The goal of sharing information about elder exploitation, abuse, neglect, undue influence, etc. is to make readers aware of the nuances of elder abuse. Too many think elder abuse is tying a senior citizen to a bed and beating them physically. What we are addressing is psychological and emotional abuse leading to a deterioration in quality of life, including denial of a right to life, and other types of psychological, financial and emotional exploitation. A senior of a fixed income can be denied a right to life if their ability to support themselves (finanical exploitation) is present. Elder abuse, neglect and exploitation issues are froth with all sorts of nuance type behaviors and abuses and to think of it as just phsyical is not realistic, accurate nor appropriate. There will updates to the material in our book so that readers have a manual for "how to" recognize impaired judgement, what to do about, what will law enforcement and social services need to hear from observers, the buzz words to document what is transpiring, etc. This is imperative information to every aging American and it will be updated shortly. Please see: www.ParadiseCosts.com and keep up with the blog. Thanks very much, and, remember elder abuse is EVERYONE'S BUSINESS.
- Introduction
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Prevention
-
Caregiving
- Coping with Emotional Changes
- Coping with Memory Loss
- Costs and Insurance
- Creating a Daily Routine
- Exercise
- Health and Wellbeing of the Caregiver
- Home Safety Adjustments
- Mental Exercises
- Respite Care
- Talking to Children about Alzheimer's
- Talking to Friends about Alzheimer's
- Telling Someone They Have Alzheimer's
- Transition to Assisted Living
- Transition to Nursing Home
- Work
- Related Conditions
- Resources
Paradise Costs-A Victim's Daughter Fights Back Against Elder Abuse
3/19/08 3:06pm
Dear Irene - Thanks so much for posting to our site. I am the moderator for Our Alzheimer's.com and hope I can help you if you need it.
This is a really important issue. The truth is until I read your post I really hadn't thought about the many kinds of situations that could mean Elder Abuse. Thanks again for sharing this thought provoking topic for us.
If anyone else has had a similar situation or wants to share their story please join in. The discussion is for everyone and anyone.
You may also be interested in Our Expert Jacqueline Marcell's latest post "Elder Abuse Can be Reduced by Training Caregivers About Dementia". Her in depth coverage of this topic might provide additional info for you and your family or loved one.
As well, please turn to our Caregiver Center for more help for you and your loved one.
All the best, sue
3/19/08 5:11pm
Dear Sue,
Unfortunately, my father suffered from advanced Alzheimer's that was well documented over 3 tears in his medical records. The litany of abuse, exploitation and neglect that occured while his family was unable to stop it reads like a sci-fi horror story. The nuances
of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation are almost endless.
There was nothing I could do to stop the undue influence, exploitation, abuse, neglect and eventual loss of Dad. Without a doubt, his death is suspicious given forensic toxicology done by the Director of Department of Toxicology at a large university medical school.
Our book contains that forenic report and asks the American public to ponder how many other cases like this go unnoticed because families do not have the resources in time, energy, awareness and finances to look into what may be millions of seniors denied
their right to life.
There are important tell-tale signs we can train ourselves to recognize in an Alzheimer's patient that will indicate that they are at risk of financial exploitation.
Thanks to the brilliant work of Bennett Blum, MD, an internationally acclaimed geriatric and forensic psychiatrist, who has generously granted me access to his website so that I can share his groundbreaking pioneering assessment techniques and information with caregivers, here is what his blog reveals:
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Sunday, February 10, 2008
Financial Capacity and Mild Alzheimer's Disease
A new study shows that Alzheimer's Disease (AD) affects financial capacity and the ability to resist fraud schemes early in the disease course. The study, conducted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, used a revision of the "Financial Capacity Instrument," or FCI-9, to evaluate 63 healthy elderly adults and 55 with mild AD. They were given 18 tasks thought to be involved with financial planning.
The tasks included such things as:
- Naming coins and their values
- Accurately count arrays of coins and currency
- Defining simple financial concepts
- Using financial concepts in practical applications
- Conducting transactions
- Verifying correct change
- Explaining parts of a checkbook
- Conducting a transaction via check
- Explaining conventions for tips
- Identifying parts of a bank statement
- Describing risks in mail fraud and telephone solicitation
- Explaining the purpose of bills
- Identifying an overdue utility bill
- Paying bills and preparing envelopes for mailing
- Indicating personal assets
- Describing investment options and returns
The findings correlated strongly with MMSE scores, but not with levels of depression. As a group, those with mild AD showed marked variability in their financial capabilities - however, it is noteworthy that many experienced a dramatic decline in the subsequent year.
