Elder Abuse

Eradicating Elder Abuse is Everyone’s Responsibility

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by Dr. Terry Fulmer, President, The John A. Hartford Foundation. This article originally appeared on Next Avenue.

Are you safe at home?

Many of us take the answer to that question for granted. After all, our home should be our refuge. It should be a place where we feel safe, secure and surrounded by people we love and trust — especially as we age. For the one in 10 older Americans who suffer elder mistreatment, however, home may simply not be a safe place.

As we recognize World Elder Abuse.... Read More

             

Elder Abuse Often Goes Unreported

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by Kayla Sawyer. This article originally appeared on the NICOA blog.

Unfortunately, the abuse and neglect of American Indian and Alaska Native elders occurs with alarming frequency in tribal communities. Tribal leaders from across the country have identified three major challenges in addressing elder abuse and neglect issues on reservations. There is a need to increase training about elder abuse and neglect, a lack of codes addressing elder abuse issues and a lack of policies and procedures for tribal agencies handling elder abuse and neglect issues.

More than 79 percent of elder abuse cases go unreported. Many tribes don’t have their own specialized elder protective service so there may not be anyone to report abuse.... Read More

             

Thought Leaders Reframe the Discussion Around Aging at NYC Roundtable

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“Aging should not take away our identity.”

This reflection was just one of the many ideas that came out of the 3rd edition of the Reframing Aging Thought Leaders Roundtable, organized by the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) held in New York City on October 19, 2018. A group of 27 experts in the field of aging gathered once again to address the misconceptions around getting “older”. This meeting was a continuation of conversations that began at roundtables in Washington, DC and Albuquerque, NM.

Anna Maria Chavez, Executive Vice President of.... Read More

             

Elder Justice is LGBT Justice!

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by Sherrill Wayland, MSW, Manager of National Projects for SAGE.

Elder Justice is LGBT Justice! Whether LGBT older people protested in the streets, founded organizations, or just managed to survive times of social unrest, they laid the groundwork for the progress all LGBT people now enjoy.

Over the past year, SAGE  and FORGE collaborated with the National Center on Elder Abuse to create a series of fact sheets that engage, empower, and advocate for elder justice for LGBT older people, their caregivers, and community organizations.

To develop these fact sheets, SAGE conducted focus.... Read More

             

For Older Women, Domestic Abuse Often Isn’t Physical

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by Jess Stonefield. This article originally appeared on Next Avenue.

“Well — he doesn’t hit me.”

It’s a phrase I hear when talking to older women through Humble Warrior, a free compassionate listening service aimed at providing support to those in distress. While the women recognize they are miserable in their marriages, they often believe that if they aren’t being hit, they have no legitimate reason to leave. Somewhere along the line, they’ve come to accept that emotional, verbal and financial abuse are just part of the marital package. To be honest — it’s hard to blame them.

Indeed, for many older women, domestic abuse is still a relatively new concept. The majority did not see physical.... Read More

             

Elder Abuse Won’t Stop By Itself

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Approximately 1 in 10 Americans aged 60+ have experienced some form of elder abuse. Broadly defined, elder abuse is any form of mistreatment that results in harm or loss to an older person. More specifically, the World Health Organization defines elder abuse as “a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person.”

The legal definition of elder abuse varies from state-to-state.

Elder abuse affects people from all ethnic backgrounds and social status, and most victims of abuse are women.  Elder abuse may be physical, emotion, sexual, exploitive, neglect, or abandonment. Specifically defined:

Physical abuse includes inflicting, or threatening to.... Read More
             

NEW Your Money, Your Goals Train the Trainer Webinars

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In November, the National Indian Council on Aging, Inc. (NICOA) is hosting two FREE online webinars that will teach attendees how to become trainers of a financial empowerment program called Your Money, Your Goals. The program is from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and focuses on helping people to reach their financial goals, bring cash flow budgets into balance, order and fix credit reports, reduce debt, and avoid financial tricks and traps.

NICOA will bring a unique perspective to this program by providing Your Money, Your Goals through the lens of Native culture and traditions, focusing specifically on how to reach and provide culturally appropriate examples and training for American Indian and Alaska Natives. Attendees will also get PDFs.... Read More

             

New Medicare Cards are Coming Soon

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by Seema Verma, CMS Administrator. This post originally appeared on the CMS blog.
To read this article in Spanish, click here.


When you get your new Medicare card in the mail, keep it safe! Guard your card to prevent fraud.

As you may have heard, or perhaps you’ve seen a recent TV commercial, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will soon be issuing every Medicare beneficiary a new Medicare Card, without Social Security Numbers, to prevent fraud, fight identity theft, and keep taxpayer dollars safe, and to help ensure that we always put the needs of patients first.

It’s unfortunate that criminals are increasingly targeting people age 65 or.... Read More

             

Your Money, Your Goals – Overcoming Barriers Through Financial Empowerment

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This post originally appeared on the NICOA blog.

Finances can be overwhelming for many people, and a variety of factors can increase financial challenges, especially for Elders.

Economic Barriers

Economic barriers are a significant challenge for many who already feel that finances are overwhelming, and these barriers in turn can create additional challenges, often related to health.

Low-income households, especially people that live and work in areas where there is a lack of employment or educational resources (which disproportionately include racial and ethnic minorities), often experience a lack of access to healthy lifestyle options. Low-income.... Read More

             

Identifying and Addressing Financial Exploitation of Asian American and Pacific Islander Older Adults

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Financial exploitation is a serious problem afflicting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) older adults across the nation. According to the National Adult Protective Service Association (NAPSA), the prevalence of financial exploitation is on the rise, with:

1 in 9 older adults reporting being abused, neglected or exploited in the past twelve months; 1 in 20 older adults indicating some form of perceived financial mistreatment occurring in the recent past; and, Only 1 in 44 cases of financial abuse ever being reported.

Among AAPIs, recent evidence in a longitudinal study of Chinese older adults reveals:

Financial exploitation is the second most common form of abuse among Chinese older adults, with an incidence.... Read More
             
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