Gatekeepers are
people who come into contact with elders and other
vulnerable adults through their jobs and everyday
activities. They are crucial eyes and ears in our
community, a vital means of finding those most at
risk of
abuse. |
May
Is Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse
Awareness Month in California!
Help
us celebrate by:
-
Striking up a conversation with
friends and family about elder abuse prevention.
-
Checking in on your aging family
members and neighbors.
-
Sharing your copy of the Gatekeeper
with a colleague.
-
Scheduling a free elder abuse
training courtesy of The Elder Abuse Prevention
program (EAP), by contacting Talitha Guinn at tguinn@ioaging.org. -
Together, we can end elder
abuse.
As always, thank you for reading and
contributing to the Gatekeeper
eNewsletter.
Sincerely,
Elder Abuse Services Manager
Mary
Grant
Institute on
Aging
(IOA) Volunteer |
Dispatches from the
Field
Elder Abuse
Prevention Program
(EAP)
Elder and
Dependent Adult Abuse Awareness Month
 May is Elder and Dependent
Adult Abuse Awareness Month in California, and
this initiative has its roots in San Francisco.
The much admired elder justice advocate, Helen
Karr, took on the issue of elder abuse with great
determination. Her testimony before the California
Legislature in 2005 was instrumental in passing a
law that requires financial institutions to report
suspected elder financial abuse. Her tireless
advocacy also resulted in the legislature
designating May as Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse
Month in California.
The Elder Abuse Prevention
Program (EAP) is dedicated to raising awareness
about elder abuse. Here are some things EAP is
doing for Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse
Awareness Month this year:
Look for our bus
shelter ad campaign all around San Francisco!
 Last year, the EAP
collaborated with members of the San Francisco
Elder Abuse Forensic Center on a bus shelter ad
campaign. This idea evolved from Forensic Center
meetings where it became apparent that several
seniors had been approached at bus stops in the
Richmond district and targeted for financial
exploitation. The posters we produced aimed to
raise awareness of several types of financial
scams targeting seniors in our community.
This year, we expanded the
campaign by translating the ad into Spanish and
Chinese and making it culturally relevant and
representative of current financial crimes being
perpetrated in our communities.
The EAP program would like to
thank Clear Channel for their generous in-kind
donation that will enable us to have twice as many
bus shelter ads as we were originally hoping for.
This year, you will see the ads at 100 bus
shelters all over San Francisco during the month
of May.
We want to give a special
thanks to the Adult Protective Services employees
who volunteered their time and language skills to
translate the ads into Chinese and Spanish: Edith
Chan-Lee, Sandra Lo, Agnes Chan, Phung Ngo,
Kathryn Guo, Cynthia Li, Gloria Wong, Susana Fong,
Teresa Guillen, Claudia Sepulveda, Roxanna Alegre,
Mario Navarro, Ricardo Arguello, and Humberto
Alvarez. Their hard work will ensure the success
of this campaign. Thank you.
Train the Trainer
- Seniors
Last year, the EAP
developed and hosted a hands-on elder abuse
training for volunteer educators. This year, we
will do the same event, only this time we are
training seniors who are interested in partnering
to provide elder abuse education at senior centers
as a part of our May Elder Abuse Prevention Month
activities. If you or someone you know would like
to participate, contact Talitha Guinn tguinn@ioaging.org or
415-750-4180 ext. 222
FREE trainings on
elder abuse prevention!
We tell
seniors that if it sounds too good to be true, it
probably is...but not in this case! The Elder
Abuse Awareness Program offers FREE trainings on
the topic of elder abuse and mandated reporting
AND we can come to you. Wouldn't training be a
great way to bolster your May Elder Abuse
Awareness Month activities or your June 15th World
Elder Abuse Awareness Day advocacy efforts? We
think so! We will tailor our presentation to the
needs of your staff, team, or community. Call or
email the EAP today to calendar your event.
415-750-4180 ext. 222 or tguinn@ioaging.org.
In The
News
Ex-bank manager accused of
bilking
people
San Francisco
Chronicle
John King, Chronicle Staff
Writer
Friday, March 12,
2010
John Tran managed a Wells Fargo bank
in San Jose, and was arraigned on April
9th for allegedly bilking elderly bank
customers out of $900,000. Most victims were in
their 80s and 90s. Tran was fired in February 2009
and even then he continued visiting his victims in
their homes where he sold "investments," directing
the proceeds into his own account. The bank was
alerted when one of the victim's daughters
inquired why her mother's assets were not shown on
her statements.