The study concludes: "Financial capacity is already substantially impaired in patients with mild AD at baseline and undergoes rapid additional decline over one year. Relative to the comparison group, overall financial capacity performance in the AD group declined 10%, from approximately 80% of the comparison group performance at baseline to 70% at follow up. Financial skills showed differential rates of decline on both simple and complex tasks. Of clinical and public policy interest was the declining judgment of patients with mild AD regarding simple fraud schemes. The study supports the importance of prompt financial supervision and planning for patients newly diagnosed with AD."
The article was published online by the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Feb. 8, 2008:
Martin, et al. "Declining Financial Capacity in Patients With Mild Alzheimer Disease: A One-Year Longitudinal Study" - available at:
http://ajgponline.org/papbyrecent.shtml
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Thank you, Dr. Blum, for your monumental contribution in helping caregivers with cutting edge information. Also, Jacqueline, thank you, as well, for your kindness over the years I struggled to write my book.
Please read Paradise Costs--A Victim's Daughter Fights Back Against Elder Abuse and see
the nuances of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation one could never, ever imagine.
Contact me (irenemasiello@msn.com) directly, please, for an autographed copy of my book at no additional charge. It contains pages of lists of the warning signs of abuse and exploitation taken directly from a U.S. Department of Justice white paper report to law enforcement officers.
Remember exploitation, neglect and abuse are crimes. And, like any form of abuse, it is unacceptable to blame victims.
Thanks.
6/13/08 3:55pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 13, 2008 NY, NY
Re-release of Paradise Costs-A Victim's Daughter Fights Back Against Elder Abuse Marks International Elder Awareness Day; June 15, 2008
NEW YORK, NY: Bennett Blum, M.D., internationally acclaimed forensic and geriatric psychiatrist and an expert in undue influence, has added his pioneering work to that of author Irene A. Masiello in Paradise Costs-A Victim's Daughter Fights Back Against Elder Abuse, the heart-wrenching story of an infirm, 80-year-old man with Alzheimer's who was taken from his family, stripped of his assets and exploited despite the pleas of his next of kin.
Driven by grim statistics from national elder advocacy groups indicating there may be more than 25 million cases of elder exploitation in America, Dr. Blum and Ms. Masiello have joined forces to inform readers via a compelling true story while providing professional assessment guidelines that are used internationally.
Masiello supports her father's tragic story with his suspicious forensic report exemplifying a terrifying reality facing the elderly in America today. Mario Masiello, a hearing-impaired, honorably discharged, World War II veteran, retired from the NYC Transit Authority and relocated to the quaint town of Walterboro, SC. Twenty years later, his blissful life was ravaged by the death of his wife and by several illnesses including diabetes, Alzheimer's and depression. Paradise Costs tells the chilling true story of the last years of his life when he was "grandpa-napped" from his family by neighbors and "friends."
The American Psychological Association estimates that approximately 2.1 million senior citizens are victims of physical and psychological neglect and abuse every year. Many cases go unreported. Ms. Masiello's objective is to provide a voice to the millions of silent or ignored victims. "I never thought this type of betrayal and brutality could happen in my family," says his daughter. "My experience has made me realize how little people know about the deadly American pandemic that is elder abuse."
Created in a workbook format, Paradise Costs shows Americans how to take action in support of federal legislation to stop elder abuse now. The sample letters and petitions (which are also available at www.ParadiseCosts.com) are designed to help readers voice their concerns to federal officials.
"I'm urging participation via our interactive book and web site to lobby legislators to pass the Elder Justice Act now on the floor of both Houses of Congress," says the author. "Hopefully, others will be spared the suffering my father was forced to endure, and their families will not have to look on helplessly in horror as mine did."
Dr. Blum states, "Paradise Costs is a tragic, true-life tale. Unfortunately, the behaviors depicted in this book are all too common. No one knows how often criminals, 'brand new best friends' or family members exploit the elderly.Money has always been associated with the worst of human behavior. Elder financial abuse is no exception. Some of those taking assets from the elderly have been tied to gang violence, prostitution and drug trafficking. Their elderly victims are often subjected to physical abuse, neglect, abandonment, sexual abuse and murder."
Recognizing the difficulty of the aftermath of this tragedy, Ms. Masiello is determined not to let her father's death be in vain. "My goal now is to take my story to the nation and raise awareness of this deplorable social ill that's plaguing America," she says.
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Dr. Blum and Ms. Masiello are Members of the Elder Justice Coalition
Revised book includes Dr. Blum's PARADISE-2 & IDEAL models for assessing
undue influence and diminishing capacity.
CONTACT: Irene A. Masiello
CONTACT: Bennett Blum, M.D.
4/25/09 10:19am
The book being sold on Amazon is incorrectly titled and it is the first edition.
ONLY the second edition Paradise Costs-A Victim's Daughter Fights Back againt Elder Abuse contains Dr. Blum's work. The second version of Paradise Costs is available ONLY at www.ParadiseCosts.com.
