Cook County Judge Faces Trial On Federal Fraud Charges

Judge Jessica Arong O'Brien is accused of lying on loan documents to secure $1.4 million for investment properties.

CHICAGO — The federal trial of a Cook County judge indicted last year on two counts of fraud is set to begin this week in Chicago. Judge Jessica Arong O'Brien has been accused of a scheme to defraud banks by lying on mortgage paperwork. The Chicago Sun-Times reports jury selection started Monday and opening statements could begin as early as Tuesday at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse.

At the time the alleged fraud was taking place, O'Brien was working full-time for the Illinois Department of Revenue, working part time as a loan officer for Amronbanc Mortgage Corp. in Lincolnwood and the owner of a O'Brien Realty LLC, according to the feds.

Prosecutors said she met co-defendant Maria Bartko at the Lincolnwood firm and used her as a straw buyer to fraudulently obtain about $1.4 million worth of home loans for two properties on Chicago's South Side – to buy an investment property on the 600 block of West 46th Street and to refinance another in the 800 block of West 54th Street.

Bartko pleaded guilty last month to one count of mail fraud and is expected to testify in O'Brien's trial, according to the Sun-Times.

The alleged crimes took place before O'Brien, who is married to Cook County Circuit Court Judge Brendan O'Brien, was elected to her position as the first Filipino-American elected to judge.

O'Brien has been on administrative duty since her indictment in April 2017, the Sun-Times reported. She is up for retention in 2018 but has not yet filed paperwork.

Under state law, O'Brien would be automatically removed from office and lose her nearly $200,000 salary if convicted of a felony.

O'Brien's lawyer said the government's case relied on a "known liar" and someone who had a "sham marriage" in order to gain citizenship, according to the Sun-Times.

Ricardo Meza has claimed his client is being unfairly targeted because of her job and promised more details in future remarks to the jury.

According to an online biography, O'Brien has won an award from former President Barack Obama for performing more than 4,000 hours of volunteer service over a decade.

She also has been a contributing editor for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and the president of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois.

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Cook County Judge Faces Trial On Federal Fraud Charges

Former nursing home resident claims staff neglected her

ST. LOUIS - Will your mom or dad get proper treatment in a nursing home or end up just another head in a bed?

Marion Thompson said she left Riverview Nursing Home on South Broadway because she was being neglected.

"I screamed for a good 10 to 15 minutes and they finally came in," she said.

Thompson called us from a hospital room where she was recovering.

"They can't keep help," she said, describing problems at the nursing home. "You're lucky to have two aids on a floor." Thompson's medical records state she was admitted to the hospital partly for "dehydration and disorientation."

Records also say, "Per EMS, the (patient) hasn't been taking her medications regularly from staff."

Thompson blames the staff. "You pull for help. They come in and unplug the call light, turn it off, and then you don't see them again, even if it's for water," she said. An inspection last year led to Riverview being denied government pay for new admits. The freeze lasted three months starting last July. Federal inspectors noted hot rooms, including one measuring 90.6 degrees.

An inspector wrote "the Certified Nursing Assistants said everyone was aware it was hot in the building, including administration" and that the "Director of Nurses ... Did not think anything of it."

The report states Riverview "immediately hired a new and competent maintenance director.

Attorney David Terry represents families suing nursing homes. He said the industry is sometimes more about money than care.

"You hear the term 'heads in the bed,' because that's how they get paid, and so most of these decisions start from the ownership and they work their way down," he said. Terry said most problems start with a lack of staff.

"They will often times cut staffing to save on their bottom line because every dollar you save on staffing increases the amount you have in your bank account," he said. Terry said regulators cannot cite a nursing home for staff problems.

"In Missouri and at the federal level, there is no staffing ratio. There are some states that do have ratios, but Missouri is not one of them," he said.

"A lot of them, not all of them, base their staffing just upon fire code, which means you have a minimal amount of staff members you're required to have in case there's a fire so you can get residents out."

Terry said poor staffing at St. Sophia in Florissant led to his client's mother being left alone in a bathtub for more than eight hours in July 2017. She died as a result.

"That shower room where the bathtub is is about 15 feet from the nurse's station and nobody seemed to check on it. So it was a systemic failure, I think, primarily caused because there just weren't enough staff members in the facility at the time."

Meanwhile, Marion Thompson is working with her family to find a new facility.

