Help April 6, 2004

Where to go for Help and Letter to Dear Abby

Dear Abby Letter Published April 6, 2004

We at the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) recently read the tragic story from "Worried Sick in Alabama" whose widowed mother may have fallen victim to a con artist while residing in an assisted living facility. The story sadly illustrates how financial crimes pose a growing threat to the well-being and independence of our "greatest generation." It is cause for concern when a senior grants unusual access or control of his or her assets to another person in suspicious circumstances. A challenge in detecting and remedying this problem is that victims may be reluctant to reveal financial abuse or accuse an abuser out of fear of retaliation or of losing independence. They may also feel embarrassed or reluctant to get the perpetrator in trouble. In addition to your recommendation of talking with a trusted attorney and contacting law enforcement, our advice is to report concerns to the local office of Adult Protective Services (APS), the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, or the state attorney's general office. Call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 (M-F, 9 AM to 8 PM EST) to quickly find out the number of the nearest APS or Long-Term Care Ombudsman office. To learn more about how to prevent, recognize or respond to elder abuse, neglect or exploitation, please visit our website at www.elderabusecenter.org. NCEA wishes to thank you for helping millions of American seniors with your informative and sensitive advice.

Where to Go for Help

Contact information for your State and/or Local Long-Term Care Ombudsman; Citizen Advocacy Group (CAG); APS or other state agencies can be found on the Ombudsman Resource Center website at: http://www.ltcombudsman.org/static_pages/help.cfm.