Read the article:
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/11/BASQ1CEJD6.DTL
Nursing
home crime
·
A
former employee of the Convalescent Center Mission
Street at 5767 Mission Street has
been arrested for the murder of an 87-year-old
resident. Maximo
Fajardo Jr., 32, of San Francisco, allegedly
smothered the victim with a pillow, and then
hijacked two cars in an attempt to get away. When
the second car crashed, two patrons at a local gym
chased Fajardo and held him until police
arrived.
Read the
article:
http://fugitive.com/archives/20079
·
In one
of the most egregious cases of elder abuse we've
ever heard of, Concepcion (Connie) Pinco Giron,
51, of Richmond, was arrested on March
22nd on charges of kidnapping to commit
another crime, false imprisonment, elder abuse,
and six counts of theft from an elder or dependent
adult. Giron worked as an administrator at the
Elmwood Nursing and Rehab Center in Berkeley where
she allegedly falsified discharge papers for a
resident with Alzheimer's. Giron evidently took
the woman into her home and kept here there for
approximately one year, where she used her social
security and pension checks to pay her own
bills.
Giron
also allegedly opened bank accounts for several
nursing home patients and transferred those funds
into her own account, helping herself at the same
time to patients' trust fund accounts that were
being administered by the home. In one instance,
she charged the son of one resident $600 in
additional fees each month, pocketing the
overcharge for her own use.
Bail was set at $365,000. If
convicted on all charges, Giron will spend 12
years in prison.
Read the article:
http://fugitive.com/archives/20077
·
Down
in Los Angeles on April 8th, a former nursing home
worker was found guilty of torture and elder
abuse.
Cesar Ulloa, 21, body-slammed a 78-year-old
woman and encouraged wheelchair-bound residents to
fight.
The Silverado Senior Living Facility in
Calabasas charges $70,000 per year per resident
and specializes in caring for those with
dementia.
This case came to the attention of
authorities after a widow of one of the residents
received a telephone call in 2007 after the death
of her husband advising that he had been beaten to
death.
An autopsy revealed that the man had
several broken bones and had been abused for
several months.
Ulloa faces life in prison when he
is sentenced on May 26th.
Read the article:
Huan Chen, 83 years old, was
attacked by a roving band of teens near a bus stop
at Third Street and Oakdale Avenue on January
24th after visiting his wife in a
convalescent home.Chen died on March
19th at San Francisco General Hospital.
As yet, his death has not been ruled a homicide,
but the medical examiner's investigation
continues.
Chen's assault mirrors two others
that have taken place in the same neighborhood on
the T-Third muni line in the Bayview District. A
57-year-old woman was attacked by five youths and
was thrown by the neck from the muni platform on
March 22nd. The beating continued on
the muni tracks, and a 15-year-old boy caught on
videotape is being held in custody. The police
believe that robbery was the motive in this case,
although the woman was carrying little of
value.
The latest attack occurred March
27th when a group of five teens started
punching a 29-year-old man who was riding the
T-Third line.The youths exited the train, and the
victim reported the attack to the muni
driver.
The man was treated and released from San
Francisco General Hospital.
Additional police are being deployed
in the area in an attempt to deter further
assaults.While all three victims are Asian, police
indicate there is no evidence to support race as a
motivating factor.
Read the articles:
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/30/BAE91CMVL1.DTL
www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_14786926?source=rss&nclick_check=1 | |
Fraud and Scam
Alerts
Insurance
Commissioner Poizner Urges Californians to Be Wary
of Scam Artists in the Wake of New Health Care
Legislation
California
Department of Insurance
Press
Release: April 20, 2010
Excerpt:
Insurance Commissioner Poizner today warned
consumers to be on guard for potential scam
artists. Anyone shopping for health insurance
coverage since the passage of the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009 (PPACA)
should be on the lookout for scammers hoping to
take advantage of the confusion surrounding the
details of the new law.
"Scam
artists will use any opportunity to exploit
consumers, and the passage of the new federal
health care legislation is no exception," said
Commissioner Poizner. "I urge Californians
shopping for health insurance to be wary of
agents, brokers or anyone pressuring them to
purchase a policy, and to call the Department of
Insurance immediately if illegal behavior is
suspected."