"I want to live," she said. "I've been fighting to live since last February."

It was a year ago when she was healthy enough to leave hospice while living in Riverview. She said she'll keep fighting.

"I have 25 grandchildren and six kids that I love deeply," she said. Riverview did not respond to requests for comment about Thompson's claims and the government payment freeze. Regarding the bathtub case, St. Sophia's parent company MGM Healthcare wrote, "Our relationship with the facility was in its infancy when the unfortunate situation took place."

MGM added that its investments have paid off and it has increased the nursing home's government quality measures rating to "five out of five stars."

The facility itself, St. Sophia also responded, saying it now has a "new administrator (and) director of nursing."

You can view full reports of Missouri nursing homes online at the Department of Health and Social Services.

You can read the full statement from James Mason, Chief Operating Officer of MGM Healthcare, below:

"MGM Healthcare provides consulting and management services for skilled nursing facilities including St. Sophia Health and Rehabilitation Center in Florissant, MO. Our relationship with the facility was in its infancy when the unfortunate situation took place.

"When we were first engaged, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ratings for St. Sophia were lower. Today, the CMS Quality Measures Rating for St. Sophia is five out of five stars, with the facility exceeding Missouri and national averages on many measures. We immediately began investing to improve the facility, and over time are improving its performance.

"We help create a culture within skilled nursing facilities that is focused on continuous improvement, and by so doing are dedicated to empowering better living for residents who need rehabilitation, skilled and long-term care."

Denise Thordsen, director of St. Sophia Health and Rehabilitation Center, issued this statement:

"St. Sophia is deeply committed to providing high-quality care for all of our residents. We respect the privacy of all our residents and their families, and federal law prevents us from commenting further on any specific events or treatment.

"St. Sophia is on a continual journey to be a place that is safe, comfortable, and that provides a high quality of care. Our commitment is demonstrated by the improvement in the 'star' ratings by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a staff that includes a new Administrator, Director of Nursing and an Assistant Director of Nursing, as well as the investments we have made in the facility over the past year. We look forward to continuing to serve the Florissant community for many more years."

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Former nursing home resident claims staff neglected her

Tonight on Marti Oakley's T. S. Radio: Abolishing Probate #14: Citizen Oversight Committees

5:00 pm PST… 6:00 pm MST… 7:00 pm CST … 8:00 pm EST

Join Marti Oakley, Luanne Fleming and Robin Austin as we host Alison “Sunny” Maynard.

To contact Sunny: dinophile@gmail.com

You can also go to her blog: therealcolorado.blogspot.com

Tonight we will be talking about the corruption of the Judiciary, and what we might do to regain control of our legal system.

At issue is the “self-policing” that the BAR Associations along with the Judiciary use to protect themselves and what many times is outright criminal activity. BAR oversight boards, Judicial oversight boards and other constructs are used to discredit and discard complaints of judicial abuses and sweep away the wrong doings of lawyers. Self-policing is obviously a disservice to the public and has facilitated the rampant corruption in what is now laughingly referred to as our judicial/legal system. The entire system is designed to act as a protection racket.

BUT~! what if we assembled citizens committees to take in complaints and review them? Then compare those reviews to the actions taken on the same complaints made to BAR oversight boards and judicial oversight boards? Did you send in a formal complaint? What was the response? Let our citizens committees review the same complaint and see if we would come up with same results. With a national average approaching nearly 99% of findings of no wrong-doing by judges or lawyers with the thousands of complaints lodged each year…..how honest do you believe these oversight boards are?

As a note: WE DO NOT need BAR union cards to access the law, nor to review complaints. Even though the citizens committees would have no force of law at this time, they could provide a counter to the obvious protection rackets running by those gaming the system for self benefit.

LISTEN to the show live or listen to the archive later

Woman's body has been at mortuary for more than a year

Nancy Jo Roberts

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) – The body of Nancy Jo Roberts has been at a mortuary for more than a year now.

How does something like this happen? Haphazardly, FOX19 NOW has learned. As it turns out, the state doesn't officially track cases like hers.

And as of right now, her family is still not being told what happened to their beloved sister and aunt, a developmentally disabled woman, who would have celebrated her 77th birthday just a few days ago.

Roberts had a happy upbringing. Despite her limitations since birth, her parents raised her to be strong and independent.

