Lots of changes happening at the state level. Our state government expanded the definition of financial exploitation of the elderly which was a good start. Training for individuals in the financial institutions, family members and facilities is paramount to preventing the exploitation of our senior citizens. It is very unfortunate when exploitation occurs and the ramifications for the senior involved is wide spread. This past week a news paper had a story where a gentleman was robbed of over 2 million dollars by a woman who promised marriage and companionship. Although the courts said she will pay the money back the reality is that probably will not happen as scamming elderly men was how she made her living. Keeping in contact and having frank discussions about financial matters with loved ones is the most effective means of protection against financial exploitation from crooks.

My a year goes by pretty fast. There have been multiple changes to state resources and staff reassignments. We continue to have the 1-800 number for the complaint resolution hot line and for individuals to report abuse. This year appears to be gearing up to spotlight financial exploitation of seniors and what it looks like. Please return to this blog for additional information. Changes have settled down for the time being so hopefully posts will be more regular and timely.

Exploitation

What does exploitation mean? According to the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) exploitation is defined as: an act of forcing, compelling or exerting undue influence over a resident causing the resident to act in a way that is inconsistent with relevant past behavior or causing the resident to perform services for the benefit of another (not their usual behavior). Because our elderly are often lonely or isolated due to inability to get out anyone extending a friendly hand is often welcomed. To help an elderly person not be a victim of exploitation when asking how they are doing be specific. Ask them how they are getting their groceries, assist them to utilize community available transport or locate grocery stores that offer a delivery service. When there is a scam reported in the news let the elderly people in your life know about the scam and how to protect themselves. The most important safeguard is to have frequent contact and if possible visit often. If you believe someone has been the victim of exploitation call the complaint resolution unit or Adult protective services for your area.

Elder abuse

Abuse comes in all forms. This past week I learned of an elderly lady who was financially exploited by the caregivers she hired. She was progressing rapidly in her dementia and the caregivers were writing out checks to themselves forging her name. A bank teller picked up on something was not right; however this happened after several thousand dollars were taken.

One of the recommendations for aging deliberately is for all individuals who reach retirement age or before, decide how they wish their estate to be handled and make arrangements with someone they trust to follow their wishes. If there is no family there are means of setting up accounts at banks or through an attorney to establish a plan for one's estate.