According to Illinois Dept on Aging,Lois Moorman 1 out of 10 Cases Elder Abuse Reported!
By CHRIS DETTRO, STAFF WRITER
A continuing increase in reports of elder abuse may make people think maybe those “golden years” aren’t really all that precious.
“More than half the reports involve financial exploitation,” said Lois Moorman, program administrator in the Illinois Department on Aging. “But most cases involve more than one form of abuse.
“Our reports continue to increase,” Moorman said. “Right now we’ve responded to 12 percent more reports than at this point (about halfway) in fiscal 2007.”
She estimates only about one of every 10 instances of abuse is being reported.
“We had a unit that handled abuse in nursing homes, but it became apparent that abuse was much broader than just nursing homes,” he said. “We had a full-time investigator assigned to it.”
One of his Cook County cases was from Schiller Park, where the son “was keeping Mom and Dad in the basement and feeding them dog food,” Magnuson said.
“They both had Alzheimer’s and pensions,” he said. “She slept on a cement floor next to a furnace, and the rodents wouldn’t run when someone came into the room because they weren’t afraid of people.”The son ended up being sentenced to prison, Magnuson said.
“Some (state’s attorney’s) offices are reluctant to take on elder abuse cases,” Magnuson said. “But they definitely can have a deterrent effect. And the more information that gets out there, the more alert people are to the schemes.
“Isolation makes one more vulnerable to abuse,” she said. “That’s what makes them targets. We as a community must respond to that to make sure they remain active.”
Chris Dettro can be reached at 788-1510 or chris.dettro@sj-r.com
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We feel all elder abuse should be reported, but we at E.A. have met numerous victims and their families who have lost everything defending their parents, some have written books about the abuse , and some have lost their health, their homes, their dignity!
The un-spoken message out there today which speaks louder than words and is keeping a lot of victims from reporting is " Report Elder Abuse" and we will make a victim out of you also.
A continuing increase in reports of elder abuse may make people think maybe those “golden years” aren’t really all that precious.
“More than half the reports involve financial exploitation,” said Lois Moorman, program administrator in the Illinois Department on Aging. “But most cases involve more than one form of abuse.
“Our reports continue to increase,” Moorman said. “Right now we’ve responded to 12 percent more reports than at this point (about halfway) in fiscal 2007.”
She estimates only about one of every 10 instances of abuse is being reported.
“We had a unit that handled abuse in nursing homes, but it became apparent that abuse was much broader than just nursing homes,” he said. “We had a full-time investigator assigned to it.”
One of his Cook County cases was from Schiller Park, where the son “was keeping Mom and Dad in the basement and feeding them dog food,” Magnuson said.
“They both had Alzheimer’s and pensions,” he said. “She slept on a cement floor next to a furnace, and the rodents wouldn’t run when someone came into the room because they weren’t afraid of people.”The son ended up being sentenced to prison, Magnuson said.
“Some (state’s attorney’s) offices are reluctant to take on elder abuse cases,” Magnuson said. “But they definitely can have a deterrent effect. And the more information that gets out there, the more alert people are to the schemes.
“Isolation makes one more vulnerable to abuse,” she said. “That’s what makes them targets. We as a community must respond to that to make sure they remain active.”
Chris Dettro can be reached at 788-1510 or chris.dettro@sj-r.com
--------------------------------------------
We feel all elder abuse should be reported, but we at E.A. have met numerous victims and their families who have lost everything defending their parents, some have written books about the abuse , and some have lost their health, their homes, their dignity!
The un-spoken message out there today which speaks louder than words and is keeping a lot of victims from reporting is " Report Elder Abuse" and we will make a victim out of you also.
According to the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney Elder Abuse is Seldom Reported Because:
they are afraid of retaliation,
they think they will be put in an institution,
they are ashamed that a family member mistreats them,
they think that the police and social agencies cannot really help them, or
they think that no one will believe them.
Sometimes people who believe that someone else is being abused do not report their suspicions because:
they do not know who to speak to,
they do not know what can be done,
they think that no one will believe them, or
they just do not want to get involved.
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