"My aunt was very capable. She was able to take care of her own hygiene, she was able to cook and clean, my grandmother really taught her well," said her nephew Dave Lord. "The one thing my aunt couldn't do -- she could never express to you her fears, her dreams, she couldn't speak clearly."

Lord claims that several years ago, while his aunt was in a Cleveland-area nursing home, she was raped by a worker there. That man went to jail.

"Justice was served in that case," said Lord.

Nancy was then transferred to the North Bend Group Home in Cincinnati where she lived for three years. Family routinely flew her to visit them during the holidays.

But with Roberts' declining health and no family living in Cincinnati to check on her regularly, Hamilton County Probate court assigned Joe Stenger as guardian.

"A social worker with the group home contacted Mr. Stenger who then, with his attorney, prepared and filed the papers with the court.  An expert evaluation was filed. The court investigator went out, visited with her, served her notice, prepared his own report, a hearing was held and the magistrate determined that indeed Ms. Roberts needed to have a guardian at that particular point in time, " said Paul Rattermann, Chief Magistrate of the Hamilton County Probate Court.

The family says nobody reached out to them.

"On the application the guardian filed with the probate court, he listed there was no known next of kin," said Rattermann, who explained, under Ohio Revised Code 2111, next of kin who live out of state do not need to be notified.

Lord insists all they would have had to do was ask.

According to court documents, Stenger would visit Nancy monthly. FOX19 NOW stopped by Stenger's house to question him about how Roberts died. His wife said he was not home, and he never got back in touch with us.

Stenger had moved Roberts from North Bend to the Veranda Gardens nursing home. Her family, though, had no idea she'd been moved until her brother called North Bend one day to speak with her and was told she was no longer there.

"The guardian moved her from the facility where she was happy to this nursing home where, seven months later, she passed away," said Lord.

The family asked why no autopsy was done. The Hamilton County Coroner's office tells FOX19 NOW it was a non-coroner's case.

The coroner usually gets involved if there is anything unexpected or unnatural about a person's death. According to her medical records, it appears she died of natural causes related to heart failure. This was a non-coroner's case and she did not need an autopsy.

Roberts' body was brought to Premium Mortuary Services, the same mortuary FOX19 NOW has investigated twice in the past several months (after the state board fined them for multiple violations). It was actually Roberts' body that triggered a firestorm of controversy this past summer. Owner Casey Liston talked only to FOX19 NOW about what really happened there.

It was late Christmas Eve 2016, just after midnight, when Lord's family got the call from Veranda Gardens, the Hamilton County nursing home a court-appointed guardian had moved Roberts to several months earlier.

"Calling to inform you that your sister Nancy passed away tonight," Lord recounted. "And Joe Stenger got on the phone, said that he didn't have anything else to do with it, with my aunt now that she had passed away."

It's true that Stenger's role as guardian ended the minute Roberts died. But her journey into limbo was just beginning, with her body being taken first to a Colerain Township funeral home.

"Once they realized she was going to be an indigent case for Colerain Township, they did not want to handle that case anymore, so Colerain Township told them to send her to us," said Liston, the owner of Premium Mortuary Services in Carlisle.

When Lord saw FOX19 NOW's report detailing multiple violations at Premium Mortuary Services, he grew concerned.

"My heart just sank to the bottom of my gut," he said.

Meanwhile, it was a strong odor from Roberts' un-embalmed body that triggered the entire investigation of Liston's business.

"Anybody would ask, 'Why?' Why would you still have a body for a year?" said Poul Lemasters, a death care attorney who represented Liston throughout the investigation. "And until you know and understand that – legally because we have no other choice, there is nothing we can do."

So how does Premium Mortuary become the dumping ground for bodies that funeral homes don't want to deal with? Liston says becoming a holding facility has grown his business.

"They are limited by law as what they're allowed to do," said Lemasters. "All they can do is accept a body."

Premium Mortuary could not do a thing to the body. The only person who was in a position to help the family, Liston, had his hands tied.

"Can't cremate. Can't bury," Lemasters said, replying to questions asked by FOX19 NOW. "(When it comes to Roberts), you hold her and keep her in the most dignified way you can."

There is still no death certificate and no cause of death, Lord said.

"Had we done an autopsy last year, we would have a cause of death and a death certificate and my aunt would be at peace and the family would have closure on this," Lord said.

