Sunday, July 26, 2009

Is a new form of elder abuse on the horizon?



Might American seniors experience a new form of elder abuse under Obamacare? Health care reform is a hot topic across this country and Saturday afternoon brought an extra intensity to the Texas heat in downtown Austin as Obamacare was discussed by Congressman Lloyd Doggett inside the AFL-CIO Hall while supporters from both sides of the debate exchanged barbs and chants outside the facility. One of the most interesting aspects of this debate has to do with treatment of the elderly and that clearly was on the mind of those who believe the president is on the wrong path.

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Sunday, July 19, 2009

Baby Boomers Your Financial & Economic Winter is Coming, The Fourth Turning


By: James_Quinn

Thus might the next Fourth Turning end in apocalypse – or glory. The nation could be ruined, its democracy destroyed, and millions of people scattered or killed. Or America could enter a new golden age, triumphantly applying shared values to improve the human condition. The rhythms of history do not reveal the outcome of the coming Crisis; all they suggest is the timing and dimension. - Strauss & Howe – The Fourth Turning

A must read=>>Here

The Crime of the 21st Century? Elder Financial Abuse

Posted by Bruce Bierhans as posted on InjuryBoard.Com

On the heels of our Harwich elder securites fraud case:

Fred Joseph, president of the North American Securites Administrators Association has described elder financial abuse as "the crime of the 21st century". A column in todays Washington Post by financial writer Michelle Singletary expands upon the comments.

The typical victim? A 75 year old woman living alone (what a surprise!). Typical scams?

Forging signatures on legal instruments; promising lifelong care in exchange for money or property; using credit cards without authorization, and con men involved in scams by gaining victims trust (in the Harwich case, our conman desribed his involvement in his church at length).

The article also describes certain red flags to watch for as fraud alerts. See www.na-saa.org and search for "Senior Investor Resource Center".

By way of update on the Harwich case. Positive negotiations are progressing.


Bruce A. Bierhans

Senior citizens Cane-Do self-defense too


By Larissa Klitzke Contra Post Times

DANVILLE — An elderly person wielding a cane may not be as vulnerable as criminals suspect, thanks to Cane-Do, a self-defense class for seniors.

The classes include a 30-minute lecture and warm-up, followed by an hour of training in which seniors use exercise bands and their own canes to learn how to hold, twirl, strike, poke, jab and block.

"Honest citizens are not allowed to carry anything to defend themselves, but we can all carry canes," said John Bruhl, of Danville, who recommended the class to Danville town officials after his wife, Nadene, saw a video of Cane-Do on television late one night.

Organizers say self-defense is a valuable skill for seniors in particular because the elderly are perceived as easy targets by criminals and are disproportionately affected by property crimes, including burglary, motor vehicle theft and property theft.

In 2005, about one in five personal crimes against persons 65 and older were thefts, compared to one in 33 for those ages 12 to 49, according to U.S. Department of Justice statistics.

"I am older and I know in this economy people pick on the elderly," said Nadene Bruhl. "I don't want to be a victim."

The first day of class on July 6 included light sparring and techniques such as the two-handed jab, groin hook and head strike.

"I thought it looked particularly ridiculous for elderly people to defend themselves with a cane," said George Field, of Danville, who uses his cane regularly for walking support.

Field said he likes the idea of knowing self-defense, but added that he joined the class primarily as a fun way to exercise.

The local Cane-Do class is being taught by Jose Isidro of the Mt. Diablo Hwa Rang Kwan school, who teaches other self-defense classes in Pittsburg and has more than 25 years of martial arts experience.

Cane-Do draws from samurai sword fighting skills to not only use the cane as a means of self-defense but also to integrate useful hand-to-hand techniques such as striking, kicking, locking, throwing and grappling.

In the class, Isidro also offers mental training, including mind-clearing and breathing exercises to quiet the mind, aiding the body in fostering self-defense skills, personal fitness and healing.

"The main part is to keep healthy and enjoy life," Isidro said.

Reach Larissa Klitzke at 925-847-2160 or lklitzke@bayareanewsgroup.com.

