Posts Tagged ‘ Guardian ’

Guardians Gone Bad: Elder Abuse Report Reveals Startling Stats

November 3rd, 2010. By LucyC

At the end of October, Lawyers and Settlements reported on a government investigation into hundreds of allegations of elder abuse. Sadly, the investigation found that court appointed guardians of incapacitated seniors are not screened or monitored, with serious, if not life threatening consequences.

The probe by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an investigating arm of the US Congress, looked into review practices in 45 states. The GAO report was done at the request of the US Senate’s Special Committee on Aging, which has been studying allegations of abuse and diversion of federal benefits from elderly and disabled wards of the court for some time.

Their findings? Nothing short of shocking. Hundreds of allegations were discovered by the federal auditors, allegations of physical abuse and mistreatment by guardians entrusted with the physical, emotional and financial well-being of elderly and disabled people. For example, 20 cases involved criminal or civil penalties against guardians who had stolen at least $5.4 million in assets from some 158 seniors. According to a report on CNN.com a case in Missouri involved a convicted bank robber who had been appointed guardian of an elderly man who developed Alzheimer’s disease. As the senior’s condition deteriorated, the guardian was able to steal over $640,000 from him by writing checks out of the senior’s estate to pay for exotic dancers and a new Hummer. 

With respect to physical abuse and neglect, an attorney for the National Guardianship Association provided the investigators with information on over 300 cases of alleged abuse, neglect and exploitation by guardians nationwide between 1990 and 2009. And, an advocate in Houston, who had personal experience of abuse of guardianship through her mother, provided information on 30 different families that submitted cases of abuse, with her help. “As Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: elder abuse, elder care, Guardian, nursing homes
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