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The National Adult Protective Services Resource Center (NAPSRC) is a function of the US Administration on Aging through a grant to the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA).
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Consumer Reports Article on Elder Financial Exploitation
Protecting Mom & Dad's money: What to do when you suspect financial abuse
January, 2013 Issue-on the Stands Now
"We've told you about scams by strangers, among them fraudulent sweepstakes phone calls and investments, and grandparent scams ("Scamnation!," October 2012 issue). Far more insidious are deceptions by neighbors, friends, employees, and relatives-the very people entrusted to care for and protect seniors."
"... cases can also involve neglect or physical abuse. "Financial abuse is often the motivator for beating up Grandpa or neglecting Mom," says Kathleen Quinn, executive director of the National Adult Protective Services Association, which represents state and local programs that investigate abuse of vulnerable adults and takes steps to protect the victims. "You're not getting her the care she needs because you want the money for yourself."
In addition to describing the problem, the articles provides tips on preventing financial abuse, has several excellent "what would you do?" scenarios, and lists sources for more information, including NAPSA and the NCEA.
The article is available at consumerreports.org.
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Radiologists Find Patterns Indicative of Elder Abuse
"Researchers found that most physical trauma as a result of abuse occurs on the head, face and neck. Dental injuries and subdural hematoma . . . were particularly common. Injuries to the upper torso and upper extremities were also frequently observed.
"Compared to accidental injuries, abused individuals were more likely to have severe, repetitive injuries"
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New Resources Available
The Financial Services Roundtable:
The Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse & Neglect:
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Conference Calendar
Ohio Coalition for Adult Protective Services Conference
The Evolving Aspects of Elder Abuse
28th Annual Conference
March 15, 2013
Columbus State Conference Center
Columbus, Ohio
Call for Sumissions Form
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The National Adult Protective Services Resource Center (NAPSRC) is a project (Grant No. 90ER0002/01) of the U.S. Administration on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), administered by the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA). Grantees carrying out projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Therefore, points of view or opinions do not necessarily represent official Administration on Aging or DHHS policy.
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America's Invisible Epidemic: Preventing Elder Financial Abuse
Senate Special Committee on Aging Hearing, November 15, 2012
Under retiring Chairman Senator Herb Kohl's leadership, the Senate Special Committee on Aging has focused more often on elder abuse in recent years. Senator Kohl's last hearing, held on November 15, 2012, was on financial exploitation.
All the speakers below emphasized increased public awareness of elder financial exploitation, and collaboration among all the systems which come into contact with older people. Everyone also stressed how big and how serious a problem financial abuse of older people is.
Frank Abagnale, Author and Consultant, Abagnale & Associates, Washington, DC (note: Mr Abagnale is the reformed con artist on which the book and movie"Catch Me If You Can" are based).
He emphasized the need for people to take steps to protect their identities and their assets, and said the government could help by taking Social Security numbers off of Medicare cards.
Kay Brown, Director, Education, Workforce and Income Security, US Government Accountability Office, Washington, DC on the new GAO Report:
Elder Justice: National Strategy Needed to Effectively Combat Elder Financial Exploitation (see accompanying article below).
Hubert "Skip" Humphrey, III, Assistant Director, Office of Older Americans, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Washington, DC. Mr. Humphrey said that addressing elder financial abuse is "job number one" in his office and that the office will make available guidebooks for fiduciaries, including people who have financial powers of attorney for older persons.
Paul Smocer, President, BITS, Financial Services Roundtable, Washington, DC. Mr. Smocer recommended standardized reporting requirements and procedures, and clarification from the federal government on the extent to which financial institutions can monitor accounts for fraud and can intervene to prevent fraudulent transactions.
Paul Greenwood, Deputy District Attorney, Head of Elder Abuse Unit, Family Protection Service, San Diego, CA. Mr. Greenwood stressed the need for increased prosecution of elder financial crimes as a means to prevent such crimes by sending a message to the perpetrators.
Although no APS representatives were asked to testify, Paul Greenwood, in particular, mentioned and praised APS' work numerous times, especially in taking the lead to develop and maintain multi-disciplinary teams to address elder financial abuse.
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New GAO Report: National Strategy Needed to Effectively Combat Elder Financial Exploitation
GAO-13-110, Nov 15, 2012
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a study of elder financial abuse and how the federal government might better respond to it. The GAO contacted state and local social services, criminal justice, and consumer protection officials in California, Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania, all states with large elderly populations; officials in seven federal agencies; and various elder abuse experts.
The people contacted identified the need for more safeguards and public awareness activities to help prevent elder financial exploitation. They also noted that it is difficult to prevent exploitation by individuals such as financial services providers, power of attorney agents, guardians, and paid in-home caregivers. Although states have primary responsibility for combating elder financial exploitation, the GAO states the federal government could disseminate information on model power of attorney legislation, for example, to help states better safeguard against power of attorney abuse-one type of federal activity authorized under the Older Americans Act of 1965. In addition, experts and state and local officials told GAO that many older adults need more information about what constitutes elder financial exploitation in order to report and avoid it. The Elder Justice Coordinating Council, which held its first meeting in 2012, could be the vehicle for developing and implementing a coordinated national strategy by numerous federal agencies to provide this public education.
Experts and officials in each state GAO reviewed indicated that three obstacles hinder responses to elder financial abuse: 1) gaining expertise, 2) sustaining collaboration between law enforcement and adult protective services agencies, and 3) obtaining data. As with prevention, many federal agencies have individually taken steps to address these challenges. For example, the Department of Justice has begun to construct a website that contains materials prosecutors can use to build their expertise in investigating and prosecuting elder abuse, which includes elder financial exploitation.
Law enforcement officials, however, in each of the four states GAO reviewed indicated that it is not clear how they should obtain the federal support they need to respond to interstate and international cases. Justice can provide this information. Similarly, the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Consumer Sentinel Network database compiles incidents of financial exploitation reported to it by many sources around the country but receives incidents from state government agencies in only 12 states.
The GAO's Recommendation:
To coordinate and optimize federal efforts to prevent and respond to elder financial exploitation, the Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should, as chairman of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council, direct the Council to develop a written national strategy for combating this problem. This strategy should include a clear statement of its purpose and goals and indicate the roles and responsibilities particular federal agencies should have in implementing it. The strategy could address, among other things, the need to (1) identify and disseminate promising practices and other information nationwide that can be used by state and local agencies to prevent exploitation, educate the public, and help state and local agencies collaborate, investigate, and prosecute elder financial exploitation; (2) ensure coordination of public awareness activities across federal agencies; and (3) collect and disseminate better data nationwide to inform federal, state, and local decisions regarding prevention of and response to elder financial exploitation.
For more information and a link to the complete report, pleave visit
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New NAPSA/NAPSRC Website Now Online!!
Please see the new NAPSRC website at www.NAPSA-NOW.org and click on "Resource Center"! The NAPSRC's web address is changing to napsa-now.org from apsetwork.org (all traffic to apsnetwork.org will be automatically forwarded to NAPSA-NOW). The new website will be updated much more frequently. We welcome reports, studies, announcements, etc. from the APS field.
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Have something you want to share?
Do you have a recent success story, a new program initiative, or a revised training you'd like to share with your APS colleagues across the country? Do you have an upcoming conference or other event you'd like people to know about? Would like to further honor your state and local APS award winners? Please send a brief description in an email to napsrc@apsnetwork.org.
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THANK YOU
Thank you to Health Benefits ABCs for generously sharing the information provided in their twice-monthly newsletter, AGING POLICY & PUBLIC HEALTH NEWS Nov. 30, 2012. |
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