Prosecutor: Elder Abuse Cases Frequently Not Viewed as Serious Crimes

Only one in six elder abuse cases is ever reported.

If getting victims to report abuse is difficult, so is persuading the judicial system of its seriousness, says one official.

“Elder abuse cases, for whatever inappropriate reason, are not considered as severe,” said Rod Pacheco, Riverside County district attorney.
“If they're financial, they're considered even less serious.”

Riverside County is one of the few statewide with a special team to prosecute elder abuse cases.

As with child abuse, domestic abuse and sexual assault, elders deal with embarrassment and shame, law enforcement and advocates say.

In many cases, they know their abuser. The California Attorney General's office estimates two- thirds of abusers are family members, friends and caregivers.
But, unlike other crimes, elders have to deal with prejudice because of their age.
“The problem is that elders are marginalized to the point of being invisible,” said Sharon Merriman, co-manager of the National Center on Elder Abuse. “A lot of times with older individuals the issues aren't even seen.

“There is ageism that exists that doesn't want to look at the issue of older people.”
And it's not just the public that needs educating.

Law enforcement officials say crimes against the elderly are often easy to dismiss because of their age.

Tristan Svare, a San Bernardino County deputy district attorney with the elder abuse prosecution team, has heard some unsettling dismissals like, “They're old. They didn't have to live anyway.”
“Sometimes they view financial crime as less serious even though the impact with the elderly can be devastating,” Svare said.

“Unfortunately, ignorance runs the entire spectrum.”
San Bernardino County has had a special prosecution team for elder abuse cases since 2000.

Protecting elders — which in the California penal code is defined as anyone 65 and older — can be tricky. Legislators and law enforcement must strike a balance between protecting those who need it and respecting autonomy, advocates say.

State Sen. John Benoit, R-Bermuda Dunes, authored SB 246, which requires in-home supportive services, or IHSS, to conduct criminal background checks.

“It's become the fastest-growing crime, identity theft and the number one identity class are the people who grew up doing things with a handshake,” Benoit said.
The state's $26 billion budget shortfall could also mean program cuts that would leave seniors more vulnerable. IHSS, which provides funding to help pay for in-home care so seniors don't have to be admitted into nursing homes, is among those at risk.
“We have very scarce taxpayers dollars and we should care how those are spent,” said Assemblyman Mike Feuer, D-West Hollywood.

“It is our job, collectively, that the most vulnerable people among us are treated with dignity.”


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Monday, July 13, 2009

SENIORS, FIGHT NOW OR YOU WILL SURELY DIE, HOMELESS, HUNGRY AND IN PAIN.

By Andrew C. Wallace

WE WILL FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES AND STRONGLY ENCOURAGE Obama, Bush and the other Traitorous Fascist Officials and Judges who refuse to obey our Constitution to go straight to hell. Oh yes, leaders of both parties have identical orders to enslave us from the same Criminal Family Elites. Senior Citizens, when told, will never tolerate the mandate in the recently enacted Unconstitutional $855 billion stimulus bill to have bureaucrats reduce health care; and kill those not deemed worthy by refusing them treatment. This is now the law, and a close copy of Hitler’s “Useless Eater Program” that denied care to those unable to contribute. To further prove their intent, the Fascists have just announced that they will take a substantial part of the funds for their new Universal Health Care program from Medicare and Medicaid funding which would further reduce payments to our medical providers. Of course the traitors would also increase our taxes.

"PRESIDENT OBAMA SUGGESTED AT A TOWN HALL EVENT
Wednesday night that one way to shave medical costs is to stop expensive and ultimately futile procedures performed on people who are about to die and don't stand to gain from the extra care."As reported by Peter Nichols of the Los Angeles Times. Former Senator Daschle said “Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them”, Bloomberg News. “In England anyone over 59 cannot receive heart repairs or stents or bypass, because it is not covered as being too expensive and not needed”.