Paradise Costs (second edition) was invited to and now is a part of the federal data base...the nation's largest source of information on elder abuse, neglect and exploitation at www.NCEA.gov at the University of Delaware: NCEA/CANE.
Contact info: starnetnews@cs.com
4/25/09 10:28am
Press release
For Immediate release
April 27, 2009, New York City, New York-Paradise Costs-A Victim's Daughter Fights Back against Elder Abuse (second edition) by Irene A. Masiello, afterword by Bennett Blum, M.D., upon invitation is now included in the data based at the Clearinghouse on Abuse and Neglect of the Elderly.
The Clearinghouse on Abuse and Neglect of the Elderly, or CANE, is established and located at University of Delaware. It is the nation's largest archive of published research, training resources, government documents and other sources on elder abuse and related issues.
The Clearinghouse on Abuse and Neglect of the Elderly operates along with the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA; see www.ncea.aoa.gov) and both function as distinctive, multi-disciplinary consortiums with expertise in elder abuse, exploitation and neglect.
For many years, the NCEA collaborators have worked towards assisting our nation in better understanding and responding to elder abuse, exploitation and neglect. Collaborators in the above have emerged from a range of professional fields making NCEA a valuable resource to many professionals working with victims of elder maltreatment, including: adult protective services; national, state, and local aging networks; law enforcement; health care professionals; domestic violence networks; and others.
Paradise Costs-A Victim's Daughter Fights Back against Elder Abuse is an interactive book asking readers to take part in helping raise awareness of abuse, neglect and exploitation of the elderly. The author created a proactive book by including tear out letters prewritten to federal legislators, lists of red flag behaviors often present in victims and perpetrators as well as those who are high risk.
Contact: 718-776-5644
Starlight Network News, Inc.
StarNetNews@cs.com
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Dear Irene,
I looked into the website about your book. I sort guessed that the bad neighbors took over things for your Dad. I am very sorry that it happened to you. It must have been devastating...
This made me think of my father-in-law. In the first two years after he lost his late wife in 2004, we had a hard time to make sure he is ok and that my husband can take care of him from a long distance. Fortunately my husband became the POA and trustee in 2006/2007. I think the legal process of becoming a POA or trustee or guardian ASAP for the elder by a real family member is very important.
Nina
Thank you, Nina. Yes, it is important. However, when the system stands in the way, as it did in my father's case, and strangers put documents in front of an incompetent man with advanced Alzheimer's with the medical records well establishing it, and they use UNDUE INFLUENCE there is little, if anything, a family can do. That was the case for my father. And, unfortunately, it is the case for countless victims' across the country. America requires sweeping reform in it's antiquated and failed system to address the 21st century abuses and exploitive tactics of those whose sole purpose is greed. Elder abuse, neglect and exploitation are exploding social ills and they must be addressed as such and they are CRIMES. We need enforcement of laws to protect seniors or more than 27 million boomers are going to be victims. Please download the reality writing letters at our site and invite your senator to hear your voice. Please support the Elder Justice Act and Cong. Sestak's amendement to it. Thank you.
Irene, Thanks for your reply. I know how hard it is. Sometimes you are not sure who is the abuser: the family or the friends? I had this experience that my FIL's friend or neighbor attempted to tell my husband what he did wrong. The friend even told our home care nurse instead of us that we could live with my FIL and etc. Due to the job situation, my husband cannot live with him except by visiting or sabbatical leave as a professor. I was like so afraid they would sue us or anything. Things got better now that the home care is 24 hours. I think we are lucky that the neighbors and friends are decent people. That is why I told my caregivers not to let strangers into the house and sell things or ask him to donate anything because my FIL is incompetent. We visit him at least 3 times a year and my husband calls him twice a day.
Nina
Nina, I regret this warning I am about to issue, however, it comes from personal experience. That neighbor has stepped over family boundaries and I would be very careful if I were you. My father had 24-hour care but it stopped nothing and even made the situation worse when various "factions" competed for a piece of the pie. The end result
was that my father was eroding THEIR assets after UNDUE INFLUENCE was exerted and succeeded. If you check out the forensic report inside Paradise Costs you will see what the chilling result was. There's an ugly word for what happened there but under advice of legal counsel I cannot and will not use it. The whole premise of the book I wrote, which btw, will be updated with pioneering accessment techniques and inside information from an internationally acclaimed expert on the subject, is to demonstrate how these situations ulitmately end. No one is held accountable and elder abuse and exploition are a cottage industry in this country. America will be more outraged about dog fighting (I am an animal lover, myself) then they will be about the premature demise of any elderly citizen. Get old in America, and you are fair game. Baby boomers take note for this will not change until YOU change it. In 2002, the Journal of the American Medical Association
printed an article stating it will be 30-40 years before our nation has the kind of awareness that child abuse has NOW in matters concerning elder abuse. Wake up, boomers, the sky is falling and more than one-third of us will be vicitms.