Friday, July 10, 2009

Sheriff Addresses Elder Abuse

A couple of saddening cases of elder abuse raise new concerns about how well we protect some of the most vulnerable people in our community: the elderly.

It's a crime that's tough to stomach, and the Salt Lake County Sheriff says it's on the rise.

Sheriff Jim Winder" "We need to start talking about the issues of the aged and look at them in a new light. We've seen some very tragic reminders of that recently."

Ninety-year-old Beatrice Barker lived in a West Valley City home with her granddaughter-in-law and caretaker Angie Barker. According to court papers, the grandmother died last month after significant weight loss, suffering from pneumonia and bed sores. The granddaughter faces a felony elder abuse charge.

In another case, prosecutors say Michael Hansen Jr. and Christopher Hansen beat up their grandmother, urinated on her and left her injured in a bathroom in her Salt Lake City home.

Winder says they used to see a half-dozen elder abuse cases a year; now it's more than a dozen a month.

Full Article and Source:
SLCO sheriff says new approach needed to fight elder abuse

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

And it's going to get worse, thanks to our government having brought us to the brink of another Depression.

I do hope the current government can bail us out, but it's very painful.

And crime will flourish - unfortunately!

Rozalind Lund said...

Emotional, psychological abuse by isolation. Failure to thrive is murder. My eldest sister (Sacheen littlefeather) who refused Marlon Brando's Oscar in 1972 refused to let me see my own mother. Marin County California system of protecting the elders failed. Officer Tom Sabido SRPD said he didn't know his limits, and needed to consider his career. Her social worker Robert Cretti said he couldn't solve family conflict. I was a paid Mandate reporter by the County who was required by law to not only report but fill out there form. Dozen of welfare checks did nothing, and the SRFD was going to kick down the door once but their fireman friend owned the bldg and they wanted to get a key. I had just place a message on my cell phone frm my mother screaming for help and they needed a key. Ms. Littlefeather canceled my POA at the bank, opened a new ckg acct for our mother w/the statements being mailed to her. Mom didn't even know. I stood up for my mother's rights, and Ms. Littlefeather found herself in a lot of trouble by abusing her section 8 (having her boyfriend reside), signing up to collect monies as an IHHS for 2 other people in her boyfriends name when she was receiving benefits, federal disability etc. 8 months after mom moved n she bought a brand new car. Basically, there's a ton a legal evidence all public documented. This started in 2006, and I found mom in Jan 2009 all physically distorted. Her neck was completely fixed looking down at her chest. Mom had fallen and broken her upper back because they never let her out of apt for exercise. Left alone for hours a time. Mom said she felt like a prisoner and became terribly depressed. By the way I found her at Marin General hospital when taking a friend to ER. She died on Jan 25, 2009 frm all of the abuse. Did I forget to mention that Ms. Littlefeather is a paranoid schizophrenic who screamed and yelled at mom. The system just said "oh she was old, and is in a better place." Elder abuse by isolation is murder. Ms. Littlefeather refused more than an oscar this time. She refused a human being the right to live with dignity, love, honor, FREEDOM, and respect. In loving memory of Geroldine Cruz 1923-2009.

Anonymous said...

Rozalind, consider joining NASGA by going to our website, www.StopGuardianAbuse.org - to the "Join NASGA Advocates for Reform" page.

Isolation is the absolute cruelest thing a person can do to another human being. We have to work hard to expose this abuse and to stop it.

You're absolutely right, elder abuse by isolation is murder. I am sorry for what you and your mother endured.

Anonymous said...

Sheriff Jim Winder is on the right track.

But he has to realize that sometimes the abuse is emotional -- such as when all your rights are taken from you and you're forced into a nursing home against your will and your home is sold -- and everything you've worked a lifetime for is seized.

Anonymous said...

Hurrah, for the sheriff for realizing that there is a problem, and wanting to do something about it. Many in law enforcement aren't interested in the special needs of the elderly, and don't care anyway.