New nonprofit working to combat elder abuse in Birmingham

By Lauren Harksen

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - A new nonprofit is dedicated to combatting elder abuse in the Birmingham area.

Alabama has an elder abuse registry. The governor signed Shirley’s Law only a few weeks ago.

With the creation of the new law, comes the new organization called See Something, Say Something.

“We want people to know -- rather than saying, ‘There’s nothing you can do. You can’t fight the big people at the top.’ Yes, you can if you come together because they’re organized at the top, we want to be organized a little lower,” said Edward Coke, the President of the See Something, Say Something committee.

The group was created in late March. Coke says their focus is on elder abuse coming from the high officials, because sometimes people with power abuse that power.

“They are abusing the elderly with the judgements and the decisions that they’re making and handling their legal affairs,” said Coke. “It’s really an unspoken atrocity that’s going on.”

In March, Governor Kay Ivey signed the Elder Abuse Law, also known as Shirley’s Law. It creates a registry for elder care agencies to check if a person has been convicted of elder abuse.

In a press release, the nonprofit describes what elder abuse is: “It’s taking money or resources from an elderly person. It’s pushing or shoving them. It’s leaving them unattended when they cannot care for themselves. It’s using the legal system or any entity in order to take advantage of the elderly (among other things).”

“I used to work in a nursing home to where I seen first-hand that you have employees, particularly nurses, there that are stealing money from them, they’re stealing possessions that they have in their rooms, they’re treating elders with disrespect,” said Vice President Keith Williams.

Williams says elder abuse comes in many shapes and sizes, that’s why the creation of See Something, Say Something is so important.

“We are the advocacy group that has been formed to stand in the gap for the hurting and the most vulnerable,” said Patricia Bell, the communications director.

The group wants those to come forward if they believe they were a victim of elder abuse.

“We know there’s a lot of people that’s scared,” said Williams. “They don’t know what to do. They believe they can’t fight city hall. Call See Something, Say Something. We’ll fight city hall for you and we will be your voice.”

The organization says the public is invited to contact them through their Facebook page.

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New nonprofit working to combat elder abuse in Birmingham

2 Arrested For Allegedly Exploiting Blind, Elderly Woman With Dementia

A caretaker and her partner have been arrested in Miami-Dade for allegedly financially exploiting a blind, elderly woman with dementia, prosecutors said.

Evelyn Dinora Lopez De Ramirez De Hernandez and Yuri Hernandez, both 45, allegedly gained access to the victim’s finances and stole about $130,000 from her, according to the office of State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.

“This poor woman needed care and assistance, which is why she hired De Ramirez De Hernandez,” Fernandez Rundle said. “But what she allegedly received was an apathetic concern about her daily physical needs and a greedy hand rummaging through the finances intended to provide for her care. These issues are what make crimes against our disabled and our elder residents so troubling.”

Ramirez De Hernandez is charged with one count of exploitation of elderly/disabled over $100,000, one count of theft from elderly over $50,000 and one count of organized fraud over $50,000. 

Hernandez is charged with one count of theft from elderly over $50,000, one count of organized fraud over $50,000 and one count of conspiracy to commit organized fraud over $50,000.

L-R: Evelyn Dinora Lopez De Ramirez De Hernandez and Yuri Hernandez

The arrests occurred after relatives of the victim in North Carolina received a call from the victim’s investment advisor, notifying them of an odd telephone call he received from the victim asking to withdraw $40,000.

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2 Arrested For Allegedly Exploiting Blind, Elderly Woman With Dementia

Colorado’s chief justice acknowledges “inadequacies” in state’s system for disciplining judges

Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright of the Colorado Supreme Court addresses an auditorium full of students at Pomona High School before he and the other six members of the court hear two cases at the high school on Oct. 26, 2021 in Arvada. The visit is part of the Colorado Judicial Branch’s “Courts in the Community” outreach program.

By Shelly Bradbury

Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Brian Boatright on Thursday acknowledged “inadequacies” in the state’s system for disciplining judges and said he welcomed reform while stopping short of fully supporting the current effort by lawmakers to remake the system.

“From everything I am aware of, I think judicial discipline works,” Boatright said, adding later, “I don’t think the system is broken. But with that said, I am completely supportive of looking at any reforms that would make the system better.”

During a public hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, Boatright listed several concerns with the bipartisan bill, SB22-201, which aims to reform the state’s system for disciplining judges who violate ethical and professional rules. The measure was introduced Monday by Sen. Pete Lee, D-El Paso County, Sen. Bob Gardner, R-El Paso County, and Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Arapahoe County.

