Elder Financial Exploitation

I had never heard of the term "Elder Financial Exploitation" under just recently. Here is some information from the National Adult Protective Services Association.

• Financial exploitation is a fast-growing form of abuse of seniors and adults with disabilities. Situations of financial exploitation commonly involve trusted persons in the life of the vulnerable adult such as: caretakers, family members, friends and acquaintenances, attorneys. 
• 90% of abusers are family members or trusted others
• Elder-abuse is vastly under-reported; only one in 44 cases of financial abuse is ever reported.
• Conitive impairment and the need for help with activities of daily living makes victims more vulnerable to financial abuse.

For more information see: 

National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse

Financial Abuse
Elder financial abuse spans a broad spectrum of conduct, including:

• Taking money or property
• Forging an older person's signature
• Getting an older person to sign a deed, will, or power of attorney through deception, coercion, or undue influence
• Using the older person's property or possessions without permission
• Promising lifelong care in exchange for money or property and not following through on the promise
• Confidence crimes ("cons") are the use of deception to gain victims' confidence Scams are fraudulent or deceptive acts
• Fraud is the use of deception, trickery, false pretence, or dishonest acts or statements for financial gain
• Telemarketing scams. Perpetrators call victims and use deception, scare tactics, or exaggerated claims to get them to send money. They may also make charges against victims' credit cards without authorization

Who are the perpetrators?
Family members, including sons, daughters, grandchildren, or spouses. They may:

• Have substance abuse, gambling, or financial problems
• Stand to inherit and feel justified in taking what they believe is "almost" or "rightfully" theirs
• Fear that their older family member will get sick and use up their savings, depriving the abuser of an inheritance
• Have had a negative relationship with the older person and feel a sense of "entitlement"
• Have negative feelings toward siblings or other family members whom they want to prevent from acquiring or inheriting the older person's assets

[Read More]

Financial exploitation is a fast-growing form of elder abuse

A number of years ago, one of the investment advisors at the bank befriended my mother and got her to a large sum of cash out of her account at one institution to her local bank. While the bank advisor might have had good intentions, my mother was not mentally competent to make that decision. The investment advisor some how had her convinced that she in order to get her affairs in order, transferring the money was a good idea. It was unfortunate but my mother did not tell me until after it was done. I would like to see some legislation in this area that further protects seniors from this. Here is a recent article from the Chicago Tribune on finanical elder abuse: Financial exploitation is a fast-growing form of elder abuse It's one thing for a confused senior to make a mistake in trusting the wrong person -- or falling for the "free lunch" deals. But the problem of taking advantage of seniors rises to another level when investment ignorance is supplanted by actual financial elder abuse. Over the years I've written several columns about the fast-growing problem of elder financial abuse. It happens even to those who have concerned family members. Their adult children are afraid to discuss the issues of estate planning and budgeting and bill payment with their aging parents. As a result, many seniors send their money to online ministries or are victimized by home repair scams or all sorts of other fraudulent activities. [Read More]

Sockeye Salmon for Dinner

Tonight, my wife made some fresh Sockeye Salmon for dinner. That meal reminded me of the year my mother spent living in my house and later at a nearby ALF. During that time, that was the meal my mother's meal of choice whenever she dined with us. My mother was always so appreciative of my wife's cooking which was certainly better than the ALF food.

My mother also didn't like the pink Atlantic Salmon we see on the East Coast. So when fresh Sockeye was available from Alaska, we would always make sure we had it. I would also find frozen Sockeye at Costco which is not always available. You can always tell Sockeye by the deep red color. My wife would also prepare the rice not like I preferred it, but how my mother did. It was more sticky than al dente.

At dinner this evening, my wife commented that I was eating my salmon just like my mother did. She said my mother would carefully separate the remaining pieces of the deep red salmon from the skin, then finish it off with a mouthful of rice. Apparently, other people eat their Salmon right off the skin.

My late mother passed last month. I had not seen her for a very long time. Despite that, I have to say for that year, I saw her at least four times a week. That was certainly more family she saw each day than past four years. It was an enjoyable period in my life. Each visit, she was always so appreciative of everything I did for her. I think it's the first time I really got to know her.

When your family member passes, there are always certain things that will remind you of them. For me, that Sockeye Salmon will have that memory.

