more red flags indicating possible elder abuse or elder exploitation - excerpt from "Paradise Costs" ©

Family members as caregivers:

Please remember: it’s a misconception that 
mistreatment in nursing homes is the primary 
source of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation. 
The statistics say otherwise with about 90% 
of elder abuse and neglect incidents happening 
within families.

Multi-generational dysfunctional families, greed, 
ignorance, mental health issues, substance 
abuse issues, etc. may be at the root cause 
with many complex issues adding to further 
cloud the dynamics. 

Experts link substance abuse issues 
(particularly alcohol) as a major factor 
in dysfunctional families. If anyone in your 
family is suffering from any substance 
abuse issue, the risk factors for the elderly climb.

Outsiders as caregivers:

Home healthcare aides offer valuable assistance 
to seniors who require help to remain independent. 
However, those caregivers may be the source of 
abuse, neglect or exploitation. 

Cost is often a factor in determining who is 
hired. Caregivers hired outside of agencies 
will be more affordable, but they require 
much more supervision. The questions listed 
below will be the responsibility of the person 
doing the hiring. Before hiring any aide from 
an agency, research your state’s licensing 
procedures and find out: what’s the track 
record of the referring agency?

Is there litigation pending against the agency?

What are the agency’s criteria for hiring?

Does the agency do arrest and/or criminal 
background checks? 

Is drug screening mandatory prior to and after hiring?

Are employees bonded, fingerprinted, etc?

Have you checked with the Better Business 
Bureau about complaints?

Others with hidden agendas:

This group can include a litany of others, such 
as neighbors, friends, bank tellers, lawyers, 
real estate agents, handymen, investment 
advisers, salespeople, telemarketers, etc., 
and the motive is the same: manipulating 
financial aspects of the elder’s 
life for the perpetrator’s own benefit. 

Unscrupulous telemarketers often canvass 
during the day seeking those who are at 
home (ex: retired persons with disposable 
income) to exploit through various scams. 
Bear in mind that in California alone, $20 
million a day is pilfered from the elderly. 
Please place each one of your elderly 
relatives and neighbors on the “do not call” 
list to reduce risks.

[this advice is added to this list which is 
not in Paradise Costs:since the greed of 
corporate America is now a given, please 
use a great deal of caution when dealing 
with corporate giants as, apparently, 
utility companies, phone companies, 
medical insurers, government policies 
acting in concert with lobbyists, political
Super PACS, credit card companies, 
banks, etc who make Terms of Service 
difficult if not impossible to read and 
understand, make the likelihood of a 
senior being duped a reality. Proceed
with great caution.]

Agreements, contracts and legal documents:

Any document, contact or agreement that 
requires a senior citizen’s signature must 
be understood by the elder. He or she must 
understand the reason for the document, 
what the resulting consequences of the 
document will be and be able to explain it. 
In other words, if a senior citizen states 
“yes,” they understand the need for any 
document, i.e., a Power of Attorney, they must 
also be able to explain the requirement for it. 
“Yes” is not an appropriate reply without the 
elder being able to give an accurate explanation 
of “what” or “why” or “who” needs that document. 

 © Copyright, 2005-2012, Irene A. Masiello, all rights reserved