ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Financial elder abuse – A documentary film maker is trying to shed light on the problem of financial elder abuse. Her personal experience with financial elder abuse involving her father is what is motivating the effort. Her father had Alzheimer’s disease and was living at a nursing home; then her mother died. Her brother contacted the nursing home to inform them that he would be handling his father’s financial affairs. A representative of the nursing home told the brother that his other brother was already doing that. The problem was that there was no other brother and his father had become a victim of financial elder abuse. A stranger had become friends with his father and gained access to his finances, then stolen all his money. Financial elder abuse attorneys warn the public that predators are intent on exploiting senior citizens.
The victim’s daughter produced a documentary film titled Last Will and Embezzlement, which highlights the issue of financial elder abuse. The film maker said that she made the film to raise awareness regarding financial elder abuse and to try to help prevent the problem.
According to the Institute on Gerontology, one out of every twenty senior citizens will become victims of financial elder abuse. The Institute on Gerontology is in the process of developing as assessment to help determine whether a senior is at risk of becoming a victim of financial elder abuse. The assessment would be used by professionals who work with senior citizens, such as law enforcement officials, attorneys, and people working at financial institutions. Financial elder abuse attorneys say that any help in combating the problem of financial elder abuse would be welcomed.
Ensuring that senior citizens are protected against elder abuse can be difficult for several reasons. One reason is that seniors are embarrassed that they have been taken advantage of. Also, there is a fine line between helping a senior citizen and threatening their independence. Abusers can be family members or strangers. Financial elder abuse attorneys say that the highest risk group are women ages 80-89 that are living alone, isolated from children, and physically or mentally challenged.
Evans Law Firm, Inc. handles elder abuse, financial elder abuse, physical elder abuse, annuity fraud, consumer fraud class actions, insurance and banking fraud cases. If you think that you have witnessed or are the victim of elder abuse, or financial fraud then contact Evans Law Firm, Inc. at 415-441-8669 for a free and confidential consultation, or email us at info@evanslaw.com