WHEN INFORMED, MORE THAN 50 MILLION SENIORS WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO LIVE.
Seniors earned their benefits and have no intent of allowing Fascist Traitors in government to force them to suffer and die so Fascists can loot their benefits to bribe those who earned nothing. Our Officials and Judges took the same solemn oath that most of us did,” to serve and protect the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, both foreign and domestic”; they have repudiated that oath, and the constitution by making war on the people who are the sovereign source of all constitutional power. Our oath was a solemn part of our permanent bonding to America and we will die defending our Constitution and Republic, as so many have already done. We would never rebel against constitutional actions taken by government officials, but we take serious exception to the continuous unconstitutional, and criminal, actions taken by Fascist Usurper Officials and Judges, who by definition of their words and actions, are Traitors. Their heinous actions will not stand. Thomas Jefferson said it best when he articulated a key principle of liberty–“any government that willfully violates the rule of law and encroaches on the rights of the people ceases to be a legitimate government”.

RESIGN AND LEAVE THE COUNTRY is our only advice for Officials and Judges who have betrayed their oath and made war on the people. If the traitors could count they would know that it is impossible for them to win this war, ultimately numbers are everything. Stupid is another quality of our traitors, otherwise they would know better than to attack the old people. Most Seniors are proud of their accomplishments, educated by experience, suffer fools not at all, want to be left alone, have few family responsibilities to restrain them, short tempers aggravated by pain, and a propensity to fight like hell without reservations to win if attacked; and because they refuse to surrender their country, and what little remains of their lives to arrogant reprehensible Traitors.

OFFICIALS AND JUDGES WHO REFUSE TO OBEY THE CONSTITUTION ARE TRAITORS. This is an indisputable fact. Defeating our unlawful gangster government can be accomplished easily by ordinary citizens without funding, or formal organizations. These Traitors receive compensation, support, and direction from a criminal cabal of Corporations, corporate owned Media, Tax Free Foundations and the Criminal Family Elites who control everything. Your duty, as an American, is to tell all of your officials and Judges who have supported unconstitutional laws and actions that you despise their treason. Appeasement and being nice never works with dictators, traitors and gangsters. You must tell them in the strongest possible terms to resign and leave the country they betrayed because it is our intent to prosecute their treason to the full extent of the law. Our objective is to defeat enough of the traitors so that we can impeach the Supreme Court of the United States, fire the remaining judges and prosecute all the Traitors wherever they are.

TEA PARTIES ARE GREAT, BUT HOME DELIVERY OF YOUR CONTEMPT IS MORE EFFECTIVE. As Ron Ewart said, you must show our Traitors the great depth of your contempt and loathing, up close and personal, where they cannot ignore reality. This also means the legal picketing of homes and offices of government and media officials using the same tactics that Acorn used on the Bankers resulting in the economic depression. . Keep it legal, don’t harm them, leave that to their friends in prison. If local officials don’t like it, picket them too. Letters and calls alone do not compare with the power of special interest money. Do not fail to go to http://www.opensecrets.org/ for names of those who give money to your politicians so you can publicly boycott them if they continue to support treason. Find and support candidates of any party who really support the constitution and the rule of law.

OFFICIALS AND JUDGES WHO DISOBEY OUR CONSTITUTION HAVE NO LEGITIMATE AUTHORITY FOR TREASON USING FEAR AND GANGSTER POWER.
A majority of Americans are well aware that a coup d’etat has taken place by criminal traitors who control our government and therefore deny us access to the use of government to remove the traitors and return to our Constitutional Republic. It is very difficult to tell people who are losing everything from looting, while under the ruthless boots of proven Fascism, not to respond with justifiable force. Maintaining restraint is doubly difficult because the treason is so obvious to most people and committed with such an arrogance of unlawful gangster power. Being one of the serious, and thoughtful patriots, I am highly visible, and an obvious target of the Fascist Traitors. But, if they take us out, by whatever means, they remove most constraints from the more action oriented patriots. Thoughtful patriots want to remove traitors from office in a proper nonviolent manner. I don’t give a damn for the well being of traitors, I want them in jail. We must avoid a civil war if at all possible, because many Americans would die, devastation would be total, but the fascist traitors would all be dead. Many think the fascist leaders want to start a civil war because in the past when they started a war the leaders were protected.