Again, the state does not officially track indigent cases such as these.

Liston has had long conversations with the family and hears their heartbreak. Premium Mortuary reached out to Lord this week, offering to bury Roberts and give her a proper funeral at their expense, to put the family and Roberts at peace.

To bury her, Liston would need a funeral home and funeral director to process a death certificate, for a doctor to sign the death certificate, permission from her family, and a few more pieces of information.

Lord and his family are considering their options for Roberts' burial now. 

Though this is an extreme case, those who don't live near loved ones or check or them regularly could end up in a similar situation.

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Woman's body has been at mortuary for more than a year

$100,000 Civil Penalty Filed Against Livingston Broker Who Defrauded Elderly Couple

NEWARK, NJ — A Livingston broker’s agent registration will be revoked and he will receive an imposition of $100,000 in civil monetary penalties against him and his company NJLI Advisors L.L.C. after defrauding an elderly couple of at least $280,000, according to Attorney General Gubrir Grewal and the New Jersey Bureau of Securities within the Division of Consumer Affairs.

According to their announcement, Michael Alan Siegel befriended the elderly couple, who were in their 80s, ingratiating himself to them while they were dealing with a significant health issue within the family. Siegel spent hours each week with the elderly husband discussing the stock market, according to the attorney general’s office.

Shortly after the death of a family member, the elderly couple was convinced to transfer their brokerage accounts to a broker-dealer with whom Siegel was associated. In the Summary Penalty and Revocation Order issued by the bureau on Feb. 1, the bureau chief found that Siegel convinced the couple to write him checks to invest in options contracts, which he never purchased. He pocketed the couple’s money and spent it on travel for him and his family members, high-end audio equipment and restaurants.

“The behavior outlined by the Bureau in this case is outrageous and infuriating,” said Grewal. “Taking advantage of an elderly couple during a time when they most need help and empathy is disgusting. The bureau did the right thing by making sure this agent never has the ability to con people again under the guise of being a securities agent.”

Sharon M. Joyce, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, said that registered securities agents are entrusted with hard-earned money of their clients. She added that violations like this “must be met with the strongest possible penalties”

According to the bureau chief, it was discovered that Siegel exploited his relationship with the couple between July 2013 and January 2016 by having them write personal checks to him for the purported options investments and commissions for the purported investments. Siegel also violated the policies of procedures of two broker-dealers that he was associated with by accepting checks, loans and gifts from the elderly couple who had accounts with the two firms, according to the bureau.

When the husband died, Siegel continued to direct the elderly widow to write him checks for purported options investments and commissions. According to the attorney general’s office, the widow relied on Siegel for financial decisions and entrusted him with access to her email account, bank accounts and passwords.

Full Article & Source:
$100,000 Civil Penalty Filed Against Livingston Broker Who Defrauded Elderly Couple

Scammers impersonating Social Security officials are out to steal identities: Gianaris

State Sen. Michael Gianaris

State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) issued a warning to New York consumers Monday about a new scam recently uncovered by the Federal Trade Commission in which imposters are tricking people into sharing their Social Security numbers over the phone and through a website. Callers claiming to be representatives of the Social Security Administration are contacting consumers, claiming a computer glitch requires them to ask for their Social Security numbers.

The Social Security Administration does not contact people directly to confirm that information.

“These fraudsters are our to steal identities and wreak havoc on the lives of New Yorkers,” Gianaris said. “I urge everyone to follow common sense advice and never divulge a Social Security number or other personal information to strangers over the phone or Internet.”

Additionally, fake websites have been created to target people seeking new copies of their Social Security cards. New cards are only available by submitting paper documents to the Social Security Administration.

“These scams often target vulnerable New Yorkers, including seniors and new Americans,” Gianaris said. “Everyone should be vigilant about protecting their identities.”

Gianaris urges consumers who receive these calls to contact the Social Security Administration directly at 1(800) 772-1213 with any questions. Gianaris has taken steps to protect consumers from scams and fraud, voting for legislation which would treat financial exploitation of the elderly as larceny and another measure increasing the criminal penalty for identity theft.

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Scammers impersonating Social Security officials are out to steal identities: Gianaris

91-year-old lesbian is America’s only remaining princess

The throne room of Iolani Palace in Honolulu, Hawaii

 Move over, Britain, with your fancy royals and their tabloid-worthy scandals.