New saliva test may catch Alzheimer's disease early

(CNN) A test detecting Alzheimer's disease early may become easily available thanks to one plentiful bodily substance: saliva, a recently released study shows. The saliva test was presented at the 2015 Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Washington this week. Though research is still in its infancy, the saliva test represents the exciting future of diagnostic tools in development for the detection of the neurodegenerative disease. [Read More]

Saying Good-Bye To My Mom

Photo Credit: UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library

In  my life life, there is one person that had always been there for me, that was my mother.

I have two sibling that could never be trusted and would never be there for me like my mom. My mom had always had my back when my siblings let me down.

There was something about my mom that made it difficult for others to understand. Some perceived her as a sweet old lady. But others perceived her much differently. When a server would ask her how the food was, she would often reply: "Do you want me to be perfectly honest?" And then, as a former county fair judge would tell them how she really felt. It's didn't matter if it was the local diner or a five star restaurant. Her critique didn't stop there. If I ever cooked something, she would always tell me the one or two things that was wrong with it. I still have some minor PTSD from a batch of undercooked rolls.

My mother also took a very long time making decisions. My father was a very patient man, but one of the reasons he probably didn't like shopping was that it almost always took hours for her to make a purchase. It didn't matter if was some artwork from a shop in a foreign country or some fruit at the local market -- she took the longest time of anyone I have ever known. When my father wanted to plan a trip in the distant future, she would rarely commit until hours or seconds before it was time to leave. There were times that she simply decided at the last minute not to go.

There was also the hoarding. My mother rarely threw anything away, especially magazines, rubber bands and toys from our childhood. When my aunt was visiting, it was the first time I felt that there might be some type of hoarding gene in her DNA. When I started to throw out some ripe bananas, my aunt or her sister scolded me as she saved those blackish bananas from the garbage. The bananas later surfaced in a loaf of banana bread. My mother struggled with even throwing out the newspaper flyers that were left in her mailbox.

I am certain my mother loved me. Although she never really said it and showed it with a hug. In my younger days, she was always there for me. She came through in moments of adolescent distress. When I needed shoes she always made sure I had exactly what I wanted. That wasn't always easy as every family has a sibling that is a score keeper. We also shared some interests and on a Family Weekends I would like to take her to the Casino. But then there was always that sibling that never wanted the Family to do what my mom and I wanted to do. When it was time to support my marriage, my mother was there for me. That was not something she did for my siblings -- a part of her that was misunderstood. That was unfortunate for them. When there was divorce, my mother was there for me. When I needed chid care, she was there for me. As they say "Actions Speak Louder Than Words" that was my mom.

Then one day my relationship with my mother changed. I no longer lived close to my mother and now found myself thousands of miles away. During those years as she aged, I would fly in to see how she was doing. As years progressed it became more difficult for her to collect her records to send to the accountant. I also noticed in her confused state that one of the siblings was stealing money from her. She spent less time cleaning her house. Before boarding a plane back to the East Coast, I would find spending hours organizing her records for the entire year and then vacuuming her house before I rushed to airport. 
 
The day finally came that someone needed to take her into their home. Her doctor called me not her siblings and said that she should no longer Live alone. Among my two siblings, there were no volunteers.

The next thing I knew she was living with me thousands of miles from her home. It was not easy at first, she was disoriented. Some of her medical conditions went unnoticed under the neglected watch of my myopic siblings. And that was around the time that Dementia set in. Her small town doctor said there was nothing that could be done.

I live in a retirement community state and the doctors here had a larger recommendation of treatments and medications that the small town doctor didn't. Perhaps it's because of the larger population of aging patients. Between that and the arthritis in her swelling finger joints that the specialist said was simply "unacceptable" it was the first time she let me become the caregiver. She would always thank me for all that I did for her.

I was focusing on the caregiving and should have known that my untrustworthy siblings were plotting. I should have known when one of them claimed my mother wanted to give one of the siblings a huge sum of money or manipulate a loan from her. Was she being kidnapped or coerced? Was this financial manipulation? That day they would become her new caregivers. That's when they became very secretive about her finances. I was now isolated from my aging mother. From that day, I would never hear another word about my mother's health or finances again from those spiteful siblings. Perhaps one was married to a doctor and thought she was a doctor. I think the other one just wanted money for her newly built home.

