"So Now Its Elder Abuse Time ! "

WHO-TV-Channel 13 Des Moines,IA,USA February 26, 2008--

"Elder abuse, dependent adult abuse, is basically where child abuse was 20-25 years ago, or domestic violence 10-15 years. So now its elder abuse, dependent adult abuse time," says Hildreth.

It is one of the most under-recognized social problems in America: abuse of the elderly. Experts say, 84% of cases go unreported and 90% of the time, the victim's children are to blame.

"We do run into a dead-end nearly everywhere you go," says Gerald Harvey, over in Dallas County. Harvey and his family are on their own. A mounting pile of paperwork is their only hope for Gerald's 92-year-old sister-in-law, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. They say, she's fallen victim to a string of predators- most recently, a man who gained complete control of her bank account and property.

The Harveys feel helpless and hopeless. "Who do you turn to? We talked to someone up in the state offices. 'Yes, that's bad.' But what do you do about it?"

"Are we equipped to handle it right now? I think that's obvious. No, we're not," says Linda Hildreth, who serves in the Department of Elder Affairs.

Along with more manpower, Hildreth says, the fight against elder abuse needs better legislation. She says, when seniors are not deemed dependent, they fall into a gray area of the current law. When perpetrators are not classified as caretakers, they slip through a loop-hole. "The tricky part is, if its not the caretaker committing the abuse, then DHS, by code, has no authority to intervene.

"Elder abuse, dependent adult abuse, is basically where child abuse was 20-25 years ago, or domestic violence 10-15 years. So now its elder abuse, dependent adult abuse time," says Hildreth.

Abridged for E.A. =>>