Taking the time to take care our elderly

States, like people, may be judged by how they treat the most vulnerable among us.

Texas presents a good but not consistently great picture of how it treats the elderly and protects them from abuse, according to a recent study by WalletHub.com, a national consumer website.

The study reveals our state rates near the bottom among the 50 in the number of eldercare organizations and services and expenditures on elder abuse prevention, atop the pack in financial elderly abuse laws, presence of elder abuse forensic centers and frequency of living facility inspections. A mixed bag, that.

Texas ranks 15th for elder abuse, gross neglect and exploitation complaints; 21st for certified volunteer ombudsmen. In all: No. 14.

All of that matters a lot, not for mere numbers but for the human impact those numbers suggest. WalletHub says the percentage of those 65 and older will only increase in the U.S., and almost double in 2060. Baby Boomers are living longer.

While we might take solace in having fewer abuse cases, at least when compared to other states, every case of abuse is painful. This statistic is lamentable: WalletHub says abuse of the elderly affects 5 million people every year. Here’s another: 96 percent of abuse cases go unreported.

Angela Goins, who lectures on social work at the University of Houston-Downtown, said elder abuse might be physical, psychological or verbal. Sometimes it involves caregivers not providing medical attention or other needed resources; sometimes it involves financial exploitation.

Sometimes, the elderly suffer because they cannot speak for themselves and there is no one there to speak for them. That causes them to neglect themselves by not eating or seeking medical attention.

Policymakers – including elected and appointed state officials – can help, Goins says. The best, first steps are to recognize the issue’s importance and to seek more information. Advocate for funds for elder abuse prevention.

Families, too – no, families first – should talk with parents and family members to chart the right course for making sure their elders are on the right course to take care of themselves and that younger, trusted family members can seek power of attorney to help their elders navigate their last years safely and happily.

Visit your elderly family members, Goins said, not only to check on their safety but to help them stave off loneliness. Isolation of the elderly opens them to abuse.

Texas’ low rankings on elder care expenditures? That’s on all of us. Taking up the cause for more, effective state and community programs will follow cogent, consistent advocacy by the public. If it’s important to voters, it will become important to public leaders.

But first, we’ve got to make it important to us.

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Taking the time to take care our elderly

New Legislation to Protect New York Seniors from Exploitation and Abuse

There were many important bills passed at the end of the legislative session to protect senior citizens from abuse and exploitation, as well as streamline the estate planning process to give New Yorker’s greater peace of mind.

Elder abuse is an under reported crime that preys on the people who worked so hard to build our communities. These balanced pieces of legislation will help health care workers and bank employees identify abuse and fraud so they can notify the proper authorities. With a federal administration that’s intent on making big cuts to social services programs and regulatory protections, it’s important that we take steps in New York to ensure seniors can lead safe, independent, healthy lives.

Elder abuse is a far too common occurrence. In New York State, approximately 260,000, or 1 in every 13 seniors, experienced some form of elder abuse in the previous year, with financial exploitation representing the most common form of abuse.[1] It’s essential to address this issue now as aging baby boomers are projected to double the number of older adults by 2030, potentially increasing the prevalence of elder abuse.[2]

One Assembly bill would require the state Office for the Aging to create guidelines to help health care providers and employees identify abuse and maltreatment of senior citizens (A.8258-A). Doctors and nurses often have long-term, trusting relationships with their patients and are in a unique position to identify signs of abuse.  This bill passed both houses and will be considered by the Governor in the coming months.

Another measure directs the superintendent of the state Department of Financial Services to develop training materials to help bank employees recognize and report signs of financial exploitation (A.6395). Further, the bill would protect banks and other financial institutions from state liability when reporting suspected financial abuse in good faith.  This bill passed in the Assembly.

It’s critical that we empower the people who interact with older New Yorkers on a regular basis to do and say something if they suspect that a customer is being scammed. These measures ensure that senior citizens have additional allies who are looking out for their financial well-being.

To make sure seniors are aware of all the banking options available to them, the Assembly passed a measure that requires banks to notify customers seeking to open a joint account if the bank also offers convenience accounts (A.8217-A). Unlike joint accounts which grant the co-signer the right of survivorship and thus all the assets of the account if the other signer passes away, convenience accounts allow the other person on the account to make basic transfers or withdrawals which must be in the best interest of the main account holder, simplifying check writing and bill paying. If the holder of a convenience account passes away, the money in it becomes part of their estate. In addition, it’s easier to prosecute those who exploit a convenience account, rather than a joint one.  This bill passed in the Assembly and was sent to the Senate for consideration.

The final piece of legislation streamlines the estate planning process by simplifying the power of attorney (POA) form to a single document with more straightforward, transparent language (A.8120-B). This will not only greatly simplify the process of executing a POA, but will also help ensure that third parties honor a valid POA. The failure of a third party to honor a valid POA can have dire financial consequences for seniors. Therefore, the bill would also allow the courts to issue sanctions against third parties who unreasonably and unfairly refuse to honor a valid POA form. This too passed in the Assembly and was sent to the Senate.

As a member of the aging committee, I was honored to cosponsor and vote for these important pieces of legislation

As times change and technology and services evolve, we need to make sure we’re not leaving anyone behind, especially the seniors who have done so much for their families and our communities and deserve to live with dignity and respect. This legislation will ensure our regulations and protections keep up with and adapt to society so that we can help prevent elder abuse before it happens.

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New Legislation to Protect New York Seniors from Exploitation and Abuse