GERALD WALPIN IS AN AMERICAN HERO OF HISTORIC PROPORTIONS
, who at 77 years of age, on his own, has struck the first significant blow to expose the criminality and treason of our gangster government by coup d’etat. Gerald Walpin, as Inspector General for CNCS, was given an hour to resign by the White House, or be fired (contrary to law), because he refused to overlook criminal actions by Obama’s friend and supporter Kevin Johnson. Mr Walpin refused to resign and took his case to the public to defend himself against the White House’s attempt to smear him as a senile old man for exposing their ongoing criminality; a view repudiated by millions who have seen him on Television and cheer his bravery. Mr. Walpin will be remembered in history as the first, and most effective patriot in the fight to expel the ruthless traitors and return to a Constitutional Republic.

BOTH IRANIAN AND AMERICAN CANDIDATES FOR OFFICE ARE SELECTED BY ELITES, NOT THE PEOPLE.
The outcome of our elections and theirs was irrelevant to the control of government. President Obama and his Fascist Officials must envy the Iranian government’s ability to shoot the protestors down like dogs because they have no weapons to defend themselves. Maybe, that helps explain Obama’s reluctance to condemn Iranian officials for their brutality. If the Iranian people had guns there would be a new government in Iran, and if our fascist government attempts to control us with similar unconstitutional force, many will die, but the fascists will all be dead. There is no other reason for our fascist government to do everything possible to take away the peoples guns, because without the means of self defense we are either dead or slaves. REMEMBER IRAN for its lessons on gun control.

IT IS IRONIC THAT THE TREASON AND OPPRESSION OF OUR FASCIST JUSTICE SYSTEM,
concealed by the Fascist Media, has so alienated poor and middle class Americans that they delivered our country over to Obama, another employee like Bush, of the Fascist Elite (who have controlled our government for years) by promising unspecified Change. The “Change” we got was much more of the same, a ruthless gangster government that is destroying our Constitutional Republic and impoverishing the people by theft and treason.

FEAR AND INTIMIDATION HAS BEEN USED FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS
by Traitors in government to control the people, going so far as to allow prosecutors and judges to frame, prosecute, and imprison people by denying their constitutional rights. All of this in addition to theft and crimes against the people on an unheard of level. These unconstitutional actions are the rule, rather than the exception, and explains why poor and moderate income people, even if they love their country, fear and hate the justice system with good cause. Judges routinely refuse to allow juries comprised of average citizens to be told that they have the constitutional power to find the defendant innocent because they think the law is unfair or defective, and to ignore the judge’s instructions. Judges and prosecutors also routinely refuse to allow the jury to see all of the evidence. Grand Juries and Criminal Juries no longer serve to protect us from government as was the intent in our constitution. Many dedicated and capable Defense attorneys are mostly victims of an expensive facade, who can no longer protect innocent Americans in a justice system that is unconstitutional, criminal, and corrupt. The corrupt Justice System was not the only cause of alienation of the poor and middle class, but it was the deciding factor.

SENIORS, GET OUT AND PROCLAIM YOUR RIGHTS , AND PICKET YOUR TRAITOROUS OFFICIALS AND JUDGES UNTIL THEY ARE GONE, THE LIFE YOU SAVE WILL BE YOUR OWN. The new acts of treason are being accomplished so rapidly that I can’t keep up with them to report in this article. But, as an Economist, I can swear to you that everything that is being done by our usurper government is guaranteed to destroy and loot the Economy of America leaving us totally destitute. Capitalism, did not fail, could not fail, because bankruptcy corrects the mistakes with minimum losses while our forced nationalization will result in losses in perpetuity. Everything our fascist government is doing has been proven to fail everywhere it has been tried. It is no mystery, if we follow the Constitution we will prosper as we did before 1913 when the looting really began.

SENIORS, FIGHT NOW OR YOU WILL SURELY DIE, HOMELESS, HUNGRY AND IN PAIN.

Andrew C. Wallace is a former Kentucky State Trooper, Kentucky Native, Korean War Veteran, Commercial Pilot in Alaska, University of Kentucky Undergraduate in Business, Four years of Graduate School in Economics and Marketing at University of Kentucky and University of Iowa., Assistant Professor, Thirty years as Director of Marketing Firm developing and implementing national Marketing programs for manufacturers and now retired doing research and writing.

