ca nursing home neglect

Recognizing Financial Elder Abuse

Abuse and neglect affect more than 20,000 elderly Californians each year, and that number is expected to increase as the population continues to age, according to the State Office of the Attorney General.  Although many Californians know the signs of physical or emotional abuse, fewer are prepared to identify and address financial abuse, a type of abuse that is particularly likely to harm elderly individuals.

Financial abuse includes the theft, embezzlement, or taking of property from an elderly person in any improper manner, including by coercion or under duress.  It can involve tangible property like cash or jewelry, or property like investments or real estate.  In all cases, financial abuse harms elderly people by robbing them of their assets, leaving them vulnerable in the face of uncertainty. Read the rest »