America has a princess, and she’s a multimillionaire nonagenarian Hawaiian lesbian with an unpronounceable name, a stable of racehorses, a new wife and an angry lawyer.

Meet Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa.

She’s 91, and beloved by Hawaiians as their “last princess” — the only surviving blood-related member of the former island nation’s royal family.

Princess Kawananakoa has lived a quiet, reclusive life of Chanel tweed dress suits and quiet philanthropy for decades, keeping out of the mainland press save for the occasional million-dollar purse won by one of her prized quarter horses.

But the elderly woman — whose ancestors once lived in a palace full of gilded koa-wood furniture and flashed 14-carat diamond pinky rings — has lately been thrust into a garish spotlight by some unsightly legal battles.

Abigail Kawananakoa (center) in 2010

First, there’s the princess’ new spouse, who may or may not be physically abusive.

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There were some questionable bruises. But even atop the finest and most prudent shoes, ladies in their 90s do take an occasional fall, the wife contends.

Then there’s the ex-lawyer, who has seized control of the princess’ $200 million fortune by having her declared mentally unfit. It’s a declaration her highness is now fighting strenuously.

To understand our princess’ claim to Hawaiians’ hearts and our country’s lone throne, a quick recap:

Hawaii was still an independent nation back in 1795, when its very first royal, King Kamehameha the Great, took over the beautiful, palm-fanned archipelago after subduing a tangle of warring chiefs.

Kamehameha and his successors had a dizzying time of it.

Europeans, the Chinese and eventually Americans descended in droves, bringing disease, missionaries, opium and sugar-cane magnates to the island paradise.

Even Hawaii’s most fun ruler, the hula-loving, ukulele-strumming King Kalakaua — known as the “Merrie Monarch” — proved no match for plotting American annexationists, who were not satisfied with merely taking over Pearl Harbor.

Upon his death in 1891, his sister, Queen Liliuokalani, tried to hold on to power, but was deposed and overthrown — with the help of several US Marines — within two years, with the United States officially annexing Hawaii in 1898.

Twenty-eight years later, in 1926, Abigail was born — the great-grandniece of Queen Liliuokalani and the only heir apparent in the very faint eventuality that Hawaii is somehow restored to monarchy.

She has no official title or duties. But many in Hawaii revere her as the last of the “alii,” the Hawaiian word for royalty.

“She epitomizes what Hawaiian royalty is, in all its dignity and intelligence and art,” says Kimo Alama Keaulana, assistant professor of Hawaiian language and studies at Honolulu Community College.

“Hawaiians hold dear to genealogy. And so, genealogically speaking, she is of high royal blood.”

Princess Kawananakoa also has wealth, piles of it.

A nearly 14-carat diamond that Hawaiian King Kalakaua wore as a pinky ring is displayed at Iolani Palace in Honolulu.

She is estimated to have inherited some $250 million from her great-grandfather, James Campbell, an Irish sugar magnate whose plantation holdings made him one of Hawaii’s largest landowners.

She was also bequeathed the Merrie Monarch’s nearly 14-carat diamond pinky ring, the same bauble that had twinkled during his ukulele-playing at many a royal luau.

She donated the ring for public display at Honolulu’s Iolani Palace, built by the Merrie Monarch and now the only royal palace on American soil.

The princess enjoyed her wealth, breeding champion quarter horses on her ranches in Hawaii, California and Washington state — and in 1993 won the $1 million purse in the New Mexico All American Futurity race.

Her many philanthropies included funding protesters who recently lost their fight against plans to build one of the world’s largest telescopes atop Mauna Kea, a mountain considered sacred by native Hawaiians.

She has also paid the electric bill for Iolani Palace for the past six years. This, despite her having been ousted as president of the Friends of Iolani Palace in 1995, after she sat on one of its thrones for a Life magazine photo shoot, damaging its fabric.

Kawananakoa’s fairy-tale life as America’s only princess began to unravel last year.

In June, she suffered a stroke — and her longtime lawyer, James Wright, quickly won control of her estate, arguing that she was “incapacitated.”

Then, in October, the princess shocked even those closest to her by suddenly marrying her partner of 20 years, Veronica Gail Worth, 64.

Worth now possesses health care power of attorney.

And the wife and the lawyer are locked in multiple ugly court battles over who controls the princess.

