ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Caregivers And Others Prey On Lonely Widows and Widowers
Isolation Presents the Biggest Risk of Abuse
Support Groups, Family, and Friends Can Protect Seniors
Nearly 29% of America’s senior population of 46 million people live alone. That’s over 13 million of us. Seventy percent of that number, over 10 million, are older women living alone. Senior women living alone are the largest segment of our older population and the group most vulnerable to all forms of elder abuse, including financial elder abuse. The San Francisco elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. see how devastating elder abuse of any kind and particularly financial elder abuse and theft from seniors (women and men) can be. We represent victims and their families against all persons responsible for injuries to elder persons. If you or someone you know is a victim of financial elder abuse here in San Francisco or elsewhere in California, call us today at 415-441-8669, and we can help.
Conventional wisdom says that seniors are more vulnerable to financial elder abuse due to cognitive impairment. Newer studies indicate, however, that reduced cognitive ability may not be the primary explanation; younger adults functioning at high levels also fall prey to scama or fraud. Studies also show that older people with no signs of cognitive impairment are increasingly victims of financial abuse and fraud. The one factor that seems consistent among fraud and financial abuse victims, regardless of gender, age or cognitive ability, is social isolation. In particular these persons do not discuss their financial decisions with others or, perhaps, only with the person poised to exploit them.
This doesn’t have to happen. Older persons need to stay connected to family and friends and social support networks, like their church, synagogue, or community center. Another real help for isolated older persons is to cultivate a team of at least four trusted people who can be consulted before all significant decisions. Above all, seniors should avoid making decisions in isolation. That’s where families and friends should help and see that their senior loved one maintains active connections in the world and has people to talk to. It’s likely there will come a time when someone will have to help us with our finances too. In all the research about financial elder abuse and fraud the one consistent preventative measure is to have a support group as you age.
Contact Us
If you have already been the victim of any kind of financial elder abuse, we can help. Our lawyers handle elder abuse cases of all varieties and know the remedies, extra damages, and awards of attorneys’ fees and costs to which you or your victimized loved ones are entitled. If you or a loved one been the victim of elder abuse in San Francisco or elsewhere in California, contact Ingrid M. Evans and the other Evans Law Firm elder abuse attorneys at (415) 441-8669, or by email at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>. We can help guide your case through investigation, discovery, through a jury trial or toward an equitable settlement. We handle cases involving physical and financial elder abuse, qui tam and whistleblower law, nursing home abuse, whole life insurance and universal life insurance, and indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.
