs U.S. seniors $3 billion a year, researchers say. The study, published in Clinical Gerontologist, found the most psychologically vulnerable -- with the highest levels of depression and lowest levels of social-needs fulfillment -- experienced higher levels of fraud compared to those who were not vulnerable psychologically.

 

17.       MINNESOTA (Bloomington), Post Bulletin, April 26, 2013
Bloomington woman accused of financially exploiting grandmother
http://www.postbulletin.com/news/crime/bloomington-woman-accused-of-financially-exploiting-grandmother/article_cf00fc55-b9c1-50a7-8605-0d9add16a01a.html
A Bloomington woman has been charged with financial exploitation after officials believe she used her grandmother's money for her own benefit. The suspect faces three counts of financial exploitation-vulnerable adult. Two are felonies; the other is a misdemeanor.

 

18.       NEVADA (Las Vegas), Press-Enterprise, April 26, 2013
ELDER SCAM: Hunt for Inland victims of bogus senior service contracts
http://www.pe.com/business/business-headlines/20130426-elder-scam-hunt-for-inland-victims-of-bogus-senior-service-contracts.ece
A couple was arrested at their Las Vegas home on April 10, were arraigned Friday, April 26, on 11 felony charges for their roles in a business that scammed hundreds of San Diego senior citizens out of $1.9 million, officials said. Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said investigators believe that there may be additional victims in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties.

 

19.       OHIO (Madison County), Madison-Press.com, April 29, 2013
Watch for signs of elder abuse
http://www.madison-press.com/2013/04/watch-signs-elder-abuse/
Because it does at all ages, senior citizens on Tuesday heard a professional talk about what constitutes abuse and what doesn’t. Tammy Collette, a social worker with Job and Family Services in the Adult Protective Services (ADS) department, spoke to a handful of senior citizens at the senior center about abuse of senior citizens. She said it “waxes and wanes” in Madison County.

 

20.       OKLAHOMA (Oklahoma City), KFOR, April 29, 2013
Nursing home camera bill on way to Gov. Fallin’s desk
http://kfor.com/2013/04/29/nursing-home-camera-bill-on-way-to-gov-fallins-desk/
Nursing home abuse is a crime that shocks and horrifies everyone who sees it or is connected to it through a loved one. Monday a new law was passed designed to combat that crime. The “Protect Our Loved Ones Act” is designed to give families peace of mind by allowing them to install cameras inside their loved ones nursing home rooms.

 

21.       PENNSYLVANIA (Harrisburg), TribLive News, April 28, 2013
Elder law task force to step up guidelines
http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/3916984-74/elder-abuse-force#axzz2RtwqTJgV
As more Americans worry about financial abuse of seniors, Pennsylvania's new task force on elder law is stepping up. The group expects to outline recommendations next year that could make it harder for thieves to prey on older people and drain their bank accounts, its chairperson said. The practice of senior guardianship is “ripe for abuse,” said state Supreme Court Justice Debra Todd, who chairs the court's Elder Law Task Force.

 

22.       VIRGINIA (Shenandoah Valley), NBC 29, April 29, 2013
Conference on Elder Abuse Held at Blue Ridge Community College
http://www.nbc29.com/story/22109376/conference-on-elder-abuse-held-at-blue-ridge-community-college
Police, prosecutors, and caregivers in the Shenandoah Valley are better prepared to put people who abuse seniors behind bars.  A day-long conference on identifying and investigating elder abuse took place Monday at Blue Ridge Community College.

 

23.       INTERNATIONAL (Thunder Bay, Canada), Chronicle Journal, April 28, 2013
Elder abuse DVD launched
http://www.chroniclejournal.com/content/news/local/2013/04/28/elder-abuse-dvd-launched
The Thunder Bay Police worked to create a DVD in both English and Oji-Cree in an effort to communicate with the aging aboriginal community about recognizing elder abuse and where they can go for help and assistance.

 

24.       INTERNATIONAL (Tauranga, New Zealand), Sun Live, April 30, 2013
Elderly cautioned over scams
http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/42808-elderly-cautioned-over-scams.html
Tauranga’s elderly residents are being urged to be vigilant as a number of scam letters offering money circulate in the community. The letters, claiming recipients are entitled to substantial amounts of money from overseas countries, have been arriving in residents’ letterboxes lately.