To
read more about the red flags, click here:
www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/2010/release053-10.cfm
MEDICARE
Scam Alert
Seniors
Warned about New Medicare Scam
It
has been reported that individuals are receiving
"fraudulent phone calls asking for personal
information so that new Medicare cards may be
issued to the consumers."
Click
here to read the full article:
www.scamnot.org/scams.htm |
 Spotlight
Will
We Have A United Nations Conference on
Aging?
The
NGO Committee on Aging has published a compelling
document promoting a U.N. conference on aging. (www.ngocoa-ny.org/
click on Strengthening
Older People's Rights: Towards a
UN Convention. A
resource for promoting dialogue on creating a new
UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.)
At
the present time, only one formal document
specifically calls out and designates the elderly
as a protected population under international
human rights law (it's The International
Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All
Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families,
adopted
by U.N. General Assembly resolution 45/158,
December 1990).
Since
no formal documents exist codifying the rights of
older people, a U.N. conference would ensure that
these rights are properly protected under
international law and the laws of member
countries.
U.N. member states are coming on board, and
considerable research and effort on behalf of the
elderly have already been documented by past
conventions going all the way back to the Truman
Administration, which held the first national
conference on aging in 1950.
This
documentalso promotes the appointment of a special
rapporteur, an expert designated by the United
Nations to report to the Human Rights
Council.
This expert would be charged with examining
and reporting on human right issues with respect
to the rights of older persons, a task which most
special rapporteurs do not normally perform but
could if this appointment is made. If the
United Nations does hold a conference on aging and
if member states ratify its recommendations, each
nation's laws must then be eventually brought into
compliance, and elder rights laws will finally be
brought into line with other civil rights.
Strengthening
Older People's Rights
also cites the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (1966), and the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
as applicable to all regardless of age, so there
are ample foundations upon which to mount a United
Nations conference.
Nonetheless, as the report
continues:
" ...standards
that protect older people's rights are scattered
throughout various international and regional
conventions.
Bringing the relevant provisions together
in one text, as was successfully done for the
rights of women, children and disabled people,
would bring clarity to both the nature of older
people's rights and the responsibilities necessary
to protect them...." (Page 6)
No
international body other than the United Nations
has the experience, mandate or resources to
address this intensely complicated and
multifaceted issue, but nations will finally be
held accountable, and the status and rights of
older people will be enhanced and protected. More
importantly, a new era of human and civil rights
elder law will have been institutionalized.
"Human
rights change people's lives. Protecting
older people's rights will help to enable them to
lead dignified, secure lives, as equal members of
society." (Strengthening
Older People's Rights, p.
4.) |
Legislative & Policy
News
Elder
Justice Act Passed
Source:
www.elderjusticecoalition.com
Elder
Justice Act and the Patient Safety and Abuse
Prevention Act have been signed into law as part
of health care reform legislation thus enacting
what the non partisan 622 member Elder Justice
Coalition called, "The most comprehensive federal
legislation ever to combat elder abuse, neglect
and exploitation." Coalition National Coordinator
Bob Blancato called the bills "signature
achievements within a landmark bill," and went
on to say, "Our focus is now on securing first
year funding, a successful implementation, and
work to have the reauthorization of the Older
Americans Act as a compliment to the Elder Justice
Act."
The
main provisions of the Elder Justice Act include:
- Adult
Protective Services (APS) funding. Provides $400
million ($100 million per year) in first time
dedicated funding for adult protective services.
Provides $100 million ($25 million annually) for
state demonstration grants to test a variety of
methods to improve APS.
- Provides
$32.5 million (over 4 years) in grants to
support the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program and
an additional $40 million ($10 million annually)
in training programs for national organizations
and State long-term care ombudsman programs.
- Establishes
an Elder Justice Coordinating Council to make
recommendations to the Secretary of HHS on the
coordination of activities of federal, state,
local and private agencies and entities relating
to elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Recommendations contained in report are due in 2
years.
- The
Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act creates
a national program of criminal background checks
for persons seeking employment in nursing homes
and other long-term care facilities.
This
Just in
Since
the Elder Justice Act has been signed into law,
Witness re-edited their popular advocacy video An Age for
Justice, changing the ending so it can be used
for public awareness and education. The DVD is
now ready.
The new version can be viewed and purchased
at www.ElderJusticeNow.org
On
the DVD viewers will find:
1.
