University
Saving the Elderly From Mistreatment
- Former LAPD detective Chayo Reyes discusses ways to recognize theft from vulnerable adults.
- Photo/Athan Bezaitis
By Athan Bezaitis on November 9, 2009 3:13 PM
The Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center and the Andrus Center Volunteers hosted a seminar on preventing the mistreatment of older persons at the USC Davis School of Gerontology on Nov. 4.
Filmmakers Dorothy Breininger and Debby Bitticks and former Los Angeles Police Department detective Chayo Reyes provided information on such forms of elder abuse as predatory caregivers, financial scam artists and neglectful nursing homes to students, faculty and other visitors.
From 1987 to 1999, Reyes, a former member of the Elder Person’s Estate Unit, prevented the loss of or recovered more than $91 million in victim’s assets, which included homes, vehicles and life savings. He discussed ways to recognize and address theft from the estates of vulnerable adults.
“Elder abuse cases have a common theme,” he said. “The victims generally live alone, may be in poor health and, in 95 percent of cases, suffer from dementia or are subject to undue influence or duress.”
Suspects, he said, who can sometimes be family members and friends, often isolate the victim in order to obtain control of their lives, creating a “civil mirage.”
“Perpetrators coerce victims into signing a power of attorney, contracts, quitclaim deeds, wills, living trusts, adding their names onto the victim’s bank accounts and opening credit cards under the victim’s name,” Reyes said. “They will even go so far as to marry the vulnerable elder as a means of controlling their estate through ‘community property.’ ”
To expose some of the other pitfalls that older persons face and to highlight real-life scams used against them, Breininger and Bitticks screened the 2007 National Mature Media Award-winning documentary Saving Our Parents.
Hosted by actor Ed Asner, the film featured Reyes, former Los Angeles chief of police William Bratton and TV personality Art Linkletter, who discussed issues such as nursing home neglect, unscrupulous conservators, senior scams and offered motivational advice.
Shawn Herz, director of program development of the Caregiver Center, said the film and discussion provided “vital information for raising awareness of what people need to take into consideration when planning for care and in protecting the vulnerable.”
For more information on Saving Our Parents, visit www.savingourparents.com
TAGS: aging, community programs
Latest University stories
- Ray Irani, Michael Waterman Elected to NAE February 10, 2012 10:35 AM
- MSW@USC Student to Compete in 2012 Paralympics February 10, 2012 9:22 AM
- USC Price School Celebrates Naming Gift February 9, 2012 2:45 PM
-
For Journalists »
-
USC in the News
for 2/10/2012 »-
The Wall Street Journal highlighted the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
KPCC-FM reported that this fall USC will offer Persian language courses for the first time. A $250,000 grant from the Farhang Foundation helped to establish the program. Bruce Zuckerman of the USC Dornsife College said he has many students interested in the Persian language, culture and region. “The Iranian region is one that has great impact on our lives today and has had great impact going back into ancient times,” he said. The story noted that USC and the Farhang Foundation hope to raise more money to create an Iranian studies minor. Payvand also featured the new courses.
American Songwriter ran a Q&A with Christopher Sampson of the USC Thornton School about the school’s Popular Music program, which Sampson founded. He noted that the program has been available as a major in Songwriting since 2009, and has incorporated a diverse range of musical genres. “We have now established a consistent track record of students having professional success to know that the program gets results,” Sampson said. He also highlighted the achievements of Songwriting faculty members Lamont Dozier, Andrea Stolpe and David Poe of the Thornton School.
The Economist featured research by Valter Longo of the USC Davis School finding that short periods of fasting could help cancer patients better tolerate chemotherapy, and may even make treatment more effective. The Globe and Mail (Canada) reported that cancerous tumors are essentially energy hogs. “They need to burn lots of energy just to stay alive,” Longo said. The study was also covered by Irish Independent (Ireland), Magyar Tavirati Iroda (Hungary), Anadolu Ajansi (Turkey), Son Haber (Netherlands), Vietnam+ (Vietnam), Turkish Radio and Television (Turkey) and Romania Libera (Romania).
L.A. Weekly featured research by USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies, which has developed video games based around physical movement for people recovering from strokes or other injuries. The games develop strength in specific body parts. Traditional video games weren’t right for these patients, said the institute’s Belinda Lange. “Often, the fun parts of the game would only be unlocked after a series of other levels, which our patients often couldn’t achieve,” she said. The games are now being tested with physical therapists in three major clinics.
-
-
Campus News
- Capital Connections
- USC faculty, staff and alumni in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento
- In Print
- New and recent books written or edited by USC faculty and staff
- Family Matters
- Achievements and awards
- Obituaries