Raiding the Estate ~ Stop Elder Abuse

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Here is a most touching photo.  Two people growing old together.

The ideal situation.  Living the last days in love.

This post is quite different from my usual happy cottage decorating posts,
so be prepared for a dose of unfortunate reality.  I am giving you fair warning so
stop reading now if you don't want to hear anything unpleasant.

Let me begin by stating that there are a few things in life I cannot and
will not tolerate and they are :

Abusing or neglecting children, animals and the elderly.
Neglect or abuse may be physical or in many elder abuse situations,
the abuse is financial.  This is the case I will be discussing today.

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Yesterday I was contacted by a friend of mine who knows that I have been doing
research for a book about the problem of financial fraud of elderly persons. I am
changing the names here to protect those involved,  so I will call the victims
"John", his mother "Jane" and the elderly uncle will be "Uncle Fred".

Uncle Fred lived alone in another state.  John went to visit his great uncle
while attending a business conference nearby.  Although John knew his
 uncle to be an eccentric and a bit reclusive, he was shocked by what he
saw.  His uncle was unkempt and living in an unsanitary house.  Fred's
behavior was quite distressing and the nephew became very concerned.
Why was his uncle living in such horrible conditions?  What had changed
 since his last visit to his uncle not long ago?

When John returned to his hotel he called his mother Jane to let her
know of his concerns.  Jane lives in another state as well, but agreed
to visit the uncle right away to see what assistance she could
provide to their elderly relative.

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John returned home somewhat relieved knowing his mother would soon be
on her way to visit Fred.  Jane proceeded to arrange for a flight to visit her uncle
 as soon as possible,  but before she even had a chance to get to the airport,
she received a phone call from her uncle's neighbor informing her that that Fred
had died.  Here is where the story takes yet another sorry turn.

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Fred always lived a modest lifestyle.  He was financially successful and
financially prudent.  His niece Jane was his only living relative and heir to
his entire estate.  However, when Jane was informed of her uncle's passing
she was also informed by the neighbor that there was no need for her to
fly down and that the "kindly" neighbors had taken care of everything.

Yes indeed they had taken care of everything!  Jane learned that
the neighbors had been "looking" after Fred.  Apparently for some time,
the husband would take Fred to the grocery store and help with other
errands while the wife "cleaned" the house.  They gained Fred's confidence
and encouraged his reclusive tendencies.  They gained his complete trust
and according to other neighbors, turned Fred against everyone except
themselves. This is a common tactic often used by abusers.
They then took Fred to an attorney and encouraged him to change
 his will naming them as his only heirs and completely remove
 Jane as his heir.

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Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident.  As our elderly population grows,
there is an increased potential for this type of financial fraud.  There are many
cases of elder financial abuse that go unnoticed and unreported.  I hope that by
sharing the story of "Uncle Fred",  I may be bringing an awareness of the
potential for this type of crime.

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I alone can do little to prevent this type of abuse, but knowledge is a
powerful tool.  I hope and pray that all kinds of abuse and neglect of the
elderly be it physical, emotional or financial be stopped.  While this
may seem like a large task, many hands always lessen a burden.

If you are interested in learning more about this topic, here are
some resources to check out:


Stop Fraud
National Center on Elder Abuse


"Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear
the young or to be deserted by them, for the test of a
civilization is the way it cares for it's helpless members"
~Pearl S. Buck


To spread this message I am joining ~

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God's Blessings,

Susan and Bentley