E-Mail: natlmktg@gte.net

Threats of Lawsuits Threatens to Close Elder Torture Centers

by Jessica Mador, Minnesota Public Radio
July 10, 2009

St. Paul, Minn. — A lawsuit has been filed in U.S. Federal District Court alleging abuse at a state mental health treatment facility.

The suit alleges that the Minnesota Extended Treatment Options facility in Cambridge, Minnesota, routinely restrained patients using metal handcuffs and shackles without cause.

The suit also contends the facility secluded patients for extended periods and deprived them of family visits. The facility is run by the state Department of Human Services.

Shamus O'Meara, an attorney representing one of the plaintiffs, said he hopes the lawsuit sends a message to mental health providers.
"That people with developmental disabilities are human beings, they have civil rights and the right to be treated with dignity and respect," O'Meara said. "The families of these good citizens are fed up with the type of treatment that is the subject of the lawsuit."

Calls seeking comment from the state Department of Human Services were not returned.
The suit is asking a judge to certify the suit as a class action as well as seeking a jury trial.

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Monday, July 6, 2009

Many elderly people are at risk

by Ray Fernandez

Every year there are cries for more laws to protect against the epidemic of elder abuse running out of control in many cities across the USA and ust as many times the priorities of those lawmakers eclipse the needs of the elderly for protection against degradation,deprivation and looting during the years when they need it the most.

"There are many reasons that seniors don't report abuse," said State Rep. Jon Switalski, D-Warren. "Some are embarrassed or fear retaliation from their so-called care givers if they initiate complaints. Others simply don't know where to turn for help."

Seventy-three thousand elders in the state of Michigan alone are abused every year, according to estimates. No one knows for sure, because this crime is vastly unreported. It is a countrywide disgrace.

It's unfortunate but reports of elder abuse have increased 40 percent since and in a single year, 2008, state officials received more than 16,300 reports of mistreatment of adults in Michigan alone.

What makes controls even more difficult is the fact that a 2006 study reported that 54 percent of elder abuse cases involved members of the victim's family and family members are awarded the right to abuse their kin under a unspoken twisted agreement with authorities in which elder abuse and elder financial abuse are referred to as "Family Squabbles" by the authorities who look the other way and often ridicule or downplay the elder seeking help often pointing him/her towards long winded and costly prohibitive civil litigation.

`Senior Tsunami' warnings being heard throught the land

By Troy Anderson and Yong Kim Staff Writers

With Los Angeles County facing a "senior tsunami" in the decades ahead, county officials are not adequately prepared to deal with the explosion in demand for senior services and a growing rate of physical and financial crimes against the elderly, the civil grand jury warns in a new report.

As baby boomers age, the county's senior population is expected to double from 1.6 million today to 3 million by 2030, placing increasing pressure on the nearly 100 programs in 24 county departments that provide services to seniors and adults with disabilities, according to county data.

"This pending `senior tsunami' will dramatically impact the need for senior services for elders," grand jurors wrote. "This civil grand jury investigation shows the county is not adequately prepared as the population ages for the significant increase in demand for elder abuse prevention programs and services."

Also with the rise in the senior population has come a big jump in crimes targeting the elderly.

Michael Gargiulo, deputy-in- charge of the Elder Abuse Section in the District Attorney's Office, said the number of elder abuse cases his office is prosecuting has nearly doubled from about 40 per month in 2005 to 90 now.

In one recent case that prosecutors said was particularly disturbing, a 21-year-old former employee of an upscale Calabasas assisted-living center is scheduled for trial in August, accused of torturing and physically abusing an elderly patient before his death.

Prosecutors say Cesar Ulloa, who had worked at Silverado Senior Living, allegedly punched Elmore Kittower, 80, and attacked him numerous times, resulting in numerous rib fractures and other injuries.

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With the nonchalant view of authorities towards elder abuse it comes as no surprise that elder people are being tortured before their death, we advise anyone with elderly parents that wishes to avoid the forced confiscation of assets and the torture of their relatives to find a safe haven outside the US