Elder Abuse Rises in Massachusetts
Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 541
The Boston Globe reported on Monday that economic stress is causing more family caregivers to abuse and/or neglect elderly relatives. This is not only due to economic pressures on the individual families, but also because the social services that once provided much needed assistance with elder care, are being scaled back.
Dale Mitchell, the executive director of Ethos, a Boston nonprofit that runs the city's protective services program, explained that families taking care of elders are under an enormous amount of stress in this present economy.
Mitchell said his office received 134 reports of alleged elder abuse and neglect in January, the highest for any month in the agency's 32 years of running the program. Because of the caseload, workers are more frequently "triaging" cases, investigating only the most serious ones, Mitchell said.
Mr. Mitchell's, Ethos, is only one of almost two dozen programs in Massachusetts under contract with the state that investigates allegations of elder abuse. In the past, approximately 30 percent of these allegations were confirmed and now, that number is at more than 60 percent in the first quarter of this fiscal year.
Investigators have seen a spike in financial exploitation cases where family members have taken an elder member's life savings.
Directors of these programs explain that what has hurt family caregivers the most is the cut in state-subsidized homecare services. This service sends aides to elders' residences a few hours per week to assist with personal care and household chores. Since October, almost $4 million was cut from this program, resulting in a waiting list of 675 people.
The current economy has placed added pressure on every aspect of our lives, so it's no wonder that family caregivers are finding it more difficult to provide for their older relatives, while also trying to take care of themselves. But, added financial stress should not lead to abuse of our elderly loved ones. Here are some helpful tips to identify elder abuse.