When it comes to Dementia, there are some critics that say those drugs don't work. During the time the geriatric psychiatrist told me she should be sharper than she was, I was convinced and observed that they did. When she finally was moved or in other words held hostage in her new Assisted Living Facility, that same small town doctor told me she walked to his office from her home. I always thought that he was pressured into saying that but maybe not if those drugs Dementia drugs worked. Today, I see some of those drugs advertised on TV. 

An email arrived almost five years later from my sibling informing me that my mom had suffered a stroke. My mom always told me on the telephone that she would fix things. She said she wanted to get on track again. That would never happen.  It sounded like my mom would never speak to me again.

I went right to the airport and boarded a plane. After the long flight from the East Coast I went to visit her today. As one would expect, these sibling would insist on being present when I was with my aging mother. As she lay there in the final moments of her life, she opened her eyes as wide as they could and tried to speak but the words just never came out. I would imagine her only words to me would have been: "My number one son, my only son. I can still fix things, it's not too late".

One thing was certain -- she will never be there for me again.

Women's Brains Appear More Vulnerable To Alzheimer's Than Men's

There's new evidence suggesting that women's brains are especially vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease and other problems with memory and thinking. Women with mild cognitive impairment, which can lead to Alzheimer's, tend to decline faster than men, researchers reported this week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Washington, D.C. [Read More]
Source: NPR Women's Brains Appear More Vulnerable To Alzheimer's Than Men's (July 21, 2015)

I have a sibling that cheated on her husband and I have always had a difficult time understanding how we came from the same father. There are some of us that take a long time to recover and move along after a failed marriage or breakup. And there are others that move along very quickly to the next relationship. I simply never understood her.

Here's an article on that subject. Women Reveal What Drove Them To Cheat On Their Husbands

 

The Huffington Post by Brittany Wong Writer Sara Cornell never intended to have an extramarital affair, but before she knew it, she was deep in the throes of one. "It wasn't a specific, conscious, considered act," she told The Huffington Post. "I didn’t wake up one day and think, 'Hey, I think I’d like to have an affair.' It just happened -- which is probably very hard to comprehend if you haven’t actually been in the situation." Below, Cornell and seven other women explain what led them to cheat on their spouses. The Huffington Post

New Cholesterol Lower Drugs - Alirocumab (Praluent) & Evolocumab (Repatha)

It was announced today that that two new cholesterol lowering drugs, Alirocumab and Evolocumab that could be more effective than statins has been approved by an FDA Advisory Panel. The drugs could be approved for patients later this summer.

Here are the key points:

1. The drugs represent the most important new class of cholesterol-lowering medications since the first statin was approved in 1987. Seven statins are available in the United States including Zocor, Lipitor and Crestor. 
2. The new drugs are said to be a powerful new way of lowering bad cholesterol and that has profound implications in dealing with the burden of vascular disease which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. 
3. These new drugs don't case muscle pain and weakness that is experienced by 10% to 25% of those that take statins. 
4. Alirocumab and Evolcumab may lower LDL between 30 mg and 40 mg. 
5. These drug block a protein in the body called PCSK9, and are called PCSK9 inhibitors. The result is that the LDL receptors are available on the surface of the cells in the liver to take up LDL, clearing this bad form of cholesterol from the body. 
6. These new drugs would cost $7,000 to $12,0000 per year. Statins cost $48 to $7,000 per year. The out-of-pocket costs would depend on your insurance plan. 
7. Alirocumab and Evolocumab may have to be injected, rather than available as a pill. 

I started out taking Lipitor over 10 years ago and I certainly noticed the muscle pain and weakness in my legs. Lipitor also caused some liver issues. I have been on Crestor ever since without any known side-effects. Crestor comes off patent in July 2016 so it's interesting to see the associated costs of the new drugs. Reference CNN - New cholesterol-lowering drug clears step (June 9, 2015)

Attachment Pareting - My Sister Might Be One of These Moms

Attachment Parenting - Even my Sister

With Attachment Parenting in the News, I saw this mom on the Today Show this morning. To be honest, it creeps me out. When my nephews were growing up, I was always offended when Julie, my custodial-embattled sister contemplating a divorce allowed her young son to sleep in her bed for a very long time. Later, after the divorce, the child slept with her until he was twelve or thirteen. I don't really know what that was all about but it sounds like a form of Attachment Parenting or co-sleeping.

When her other son was say seven, he use to cry when his mother left town. In fact he use to throw a temper tantrum that he wanted his mom. I never really understood that either.