The 16-minute documentary, An Age for Justice:
Confronting Elder Abuse in America
2.
A comprehensive Screening Guide so elders and
advocates can easily host community screenings
(this guide is also found at:
http://www.ElderJusticeNow.org/host-a-screening).
3.
As part of the project, 100 Stories about abuse
were captured from elders and elder rights
advocates across the country. Eleven of these
stories are featured on the
DVD. |
Calendar
of
Events
Consortium
Events
The Consortium hosts
regular educational and networking meetings
detailed below. For further information please
contact the EAP program eap@ioaging.org or (415)
750-4180 ext. 222
Multidisciplinary Team Meeting
(MDT)
Professionals from the
fields of aging meet to review complex abuse cases
and to learn about new services and resources.
When: 6/3,
7/29, 9/16, 11/4, 12/30 - 1:30 -
3:30pm
Where: 1650 Mission
St., 4th Floor, San
Francisco
Join
us for a special education session on 6/3/2010.
Attorney Prescott Cole, of
California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, will
be giving an enlightening presentation about
annuity scams that is sure to be as fun as it is
educational.
IOA Events
IOA's Education Department
provides numerous professional trainings,
seminars, and continuing education (CE Credits)
opportunities each year.
For more
information go to: www.ioaging.org/education.
IOA Annual
Training
Series: Mind, Body,
Spirit: Pathways to Improving Health
Topic:
Understanding
and Managing Clients Who Challenge Us as
Professionals
When: Wednesday,
June 23, 2010 - 8:30am
- 4:40pm
Where:
The Event Center at Saint Mary's Cathedral
1111
Gough St., San Francisco
Patients/clients
who exhibit "difficult" behaviors often do not get
the care they need and present with difficulties
in social, vocational and self care activities.
Attendees will learn about how and why
patients/clients use challenging behaviors to
manage their feelings, what these behaviors may
tell us about the patient's/client's needs, and
how clinicians can manage their own feelings while
improving their client's ability to function more
successfully.
IOA Monthly Professional
Training
June Topic:
Late
Life Depression: A Treatable
Illness
Presenter:
Janet Meiselman,
PsyD,
When: June 3rd, 2010, 3:00 -
4:30pm
Where:
IOA's Adult Day Health Center
3600 Geary
Blvd., San Francisco (at Palm)
Register
Online: http://education.ioaging.org/monthly_training.html
Depression is not a
natural part of the aging process and should not
be regarded as inevitable or untreatable.
Unfortunately, in our society, the effects of
ageism have become obstacles to the proper
diagnosis and treatment of depression in older
adults. This session will review the signs and
symptoms of depression in general and how
depression manifests itself in an aging person.
Several assessment tools and approaches to
clinical interviewing will be presented to screen
for depression and suicidality. Treatment options,
including medications and psychotherapy, will be
discussed.
July Topic:
Managing
the Fear, Grief and Loss That Accompany Hard
Economic Times
Presenter:
Patrick
Arbore,
EdD, Director, Center for Elderly Suicide
Prevention and Grief-Related Services, Institute
on Aging
When:
July 1st, 2010, 3:00 -
4:30pm
Where:
IOA's Adult Day Health Center
3600 Geary
Blvd. in San Francisco (at Palm)
Register
Online: education.ioaging.org/monthly_training.html
The economic downturn has
undermined the effort that many people haveThe
economic downturn has undermined the effort that
many people have expended to save money for
their own retirement or to provide a legacy for
their children and grandchildren. As
victims of Ponzi schemes, poor investments, and
rising costs, many older adult's assumptions about
the future have been shattered. The losses may be
financial but the impact has been personal. In
this session, we will discuss the intense feelings
that can accompany these hard economic times in
which we live.
Elder Abuse Prevention
Training
The EAP is available to provide
in-service training on topics of elder abuse and
neglect and mandated reporting. We also
provide a limited training series located at
the IOA offices.
Please contact
event host individually for more
details.
AgeSong
is providing FREE Advanced Health Care Directive
sessions
When:
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 -
3:30pm-5:30pm
Where: AgeSong
at Lake
Merritt
1800 Madison, Oakland
CA
Have you completed your Advanced
Health Care Directive? Join AgeSong to complete
YOUR Directive and have it notarized. AgeSong will
provide the form, the legal advice, and the notary
to support you and get it done! It's free in
celebration of National Elder Law. Advice provided
by Helene Wenzel, Attorney specializing in Elder
Law. Supported by
AgeSong Bayside Park & Lakeside Park. Appetizers
and beverages will be served.
