Breaking the Silence on Elder Abuse / Public News Service | #lovescams | #military | #datingscams

Elder abuse is experienced by at least one in 10 people aged 60 and older who live at home, and AARP Wyoming is working to ensure people have the information they need to protect themselves and family members.

Paul Greenwood, a former San Diego deputy district attorney, said the actual number of incidents is much higher. Greenwood has prosecuted more than 750 felony cases of both physical and financial elder abuse, which he calls a hidden crime.

“And it is the one that perpetrators rely on, because there is so much silence out there about the crime,” Greenwood pointed out. “Silence about reporting it by the victim because of embarrassment, maybe they know the perpetrator.”

Abuse can be financial, physical, psychological, and extreme cases involve homicide. Greenwood noted one telltale sign of abuse is a distinct change in mood or deviations from normal behavior.

Greenwood will lead a Teletown Hall for preventing abuse at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 19. To join the free event, call 833-380-0685. If you believe someone has fallen victim to abuse, call Adult Protective Services at 1-800-457-3659.

Social isolation during the pandemic may have contributed to a rise in romance scams. Greenwood explained perpetrators steal a legitimate person’s identity, often someone with a military background. They troll dating sites looking for victims, and begin an online courtship. He added he is surprised by how many older adults fall victim, convinced they have found the love of their life.

“Although they’ve never met them, they’ve never even seen them in a FaceTime chat,” Greenwood observed. “But then are willing to part with money when some tragedy befalls the so-called love interest.”

Greenwood added stopping such crimes is not just up to family members and law enforcement. Neighbors, bank tellers, mail carriers, hairdressers, and clergy all need to know what to look for, because Greenwood emphasized it is our collective responsibility to not stay silent.

“If we suspect that a loved one or a neighbor is a victim of some form of either financial or physical abuse, then it is our duty to make that call to our local adult protective services,” Greenwood urged.

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This Saturday is National Health Care Decisions Day, a reminder everyone should have plans in place in case they need medical attention and are unable to state their wishes.

Kim Callinan, president and CEO of Compassion & Choices, which advocates for medical aid in dying for people with terminal illnesses, said having medical directives for end-of-life care is important not only for the person, but for their family.

“One in two seniors now die with or from dementia, and unfortunately, most are not planning for what the end might look like,” Callinan stated. “Without planning, you’re leaving your loved ones and caregivers having to make just heart-wrenching decisions about the care you receive or do not receive at life’s end.”

She added there is an even greater need in the Latino community, which research shows is the group least likely to complete advance health care directives.

Compassion & Choices has an End-of-Life Decision Guide in Spanish as well as English.

Texas is among the top 10 states for Alzheimer’s deaths, and of the estimated 6.2 million Americans over age 65 with Alzheimer’s disease, more than half are women. Women are also more likely to have other forms of dementia.

Callinan noted advances in medicine have prolonged life for many people, but in some cases, it can also lead to years of suffering.

“With planning, you’re able to disrupt the system and have a much more compassionate end,” Callinan contended. “Without planning, you’re subjected to a health care system that is going to focus on prolonging life, which in the case of someone with advanced dementia, often prolongs suffering.”

Callinan acknowledged it is not easy to have such conversations with loved ones, but pointed out there are resources available to help.

“For National Health Care Decisions Day, I would encourage everyone to have conversations with their loved ones about the care that you would want at the end of life,” Callinan urged. “In particular, use our Dementia Values and Priorities Tool, so that you can document your care preferences to safeguard your future.”

In Texas, more than one million family members and friends provide unpaid care to people with dementia, putting in almost two billion hours a year, care which would otherwise cost the state more than $25 billion.

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A hearing is set for today in Sacramento for a bill which would make Medi-Cal accessible to more people.

Low-income older adults and people with disabilities who make just over the Medi-Cal limit have to pay 60% of their monthly income as a share of cost, minus a set amount for living expenses. The so-called “maintenance level” is set at just $600 a month.

Tiffany Huyenh-Cho, senior staff attorney for Justice in Aging, a law firm advocating for older adults and persons with disabilities, said Assembly Bill 1900 raises the maintenance level to 138% of the federal poverty level, which works out to about $1,400 a month.

“It would free up income to pay for food, rent and other expenses,” Huyenh-Cho explained. “Because the maintenance need level won’t be set at such a low number, at $600 a month for a single person.”

So far there is no registered opposition to the bill. The high cost of living in the Golden State makes it nearly impossible to cover basic necessities on $600 a month.

Some 91,000 Californians participate in the share-of-cost program, excluding people in long-term care, and 57,000 are older adults and persons with disabilities.

Today’s hearing before the Assembly Committee on Health will be livestreamed starting at 1:30 p.m.

Huyenh-Cho pointed out at the current maintenance level, many people cannot afford to use the share-of-cost program.

“It forces people to forgo medical care because that share of cost is so high,” Huyenh-Cho observed. “Or folks are forced to move into a skilled nursing facility because they can’t afford the wraparound services that Medi-Cal may cover that allow a person to live in their home.”

Advocates say health equity is a big concern because a disproportionate percentage of patients on the share-of-cost program are people of color on fixed incomes.

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The strain of unpaid family care-giving is pressing down hard on many Nebraska residents, according to new AARP research.

Nearly half of people surveyed have experienced increased emotional distress, and more than a quarter said they had to spend more out of pocket.

Todd Stubbendieck, state director of AARP Nebraska, said caretakers help people stay in their homes as they age – where most prefer to be – and out of nursing homes that frequently rely on state funds.

“That family member isn’t having to go to some sort of long-term care facility,” said Stubbendieck. “So these family caregivers not only are helping their loved ones stay at home, they’re also helping taxpayers as well.”

Nebraska’s 240,000 family caregivers contribute more than 199 million hours of unpaid care each year, valued at nearly $3 billion.

State lawmakers are considering LB 290 – a measure that would ensure working caregivers are not forced to take unpaid leave, and risk losing their job, or move loved ones into facilities to get the care they need.

Some critics of the measure worry that businesses operating on thin margins can’t afford to pay workers for time to care for family members, but more than seven in 10 Nebraska voters surveyed support requiring employers to provide at least some paid family leave.

Stubbendieck said he believes those benefits can actually help employers struggling in a tight labor market.

“Offering these sorts of benefits and opportunities for people to take care of loved ones,” said Stubbendieck, “also becomes an incentive as well that helps them to help attract better workers.”

AARP offers a Nebraska Family Caregiver Resource guide, at AARP.org/caregiverresources, which shows where people can get assistance in their communities.

Stubbendieck said many Nebraskans don’t realize that they are, in fact, family caregivers.

“They’re just helping out mom or grandpa or another loved one because that’s what we do,” said Stubbendieck. “If they don’t recognize that they are a family caregiver, they don’t necessarily have access to the resources out there that are designed to help them.”

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