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| Teresa Osborne |
“This means that very few seniors who have been abused get the help that they need,” Osborne said.
Reports
of abuse, neglect and abandonment of elders continue to rise each year
and the investigations are increasingly complex, she said.
“Last
year at the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, we received 28,633
reports of need for protective services for older adults,” Osborne said.
“This was an increase of 17.3 percent from the prior year. In
Washington, Greene and Fayette counties, last year nearly 1,500 reports
of need of protective services were received, an increase from two years
ago of about a thousand reports.”
In her first official visit to the
community during the county’s inaugural Elder Justice Day at Valley View
Farm near Waynesburg, Osborne and others attempted to raise awareness
of the vulnerabilities older adults face, including fraud and abuse.
Across
the state, the most common allegation reported is caregiver neglect.
Victims are commonly women in their 80s who still live in their homes
alone. Perpetrators are often between 30- to 59-year-old women.
Osborne
shared some anecdotes from her over 28-year career working with older
adult populations. Despite the difficulty and heartache she experienced,
it “paled in comparison to anything” her clients faced. At the core of
every case was a real human being who was hurting.
She
recounted the case of Eloise, a widowed woman who turned to a neighbor
for assistance. This neighbor moved Eloise out of her home and into his,
selling off her belongings and property and pocketing the cash. The
neighbor would throw things at her so they would just miss, but still be
enough to frighten her, she said. Osborne helped Eloise move into a
personal care home and she eventually saw justice through theft charges
and a $28,000 restitution check.
“She
could move on, finally, with her life, but really, her life was never
the same and six months later, she passed,” Osborne said.
She
thanked attendees for taking the time to come to the event and to work
on this issue, to ensure people learn to recognize elder abuse and know
what to do when they see it.
“Your voices are incredibly important in this effort,” Osborne said.
Osborne
is set to return to the area next month so she may meet with local
Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging staff. Because of their
caseloads, the protective service investigators were too busy to attend
Thursday’s talk.
Osborne
recently attended a small listening session with grandparents who are
raising their grandchildren due to their children’s substance abuse
disorders in Luzerne County and said she would like to do the same when
she returns to Greene County next month. The conversations capture the
needs and gaps in services offered to these seniors.
She
said this event was a great opportunity to elevate awareness, as the
number of reports keeps rising and resources are limited.
Following
Osborne’s opening statements was a question and answer session with
guardianship attorney Kathleen Gustine, Marie Christinis with protective
services, and First Federal President and CEO Charles Trump, who
provided expertise on bank fraud and financial exploitation, to share
their experiences. Greene County President Judge Farley Toothman also
commented on issues he experiences in the court. Area seniors,
healthcare professionals, service providers and local lawmakers were
among the audience.
Greene County Area Agency on Aging’s
Executive Director Leslie Grenfell said the day provided “information on
how to identify elder abuse, report it, and the resources that are
available in the community to help support older victims.”
Chris
Gardner, court assistant for program development at Greene County
Courthouse and member of Elderly Abuse Task Force, said Thursday’s event
was aimed to sparking a cultural change. The goal was to increase
awareness of the financial abuse that takes place, as well as the impact
of the drug epidemic on the elderly population. She also wants to
emphasize it’s okay to stand up and ask for assistance when needed.
Those
that suspect elder abuse can call the 24-hour statewide hotline at
1-800-490-8505 or contact their local Area Agency on Aging. Those that
report are protected from retaliation and calls are confidential. The
Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging covers Washington, Greene
and Fayette counties and can be reached at 724-489-8080.
Full Article & Source:
State aging secretary highlights discussion to examine elder abuse
1 comment:
Good, she should be interested in the Falk bill then.
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