Elder Abuse

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
             

Diverse Elders Coalition to Host Congressional Briefing After White House Conference on Aging

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The Diverse Elders Coalition, in collaboration with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, is hosting a Congressional Briefing on July 14, 2015, the day after the 2015 White House Conference on Aging. Coinciding with the 50th Anniversary of the Older Americans Act, this Briefing will discuss elders of color, indigenous elders, LGBT elders, and elders living with HIV/AIDS in light of the White House conference and will identify needs and challenges moving forward. The Diverse Elders Coalition will present a report documenting their engagement with the White House Conference on Aging and their policy recommendations on how to improve the lives of diverse elders and their families.

Congressmember Mark Takano (D-CA) will join the Briefing and provide comments. Rep. Takano.... Read More

             

Elder Mistreatment in the AAPI Community

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Many AAPI leaders list elder abuse as a top 10 priority issue according to a National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) survey of community-ased organizations. However, elder abuse is not well addressed in the AAPI communities. How much do we know about the seriousness of elder abuse in the AAPI community? Do AAPI elders experience elder abuse differently from other older adults because of their language barriers and cultural.... Read More

             

National Grandparents Day – Grandparents Contributing More Despite Numerous Challenges

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Since 1978, when the first Sunday following Labor Day was designated “National Grandparents Day“, the number of grandparents in the U.S. has been growing from 40 million (1980) to 65 million (2011) to an estimated 80 million (2020). Over time the roles of grandparents, especially those among diverse elder populations, have also shifted. Grandparents are now providing important caregiving support, raising our children, and are the backbone of multi-generational families.

Grandparents living in multi-generational households often face numerous challenges. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2.7 million grandparents are responsible for the basic needs of one or more grandchildren under.... Read More