Boatright has publicly said he and the state Supreme Court support the reform effort, but he and Justice Monica Márquez also personally lobbied lawmakers over concerns about the bill and its timing, The Denver Post found. Boatright sent an email Wednesday to judges across the state in which he said the bill has “serious flaws.”

The reform bill aims to give the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline more independence from the Colorado Supreme Court and would also create a special committee to consider how to best overhaul the judicial discipline system.

The bill follows reporting by The Post on an alleged blackmail scandal within the Colorado Judicial Department in which a top administrator allegedly threatened to make judges’ unaddressed misconduct public unless she was given a $2.75 million contract.

“The public will not have faith in a system in which those charged with assessing misconduct of judges are overseen by judges, where judges screen all complaints against judges and select which complaints move forward for investigation,” Lee said Thursday. “If the judges control the budget, the rules, the appeals, the outcome, the system is at best suspect and at worst fundamentally flawed.” (Click to continue reading)

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Colorado’s chief justice acknowledges “inadequacies” in state’s system for disciplining judges

Bloomington Man Sentenced For Financial Exploitation of Lamberton Senior Citizens

A Bloomington man was sentenced in Redwood County Court April 4 for financial exploitation of several vulnerable adults. According to court documents, in late 2017, Lamberton Police Department got several reports of several individuals with dementia possibly having their finances mismanaged by one of their sons, 52-year-old Paul Charles Dietl. Among the evidence was a credit card in Dietl’s possession with over $54,000 in charges, $27,000 of which was in the form of cash advances made in Mexico. Also, one of the victims took out a $60,000 automobile loan for a new pickup that was being kept by Dietl. Also, Dietl’s brother noted that nearly a quarter million dollars had been withdrawn from his parents’ accounts. Additional evidence included a $70,000 check made out to Dietl as part of the sale of a lake home on Lake Florida in Kandiyohi County owned by the victims, which Dietl had no legal authority to sell. On April 4, Paul Charles Dietl was sentence for felony financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult to 365 days local confinement, stayed 305 days for two years with credit for one day time served, two years supervised probation, and $185 in fines and fees.

 

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Bloomington Man Sentenced For Financial Exploitation of Lamberton Senior Citizens

Happy Easter!

 

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Woman Wears Her Original Wedding Dress While Celebrating 70th Anniversary with Husband

 Lovebirds Nancy Lubbers, 87, and Melvin Lubbers, 91, met at a skating rink and wed in 1952

 

By People Staff

Nancy and Melvin Lubbers

| Credit: @anna.behning/CATERS

A pair of teenage sweethearts rang in their 70th year of marriage by staging a swoon-worthy photoshoot featuring the bride in her original wedding dress. 

Nancy Lubbers, 87, and her 91-year-old husband Melvin met at a skating rink when Nancy was just 16, according to Caters News Agency. Seven decades later, the couple has five children, 12 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren — and nearly a lifetime of memories under their belts.

The South Dakota natives decided the best way to celebrate their 70th anniversary was with a special photoshoot in the family garden, captured by their youngest granddaughter, Anna, who works as a professional wedding photographer. 

"My grandparents only have a couple of photos from their wedding day," Anna said, per Caters. "I came up with the idea to take photos of Grandma in her dress and then my mom, Melissa, found Grandpa's Korean War Army suit for him to wear."

Nancy and Melvin Lubbers

| Credit: @anna.behning/CATERS

The memorable ensembles were on display at the love birds' church wedding in 1952, following Melvin's proposal at a ballpark.

Nancy originally purchased her dress for about $35 and her veil for $15, according to Caters.

Asked how she felt to wear her gown again, Nancy said, "It really was an honor that I could still get in it."

Melvin Lubbers

| Credit: @anna.behning/CATERS

"My dress was something special and I loved it, so I just preserved it and kept it all these years," she added. "It felt really good to wear it again and we had fun reminiscing about our wedding day and the photo shoot was a lot of fun."

"Oh boy, that certainly brought back some good memories," Melvin said of seeing his wife in the gown again.

Caters reported that Melvin likes to joke he bought Nancy's rings from a gumball machine, but the young couple was actually able to pay for their own wedding and reception in the basement of the church, where they celebrated with ice cream and cake for dessert. 