 

25.       INTERNATIONAL (Wellington, New Zealand), Stuff.co.nz, April 28, 2013
Appalling plight of elderly revealed
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8606036/Appalling-plight-of-elderly-revealed
Horror stories persist in the rest home sector, a year on from a report into the shocking conditions at a dementia unit. Age Concern receives numerous complaints, with food being a major issue.

 

 

ABUSE OF ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES

 

1.         MINNESOTA (Austin), Austin Daily Herald, April 26, 2013
Tenant denies neglecting vulnerable adults
http://www.austindailyherald.com/2013/04/26/tenant-denies-neglecting-vulnerable-adults/
An Austin woman accused of abandoning two vulnerable adults she was watching pleaded not guilty to all charges in Mower County Court. The suspect, 32, pleaded not guilty Thursday to two felony and two gross misdemeanor charges of criminal neglect of a vulnerable adult....

 

2.         WASHINGTON (King County), Seattle PI, April 25, 2013
Charge: Library janitor molested disabled man
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Charge-Library-janitor-molested-disabled-man-4464702.php
A janitor at the Vashon Island library has been charged with sexual assault, accused of groping a developmentally disabled man after luring him inside the building.

 

3.         INTERNATIONAL (Barrhead, United Kingdom), Barrhead News, April 27, 2013
Teaming up to protect adults
http://www.barrheadnews.com/news/roundup/articles/2013/04/27/454762-teaming-up-to-protect-adults/
To protect vulnerable adults in Barrhead, East Renfrewshire Community Health and Care Partnership and East Renfrewshire Adult Protection Committee has teamed up with the council's trading standards team, and local community police to help keep people safe from financial harm.

 

 

RELATED ISSUES

 

1.         CALIFORNIA (Fremont), Mercury News, April 26, 2013
Fremont: Missing man with dementia found
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_23117616/fremont-missing-man-dementia-found
An elderly Fremont man with dementia who was missing Thursday was found Friday morning at a South Bay hospital, a Fremont police investigator said.

 

2.         CALIFORNIA (Stockton), Recordnet.com, April 27, 2013
Man sought in Silver Alert found safe
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130427/A_NEWS/130429882
A man was reported missing in Stockton earlier today has been found safe in Ventura, police said. Authorities issued a Silver Alert shortly after 6 p.m. for Paul Laforest, a 67-year-old man with dementia who left home at 11:45 a.m. today in a white 2004 Honda Accord. Police announced shortly after 7:30 p.m. that Laforest had been located.

 

3.         MINNESOTA (Duluth), Grand Forks Herald, April 27, 2013
Woman with dementia found by rescue squad
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/262310/group/homepage/
A 68-year-old rural Duluth woman suffering from dementia was located -- hypothermic but alive -- by the St. Louis County Rescue Squad on Saturday after she went missing for several hours.

 

4.         INTERNATIONAL (Chichester, United Kingdom), Chichester Observer, April 28, 2013
Locator helps save woman lost on walk
http://www.chichester.co.uk/news/features/latest/locator-helps-save-woman-lost-on-walk-1-5037068
A locator called Mindme, which is monitored by Chichester Careline, the only centre in the country to use the device, helped Bernard Stoneham to track down his wife Gill (who has dementia) when she got lost out walking their dog.

 

 

 

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Funding Opportunities:

  • May 1, 2013
    • Grants of up to $25,000 each from the Newman’s Own Award program, sponsored by the Fisher House Foundation, Military Times, and Newman’s Own. Grants will support the most creative programs that improve the lives of families with active members of the military or veterans. Who may apply: organizations classified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that comprise mainly volunteers and improve the quality of life for families with members of the military who are active duty, reserve, guard, or veterans
    • Contact: Fisher House Foundation, 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420, Rockville, Md. 20850; (301) 294-8560
    • For more information: http://www.fisherhouse.org/programs/newmans-own-award/newmans-own-award
  • May 1, 2013
    • The Ben & Jerry’s Foundation offers competitive grants to nonprofit, grass-roots community organizing groups throughout the United States. Grants of up to $20,000 each will support organizations working to bring about progressive social change by focusing on the underlying conditions of societal and environmental problems through constituent-led organizing and activist strategies. Who may apply: organizations classified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code with budgets under $500,000. Applicants with fiscal agents that have tax-exempt status are also eligible.
    • Contact: Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT, 05403; (802) 846-1500
    • For more information: http://www.benandjerrysfoundation.org/the-grassroots-organizing-for-social-change-program.html#
  • May 1, 2013
    • The American Bar Association has announced a further round of grants to be made in 2013 that will promote and support innovation in the delivery of civil legal aid.  These grants will go to the state Access to Justice Commissions.  The grants will fund projects in seven critical areas of innovation: expanding limited scope representation and other models for affordable services; improving language access and eliminating implicit cultural bias; employing public libraries as point of access for legal aid; enhancing fundraising outside the legal community; creating partnerships with health care and social services providers, government agencies and other new partners; preserving access for low-income people as courts implement e-filing; and increasing web-based delivery of pro bono services for self-represented litigants.  Eligible entities are state Access to Justice Commissions, which are formal entities that bring together the highest level of the state's courts, organized bar, and other stakeholders to support the expansion of access to civil justice for low income and disadvantaged people.  Applications for Grants to Promote the Creation of new Access to Justice Commissions are due by February 15, 2013; applications for Innovation Grants are due on May 1, 2013.
    • Information: www.ATJsupport.org under “grants.” For additional information contact Bob Echols, State Support Consultant, ABA Resource Center for Access to Justice Initiatives, Robert.Echols@comcast.net
  • May 2, 2013
    • Pre-applicants for grants from the Impact Fund for nonprofit legal firms, private attorneys, or small law firms that advance social justice in the areas of civil and human rights, environmental justice, or poverty law. Grants of up to $25,000 each will support public-interest litigation that will potentially benefit a large number of people, lead to significant law reform, or raise public consciousness. Grants will not support general program costs, overhead, attorney fees, or international claims.
    • Contact: Impact Fund, 125 University Avenue, Suite 102, Berkeley, Calif., 94710; (510) 845-3473
    • For more information: http://www.impactfund.org/index.php?cat_id=71
  • May 15, 2013
    • Kendal Charitable Funds (KCF) is seeking proposals for promising innovations that will transform the experience of aging.  We are interested in ideas that can enhance the lives of an aging population, whether through services, research, and/or developing new understandings and awareness of the issue and opportunities.  We are looking for pilot projects that address one or more of these criteria.  We will give priority to opportunities that have the greatest potential for change and replication, for the greatest number of individuals. 
    • The proposed project must address one or more non-institutionalized populations, focusing on the following topic:
      • Elder Abuse: Identification and/or Prevention of one or more of the following
        • Financial
        • Physical
        • Emotional
        • Sexual 
    • For more information: www.kendalcharitablefunds.org
  • May 20, 2013
    • The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is pleased to announce that it is seeking applications for research and evaluation relating to abuse, neglect, and exploitation of elderly individuals and residents of residential care facilities. This research furthers the Department’s mission by sponsoring research to provide objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of crime and justice, particularly at the State and local levels.
    • For more information: https://ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/sl001043.pdf

 

 

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

·       The 6th Annual Forensic Investigations Conference to be held from May 15-17, 2013 at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Seminars will focus on a broad array of emerging forensic practices, in sexual assault, interpersonal violence, child and elder abuse in both an urban and rural environment. For more information https://www.saintlukeshealthsystem.org/event/forensic-conference-1

·       The 16th Annual Kern County Elder Abuse Prevention Conference will be themed “Self Neglect Topics: Hoarding & Grief, Loss, and Trauma.” The conference will take place on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at Hodel’s Country Dining. For more information: http://www.co.kern.ca.us/aas/pdf/elder-abuse-conf-2013.pdf.

·       Registration is now open for the free webinar, “Improving Care by Strengthening the Workforce: Why Immigration Reform Is Important to Home Care Consumers,” which will take place on May 23, 2013. The webinar is hosted by The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care.
For more information: https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/registrations/new?cid=ltdf3j9ufygs

·       The National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP) Annual Training Conference 2013 will take place at the Westin San Diego in San Diego, California and will feature a keynote on Elder Abuse. The conference will take place from May 29-31, 2013. For more info: http://www.nanasp.org/upcomingconferences.html

 ·       The Virginia Coalition for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (VCPEA) will hold its 19th annual conference in Virginia Beach at the Virginia Beach Resort and Conference Center on May 29-31, 2013. Conference information was been posted on the VCPEA website at http://www.vcpe