The lawyer is alleging in court papers that Worth is just out for the princess’ fortune.

Worth collects a $700,000 annual “allowance” and has sought tens of millions of dollars more in stock and cash, he told the Honolulu Civil Beat, an online news publication.

After the princess turned down these requests, Worth moved out — only to move back in and marry the princess after her stroke, the lawyer told the publication.

The Royal Hawaiian coat of arms hangs in the throne room at Iolani Palace.

“There has been a constant stream of demands for more money,” Wright said.

Worth has an interesting rap sheet, according to the publication.

In 1985, she and then-husband Earl Harbin were indicted by Honolulu prosecutors on charges of attempted theft — for allegedly trying to trade stolen electronics for money or drugs.

Both pleaded no contest; the husband went to prison and Worth went on probation, the publication reported.

Making matters worse, Worth may have physically beaten the princess, the lawyer alleges in court papers.

He has the “photographic evidence” of the resulting bruises to prove his claims and has given the pictures to the Hawaii Attorney General’s Office, he told the Civil Beat.

The wife, meanwhile, is countering that she has only her beloved princess’ best interest at heart — and that the elderly woman had merely fallen and “struck furniture, which caused the bruising, which is not uncommon for someone her age,” her court papers assert.

The princess, in turn, has hired new lawyers to regain control of her fortune, which remains in Wright’s hands, even though the princess has since fired him.

A court-appointed special master is investigating her mental capacity and the abuse allegations.

Given all the legal hubbub, the princess has been unable to continue funding her former favorite charities, including paying the palace electric bill.

The palace lights are now running on backup funds, officials said.

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91-year-old lesbian is America’s only remaining princess

Johnston lawyer arrested in court on fraud, conspiracy charges

Robert F. McNelis

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — State police arrested a Johnston lawyer in court Wednesday on nine felony and two misdemeanor charges.

Robert McNelis, 38, of 13 Alma St., Providence, was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in District Court, Providence, on multiple charges, including fraud, conspiracy and falsely reporting a crime, a news release from the Rhode Island State Police said.

The case began with a fraud complaint from a Pawtucket check-cashing service, Xtreme Computers, at 210 Lonsdale Ave.

An investigation by the state police Financial Crimes Unit found that numerous checks were cashed by Marcus Crook in January 2016, drawn on a lawyer trust account held by Robert F. McNelis.

Detectives visited his law office at 986 Hartford Ave., Johnston, where McNelis said the checkbook for his trust account at BankRI had been stolen. He said he had learned of the theft after a check to a chiropractor on behalf of a client was returned for insufficient funds. McNelis said he asked at the bank and found that several checks had been cashed at Xtreme Computers.

Saying he knew of Crook but had no personal or professional relationship with him, and that his contact was “limited at best,” McNelis said he wanted to prosecute.

After another check was cashed, this one on McNelis’ personal account, he told the detectives that his personal checkbook had been stolen.

Losses from the eight checks amounted to $7,705 from Xtreme Computers and $5,138 from McNelis.

Crook was arrested on a warrant in December. Detectives then determined that McNelis had asked Crook to cash the checks.

The two misdemeanor charges against McNelis are falsely reporting a crime and obstructing a police officer. The nine felony charges are unlawful appropriation, bank fraud, forgery and counterfeiting, as well as two counts of soliciting another to commit a crime and three counts of conspiracy.

McNelis was released on his own recognizance. His next court date is May 2.

Full Article & Source:
Johnston lawyer arrested in court on fraud, conspiracy charges

How to Help Your Older Loved One Feel Less Lonely

         Credit: Adobe Stock

 

(This article appeared previously on Caring.com.)

Here’s an all-too-common scenario: An older adult in your life is becoming increasingly isolated, and you worry that he or she is lonely, but you’re not sure what to do. It’s not the easiest subject to bring up, especially when family members or loved ones don’t want to admit they’re feeling alone.

But lack of contact with others is a serious issue among older adults, social services experts say.

Sometimes an older adult lacks a network of family and friends; other times he or she may withdraw into isolation as a result of health conditions, depression or mental illness. Physical limitations such as a fear of falling can keep an older adult isolated in her home, as can fatigue, chronic pain or shame over memory problems. Many older adults become nervous about driving long distances or can no longer drive after dark and may fear or resist using public transportation.