It also appeared to me that Jamie Lynne Grumet, didn't have many boundaries with her child. On the other hand, on the Today Show Television Set, even Nadya Suleman (Octo-Mom) didn't appear to have too many boundaries with her children -- and either did or does my sister.

My own personal opinion is that the Time Magazine Photo is and always will be creepy as well as this concept of Attachment Parenting. Time Magazine could have elected to blur the photo of this child's face and the mom could have not used her child in this manner by going on the Today Show, but that didn't happen.

Here are some links about this story:

Jamie Lynn Grumet's Official Blog  

Dr. Bill Sears Website on Attachment Parenting

If you haven't seen the video clip:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Sources:

Time Magazine

The Today Show

Attachment Parenting: The Man Who Remade Motherhood

Dr. Bill Sears drives some parents to extremes. Even they might be surprised by the roots of attachment parenting

Joanne Beauregard is nothing so much as she is a mother. When she and her husband had trouble conceiving, Joanne quit her job as an accountant to focus full time on getting pregnant. When she did, she chose to give birth at home, without pain medication. Then, for months, Beauregard sat on the couch in her Denver-area living room, nursing her infant from sunup to sundown. …

Elk Grove woman accused of embezzling from mother’s trust funds

An Elk Grove woman accused of embezzling more than $129,000 from her 85-year-old mother’s trust funds has been arrested by Rocklin police. Christine Ann Cooper, 62, as account trustee, allegedly embezzled the funds over a nine-year period, according to a Police Department news release. She is accused of writing checks to herself from the accounts and falsifying account statements to conceal the theft. Police said Cooper was arrested without incident Tuesday morning at her place of business in Sacramento. She was taken to the Placer County Jail in Auburn, where she was booked on suspicion of elder abuse/theft from an elder, embezzlement of more than $400 and forgery.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article23065596.html#storylink=cpy

Others Articles:

Is A Family Member Ripping Off Your Aging Parent (Forbes 04/22/2013)

The Ultimate Betrayal (Consumer Reports, 01/2013)

After Lying and Embezzling from her Mother's Estate, Daughter is Jailed by Jennifer King (2-2-2012)

Woman charged with trust fund embezzlement held on $25,000 by Brigitte Ruthman (10-2-2010)

Here is a list from Forbes Magazine of Warning Signs.

1. A family member becomes secretive about the parent’s finances

In this case, a long standing pattern of making Mom’s books available to all 3 siblings was altered. Carrie knew what Mom’s regular expenses were and what she spent every month. Mom is 87. When Carrie got excluded from online access to Mom’s accounts, it raised a red flag.

2. A family member lives with the parent and depends on the parent for financial support.

Carrie’s brother Jack lives with Mom. He has a job, but Mom pays all his bills. This has gone on for some time. Now, he’s using Mom’s credit card and he apparently doesn’t want Carrie to see what he’s spending. Sometimes this situation is a recipe for abuse because it’s just too easy to rip off the aging parent, who is vulnerable to manipulation.

3. A family member begins to isolate the aging parent from others.

When there is anyone blocking visits, restricting access of other family members to the elder, it’s another red flag. The potential abuser doesn’t want anyone looking too closely at what is going on and the method to avoid scrutiny is to keep the elder away from the other family members.

4. An adult child insists on being present when anyone else is with the aging parent.

This can be a sign that an adult child is threatening the aging parent if he/she talks about the financial manipulation that the elder knows is going on. If the elder has concerns, the abuser doesn’t want the aging parent to reveal this to anyone and may have frightened the elder into silence.

5. A family member has a substance abuse problem and has influence over an aging parent with memory problems.

Drug and alcohol dependency can make a liar out of just about anyone who has this issue. Memory impaired aging parents are “easy pickings” for money to support the dependency habit. The adult child or other relative uses the relationship with the elder to manipulate “loans” out of the elder and the elder forgets what happened or can’t make sense of it but says yes.

6. Sudden change in estate planning documents, particularly Durable Power of Attorney, Trustee or signatory on a bank or brokerage account.

Cognitive impairment begins subtly at first, but the elder is vulnerable to manipulation even in the earliest stages of dementia. When names on legal documents suddenly get added or removed, it is a suspicious sign, particularly if there is no obvious need to make such changes.

7. Kidnapping and moving the elder to an adult child’s home without notice to anyone or discussion with anyone else.