Nancy and Melvin Lubbers' wedding day on Jan. 6, 1952

| Credit: @anna.behning/CATERS

Shortly after getting hitched, Melvin was called to serve in the Korean War as a tank commander for eight months, forcing him and Nancy to forgo a honeymoon, according to Caters.

The two went on to raise their children together while Nancy worked in a grocery store and Melvin worked as a salesman and maintained a hobby farm. 

The Lubbers with their family

| Credit: @anna.behning/CATERS

Along the way, they learned the secret for a long and happy marriage.

"You won't always agree, sometimes you have a disagreement, but when you have one of those you sit down and talk about it and come up with an answer — and once it's resolved, don't bring it back up," Melvin told Caters.

"Always respect each other even when you don't agree," Nancy added. "Just make the best of your life."

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Woman Wears Her Original Wedding Dress While Celebrating 70th Anniversary with Husband

Music Helps Bring Back Memories in Elders with Dementia

Lakehouse Music Academy students partnered with the Alive Inside Foundation to explore the healing power of music in elders with dementia.

 

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Music Helps Bring Back Memories in Elders with Dementia

Peter Cottontail

 

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Peter Cottontail · Gene Autry 

Source: Peter Cottontail

Stranger notices father and daughter struggling with wheelchair, offers to build them accessibility ramp for free

by FarahR

For most teenagers, getting home after a busy day at school is the highlight of their day, but the opposite is true for one High Point Central High School freshman named Almay Belton.

Although the 14-year-old from North Carolina looks forward to coming home every day, her routine is not the same as everyone else’s.

While most of her classmates can go dashing toward their front door when they get off the school bus, it’s not as easy for Almay because she uses a wheelchair.

Youtube

Every day, her father, Anthony Belton, would wait for her to come home so he could help her get up their front steps that do not have an accessibility ramp.

“Basically when she gets off the bus she has a little frown on her face, like here we go, about to go up these steps,” Anthony said. “At the same time it’s hard on me, dealing with my back and I’m getting older, not younger.”

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Joe Hill, the owner of Premier Waterproofing, happened to be in Almay’s neighborhood late last year to do some work. While there, he observed how Anthony would help his daughter off the bus and lift her wheelchair over the stairs every day because they do not have an accessibility ramp.

Joe wanted to help, so he knocked on the family’s door and made them an offer.

“He goes, ‘I was wondering, would you mind if I came out here and built you a ramp for nothing?’ and I kind of looked at him funny and said, ‘yeah OK there’s got to be a catch.’ Nothing is for nothing,” Anthony said.

But as Anthony would soon find out, the kind stranger meant every word he said. On December 13, he returned with his team to build the accessibility ramp for Almay. And the best part is that they did it all for free!

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Once it was done, Joe and Anthony waited together to surprise Almay. When the teen got off the bus, she couldn’t help but flash a huge grin upon seeing the ramp.

“To see her smile, as soon as the door opened and she got there she just started smiling. All I can say is nothing in the world that can put a smile on dad’s face like seeing his kids smile,” Anthony said of Almay’s reaction.

It was also Joe’s favorite thing about all of this.

“The smile did it for me,” he said. “And knowing she can do it pretty much by herself, so it’s a little more independence for her.”

YouTube

Almay won’t have to go through her old frustrations anymore now that she can get inside the house herself using the accessibility ramp.

Anthony is amazed at just how everything came to be. After all, it’s not every day that you meet someone like Joe, who offered to help their family in such a beautiful way without expecting anything in return.

“Never knew each other. Never met. That was my first time meeting him. And for him to pull up and say that. At first, I was like ‘why is that truck in my driveway its kind of weird.’ But then we got to talking and there was a connection and I was like ok he has a big heart,” Anthony said.

Joe said he had a soft spot for children and felt the need to do something when he saw Almay and Anthony struggling.

YouTube

“I saw a need, knew I could take care of it and it went from there,” Hill said.

While Joe came up with the idea for the project, he said it wouldn’t have been a reality without the help of his team, Jaland, Malik, Rob, and Chad Leggett’s crew from CVC Services.

“We need to have more Samaritans out here doing the same thing,” Anthony said. “Helping each other instead of putting each other down. We need to be there for each other. And by him doing that, it shows you there are people in the world that do have hearts. People that do care about other people.”

Learn more about this heartwarming story of kindness in the video below. 

 

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Stranger notices father and daughter struggling with wheelchair, offers to build them accessibility ramp for free