John never thought leasing out a room in his house would mean losing it.
But that's exactly what happened to the elderly Upper Cumberland native after he was financially exploited.
"I have high blood pressure, dementia and prostate cancer," he said. "This all started three years ago before the prostate cancer was discovered."
Three years ago, he rented out one room in his trailer to a woman who said she didn't mind paying rent.
"But I had come home one day, and she moved out," John said. "It wasn't maybe about three months until she moved back in and had two people with her. I told her she could rent out the room, but her friends couldn't stay.
"She asked if it would be all right if she paid more for them to stay, and I agreed to that."
Ultimately, the original woman and another roommate left.
"Anna was the last one left," he said. "I had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and it came up on what was going to happen to me. I told her I'd reckon I'd go into a nursing home."
Anna wasn't happy with that answer, and agreed to take care of him if she could stay in his home.
John agreed to put her name on the deed to his home.
"I had been living in that neighborhood for 71 years," he said. "After she signed the deed to the property, she quit cleaning, quit cooking, grocery shopping. She just completely quit.
"I told her one day, I said 'Sis, if you want out of this, if you don't want to do this, I won't be mad at you. We'll just go back, and we will make the deed back to me."
But Anna didn't want to give up the trailer and land.
"She would be gone from the house for four or five days, and I couldn't drive myself on the account of the dementia," John said. "Turns out, she was on drugs. I gave her my food stamp card, and she used everything on it then said she had lost it.
"It was easier for me to just up and move."
Makenzie Fowler, CREVAA (collaborative response to elder and vulnerable adult abuse) advocate with the Upper Cumberland Area Agency on Aging and Disability, took John's case.
"Makenzie came down the next day to take a look, and I told her what was going on," said John. "I told her everything. She wasn't even shocked. She brought me food the next day. They (Mckenzie and the UCAAD) helped me every step of the way to get where I am today."
Fowler said John was financially exploited by a woman half his age who agreed to take care of him if he signed over the land deed to her.
"She had the deed, his food stamp card, and all of his banking information," Fowler said. "She even had his phone. When I visited John the first time, I had to go get his cancer medication because she hadn't even done that.
"When I talked to her (Anna), she tried to act like he was abusive to her, even though he struggles to get around sometimes."
Fowler moved John into a hotel room for a week while applying for him to move into a low-income housing unit.
"I took him to the hotel, brought him groceries and a TV," Fowler said. "When it came time for him to move into his new home, I loaded a truck up with furniture he needed for his new place.
"We got him a new food stamp card and got him a higher amount on it, too. Then we worked on his finances to try and get him more money each month so he can have a little more left after his bills and hospital visits are paid for."
Even though John lost his home, there's still a happy ending.
"Even though he can't drive, we have a bus that picks him up everyday to go to the senior center," said Fowler. "He and his neighbor, who's also an elderly man, are the best of friends now. There is a silver lining in this story."
John will be meeting more advocates at the UCAAAD soon about possibly pursuing legal action to get his home back.
"If there's something we can learn from his situation, it's to use local resources like the UCAAAD to help find a proper caregiver," Fowler said. "She wasn't even licensed to be a caregiver. But he was desperate for help. He didn't know who to contact. You can start with us, and we can point you in the right direction."
The general UCAAAD number is 1-866-836-6678.
The UCAAAD also takes donations of household goods. Right now they are in dire need of beds and mattresses. To donate, call 476-4107.
Thirteenth Judicial District Attorney Bryant Dunaway issued a press release last month about attacking the problem of elder abuse in the 13th Judicial District.
He said that statistics on elder abuse suggest that only one out of 14 elder abuse cases are ever reported and as many as one of every 10 Americans over the age of 60 have experienced some form of elder abuse. Victims are often afraid to report the abuse because of their dependence or trust in the abuser.
"A couple of years ago, District Attorneys established local Vulnerable Adult Protective Investigative Teams (VAPIT) in each judicial district across the state," Dunaway said. "Our VAPIT includes representatives from my office, CREA, DIDD, local law enforcement, Family Justice Center, and Adult Protective Services. The VAPIT team meets every month to review referrals of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation with a multi-disciplinary view. We do not want these neglect and abuse cases slipping through cracks. This remarkable team represents a united effort to protect older adults in the 13th Judicial District, a population that is steadily growing as baby boomers become seniors. That means the need for support services also will increase, as will the possibilities of abuse."
Tennessee state law requires reporting suspected elder or vulnerable person abuse. To report, call 1-888-277-8366 or visit https://reportadultabuse.dhs.tn.gov.
Full Article & Source:
Elderly man loses home after being financially exploited
No comments:
Post a Comment