**
Please be sure to bring valid CA ID for
notary.
Tuned
In: Understanding the Role of Attitudes and
Stereotypes in Serving Older
Adults
Speaker:
Marc Agronin, MD, board-certified
adult and geriatric psychiatrist, and Medical
Director for Mental Health and Clinical Research
at the Miami Jewish Home & Hospital, FL.
When:
May 27, 2010 - 1:30 PM
EST
Type: Webinar
Register:
Click here to
register:
http://actevarsvp.com/event/a0A50000003vwCM
It's easy to assume that
professionals who work in aging services are free
of stereotypes when it comes to older adults. But
sometimes ageism can creep in, hampering efforts
to serve seniors effectively.
Explore:
- Whether how you relate to older
adults is sometimes influenced by ageism, bias,
or stereotyping.
- Common ways aging affects
personality and intellect-and how these factors
affect the delivery of care and services.
- Your own fears of aging, chronic
illness, dementia, and death, which might get in
the way in serving older adults.
- Steps to improve your skills and
attitudes in working with older
adults.
Legal Assistance for
Seniors
Fifth Annual Elder Abuse
Conference
No Excuse for Elder Abuse:
Justice for Elders Now
When: June 18,
2010
Where: Oakland City
Hall
"LAS' annual elder abuse conference
was born from the conviction that a senior
community is best served by a multidisciplinary
group of advocates who learn from experts and form
networks to establish and implement best
practices". From the website: www.lashicap.org
Coalition of Agencies
Serving the Elderly (CASE) - Neighborhood Silver
Tsunami Activities - all around the San
Francisco CASE will have a series of Silver
Tsunami in San Francisco this
year. Board of Supervisors and
candidates will be invited to their Districts to
answer questions from seniors. If you have clients or
family members who can attend the events, please
give them the following information.
Contact Info:
www.sfseniors.org/contact.htm
- 5/12/2010 - Dist. 8 Candidate
Forum
225 - 30th Street 10:30-11:30am
- 5/13/2010 - mini Tsunami Unitarian
Center, 1187 Franklin St 2nd half of mtg.
- 5/14/2010 - Dist. 11 Avalos OMI
Sr. Ctr. 1948 Ocean Ave. 11am-Noon
- 5/18/2010 - SOMA Tsunami Bayanihan
Ctr. 1010 Mission St. 1:30-:30 pm
- 5/19/2010 - Dist 2 Candidate Forum
SF Sr. Ctr. 890 Beach St. 12-1pm
- 5/20/2010 - Dist 7 Elsbernd
Stonestown Y Senior Annex 3150 - 20th Ave.
10:30-11:30am
- 5/21/2010
- 3 events:
Dist 6 Candidate Curry Sr. Ctr. 333
Turk 9:30-10:45am
Dist 10 Candidate Forum BVHP MSS
1706 Yosemite Noon - 1pm
Dist 5 Mirkarimi W. Add. Sr. Ctr. -
1390-1/2 Turk St. 1-2pm
- 5/25/2010 - Dist. 8 Candidate
Forum Castro Sr. Ctr. 110 Diamond St.
11am-Noon
- 5/26/2010 - 2
events:
Dist 4 Chu So Sunset Activity Ctr.
2601 - 40th Ave 10:30-11:30am
Dist 1 Mar Richmond Sr. Ctr. 6221
Geary Blvd 11am-Noon
- 5/27/2010 - Dist 10 Vis. Valley 66
Raymond Ave. Candidate Forum 11am-Noon
- 5/28/2010 - 2
events:
Dist 9 Campos Mission Y 4080 Mission
11:30am-12:30pm
Dist 3 Chiu Tel Hill Ctr. 660
Lombard
1-2pm
|
Elder
Abuse Resources
The EAP has
put together a list of resources that we
find valuable when working on issues of elder
abuse. While this is not an exhaustive list, we
hope you will find it useful. To view
these resources visit:
| |
| |
Gatekeeper eNewsletter is
published quarterly by Institute on Aging, Elder Abuse
Prevention Program.
Want to
include your event in our next publication?
Contact
us:
June 15th,
2010
"My World...Your
World... Our World - Free of Elder
Abuse" Info:
| |
