Press Release: Senator McCaskill Protecting Missouri Seniors

WASHINGTON –- U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is continuing her bipartisan push to ensure that Missouri seniors are protected from neglect and abuse by legal guardians, enlisting the help of a witness from southwest Missouri. Jessica Kruse, from Ozarks Elder Law in Springfield, Missouri will testify at a McCaskill hearing on Wednesday focusing on preventing abuse by individuals who are court-appointed guardians.

Ms. Kruse will also discuss some of the challenges that local law enforcement and prosecutors in Missouri face when attempting to combat elder financial abuse. The hearing will take place in the Senate Aging Committee, which is led by McCaskill and Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine.

Last year McCaskill asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to update a report it issued in 2010 which found examples of serious abuse, particularly by individuals who make their livings as professional guardians. In conjunction with the hearing, GAO will publicly release its report titled “Elder Abuse: The Extent of Abuse by Guardians Is Unknown, but Some Measures Exist to Help Protect Older Adults.”

Senate Aging Committee Hearing: “Trust Betrayed: Financial Abuse of Older Americans by Guardians and Others in Power”
WEDNESDAY, November 30
1:30 p.m. CT, Dirksen Senate Office Building 562

Witnesses for the hearing will also include Kathryn Larin, Acting Director; Forensic Audit and Investigative Services Team, Government Accountability Office; Cate Boyko, Manager of the Minnesota Conservator Account Auditing Program; Jaye Martin, Main Legal Services for the Elderly.

Source:
Press Release:  Senator McCaskill Protecting Missouri Seniors