Fact: Loneliness Harms Your Brain

Interesting new research is showing that loneliness may speed the onset of dementia. In a recent Dutch study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, researchers followed more than 2,000 healthy, dementia-free older adults for three years and found that 13 percent who reported feeling lonely developed dementia by the end of that time, as compared with 6 percent with strong social support.

Fact: Loneliness Harms Your Heart

In 2012, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) compiled the results of numerous studies and concluded that there’s a link between loneliness and fatal heart disease. In one study cited, researchers at Harvard followed 44,000 people with heart disease and found that 8 percent of patients who lived alone died after four years, compared with 5.7 of those who lived with a spouse or others.

In research on the outcomes of coronary disease, Swedish researchers discovered that coronary bypass patients who checked the box “I feel lonely” had a mortality rate 2.5 times higher than other patients 30 days post-surgery, and that even five years later they were twice as likely to have died.

Fact: Loneliness Kills

When researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, followed a group of older adults for six years, they found that by the end of the study period, almost a quarter (22.8 percent) of all those who had reported feeling isolated or lonely had died. And another 25 percent had suffered significant health declines. By comparison, among those who said they were happy or satisfied with their social lives, only 12.5 percent had declining health, and only 14.2 percent had died.

And before you dismiss this type of isolation as common only among the very old, consider that the average age of the adults in the study was just 71. In other words, many baby boomers are reaching retirement age without strong social networks to support them.

Another study, this time from Brigham Young University, analyzed study data for more than 300,000 people and found that loneliness was as strong a marker for early death as alcoholism and heavy (more than 15 cigarettes a day) smoking.

4 Ways to Protect Your Older Loved Ones from Loneliness

What can you do if an older adult in your life is growing isolated or lonely? Here are four simple steps you can take to help your loved one reconnect:

1. Help your loved one become more social-media savvy. As younger folks know all too well, you don’t need to leave your house to catch up with friends, follow current events and find out about events in your area. Email and news sites are one way to do this, of course, but using a social media site like Facebook makes it even easier for an older adult to feel connected, simply by being able to see what others are posting.

Facebook also offers plenty of opportunities to participate in “watercooler” discussions of current goings-on and share recommendations for books, movies and music. Ask yourself: Don’t you feel more motivated to get out and see a movie if your friends are talking about it? The same is true for your parent or loved one.

2. Encourage your loved one not to live alone. It’s common for older adults to want to “age in place” in their own homes, and you may hear strong opinions on this topic from your parents and older loved ones. But this may not be such a good idea, experts say; studies show that those who live alone are prone to a host of health issues compared with those who are married or living in a group living situation.

A Dutch study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry showed that people who lived alone or who were no longer married were between 70 and 80 percent more likely to develop dementia than those who lived with others or were married. And a recent study conducted at University College London found that social isolation — even more than loneliness — can lead to early death, even for those as young as 52.

3. Set up transportation options.
 Ask anyone who works with older adults living on their own: One of the biggest factors behind isolation is lack of transportation. Many older adults no longer drive, or they fear driving at night or on unfamiliar routes. Call your local Area Agency on Aging and get a list of all the transportation resources in your loved one’s area.

If, despite your encouragement, your loved one resists using group transportation, consider setting up a taxi fund so taking a taxi doesn’t feel like too much of a splurge. Another possibility: Find a taxi driver in your area whom your parent feels comfortable with and set up regular appointments for your loved one’s activities.

4. Help your loved one find support groups.
 When older adults with health problems find support from others with the same condition, it helps with loneliness and depression. They may also get valuable information and motivation to seek help for their health condition.

University College London researchers noted that the early death rate for socially isolated people may be due to the fact that they don’t have anyone to encourage them to get help with health problems or to intervene in a health crisis.

When loved ones have physical impairments, an online support group may ease anxiety and inspire ideas for ways to help themselves. If your loved one is a widower or widow, a bereavement or grief support group offers a chance to share feelings as well as a place to meet others in the same situation.

By Melanie Haiken

Melanie Haiken has written about health and family-related issues for magazines such as Health, Real Simple, Woman's Day, Yoga Journal, and websites such as BabyCenter.com, WebMD, and the Blue Cross/Blue Shield websites. She was managing editor at San Francisco magazine and has cared for both parents during health challenges.  

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How to Help Your Older Loved One Feel Less Lonely