Curbing elder abuse mission of Adult Protection Team

by Carol Crump
Sunday, February 7, 2010 6:29 AM MST

Sometimes people just need to know it’s not OK. Getting out the information about what may or may not be elder abuse is the mission of the Natrona County Adult Protection Team. “We want seniors to be able to know what’s going on and reach out for help,” said Terry Bay, president of Senior Patient Advocates.

As the Baby Boomer generation n those born between 1946 and 1964 n reaches retirement age, the number of Americans over age 65 is expected to reach 71.5 million by 2030. According to the Wyoming Department of Health, by 2020 the Cowboy State will rank highest in the U.S. in the proportion of people aged 65-74, be third nationally in the 75-84 age range and fifth in those older than 85.

Some of those most senior Wyoming citizens will suffer from abuse, neglect, abandonment or exploitation. According to the Department of Family Services, there were 305 reported cases of abuse in Natrona County in 2009. Every report of abuse is screened by Adult Protective Services to determine whether the allegations meet the statutory definitions for abuse and for risk factors. Every case may not be a crime, but all states deem physical, sexual and financial abuse as criminal acts. Last year in Natrona County, 101 cases warranted some form of prevention intervention.

In most cases, people don’t start out intending to take advantage of or abuse the older people they care for. Caring for frail elders is a difficult and stress-provoking task, especially when the older individual is mentally or physically impaired. More than two-thirds of the abusers are family members serving in a care giver role, according to information from the Web site www.elderabusecenter.org.

The potential for abuse increases when the elderly, especially those in poor health are not “in the right place for the care they need,” said Bay. People don’t want to lose their independence by giving up their homes, pets or the life style choices such as smoking or drinking that make caring for them more difficult. Self-neglect can be an issue for an elderly person who is incontinent or neglectful about eating or changing clothes. “The number one reason for tripping is over pets, but people live longer and heal faster with pets,” Bay said.

The most prevalent form of exploitation of the elderly is financial. Examples could include cashing an elderly person’s checks without permission or forging his or her signature on property titles or transfers. Sometimes previously uninvolved relatives or a seemingly caring stranger appear. Bay described an incident where a relative shot a lock off a filing cabinet to gain access to a senior’s financial information. “They thought they should be able to know since they’re family,” she said.

Part of the problem also could be based on a misunderstanding of the rules and eligibility for Medicaid that deal with financial resources. Bay said the perception is “if they have nothing left, the state will take care of them.” The reality is that the parent’s loving gesture of giving everything away or the offspring’s coercive efforts to get their share may not meet Medicaid guidelines that look over financial transactions for the last five years.

Scammers from home repair salesmen to purveyors of reverse mortgages and Medicare Advantage prescription plans can be a big issue for the elderly. “Some abuse is opportunistic, like leaving the checkbook out, or skilled and conniving like the window salesman,” Bay said. “Seniors are very trusting, lonesome and want friends.”

The Natrona County Adult Protection Team is a collaborative effort among all of the agencies who have the potential to deal with the elderly, from Department of Family Services and home health care providers to nursing home representatives. The team has the ability to network about what are the best services for individuals and bring issues to appropriate assistance or enforcement agencies, if necessary. The team meets the third Tuesday of each month at the Community Health Center Auditorium. For information, call Bay at 472-1770.

Abuse Definitions

Courtesy of the Natrona County Adult Protection Team

Abuse is defined as the willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation or punishment with resulting physical harm or pain or mental anguish or deprivation of goods or services that are necessary to attain or maintain physical, mental or psychological well-being. Abuse can be verbal, physical, mental, or sexual and can include physical injuries, confinement against a person’s will, neglect, or misappropriation of belongings, money or property.

Print this story   |   Email this story