COVID-19, Frauds & Scams, Guest Bloggers, People Facing Barriers

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: Advancing Equity

June 15, 2022 • By and

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Last Updated: June 15, 2022

Man helping father use computerWorld Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) serves as a reminder about the factors surrounding abuse and neglect of older persons. The pandemic highlighted the disproportionate impact of tragedy on underserved communities, including seniors, who faced high rates of elder abuse, fraud, and nursing homes deaths.

Fraud

One recent report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation noted that elder fraud has grown. Older adults in the United States reported $1 billion in losses in 2020. This includes victims of COVID-related scams.

Reporting can be difficult, with many seniors unsure of the process or too embarrassed to report. Understaffed Adult Protective Services offices can also cause lengthy processing times and underreporting. Older adults are less likely to report fraud – especially money lost. Older adults in the U.S. are likely to lose nearly 25 times more to scammers, with an estimated $113.7 billion a year!

Equity

To prevent and respond to elder abuse, we need a better understanding of who could be victims. Thanks to the Elder Justice Act of 2020, we have a national reporting system for elder abuse – the National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System (NAMRS).

There is evidence that definitions of abuse vary between cultural communities. Learning how diverse communities define abuse is essential to develop culturally competent interventions. We can address the lack of trust within communities of color with more cultural representation in law enforcement, social service organizations, and health care systems. The Elder Justice Coalition works hard to reach communities of color and underserved populations with our initiatives and involve them in our advocacy work.

Social Security is a key member of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council. They are committed to offering training to staff members to recognize elder abuse and financial exploitation. They’re doing great work to protect beneficiaries from Social Security and government imposter scams.

On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, let’s remember that elder abuse doesn’t discriminate. It victimizes across all social, racial, ethnic, and gender domains. We must commit to helping victims and preventing further victimization – especially of those who have been underserved. Please share this important resource with your family and friends—and post it on social media.

Our posting of this blog does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any non-Social Security organization, author, or webpages.

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  1. Dorothy M.

    The really strange part of this financial exploitation had started from Prince Phillip’s persecution of my family because my grandfather fought for a constitution in Italy and an Austrian got harmed. I think the prince wanted to k word the first born of my big family, but Charles convinced him to just make me poor. Even Markel took millions out of my Mother’s account; so, did DT but he paid my brother generously with instructions not to give me any share of this money, but my brother gave back to DT my share. So this is why crime loves this; people try to help me and then they steal all the help. BTW, thanks for my $100 raise from SSA!

  2. Dorothy M.

    Another example of financial exploitation comes from I suspect ed Myers who told the bank teller a big lie that I did not want my inheritance. Like how can someone take authority over someone else’s account at M & T Bank? There was $90million put into my mother’s account, and she left a will which she asked me to make, and this was at the registry. Everyone else but me was able to take money out of this account. Even a lawyer I went to in Catonsville, took millions I heard and still charges money to my son for a deed drawn up and he put this in not his entire name. And he took $10million from the same man mentioned above for the lawyer not to help me too much. I tried to access this account and I was shown the door. Talk about unfair! And this same man I heard has 9600 accounts perhaps at St. Agnes Credit Union-that’s makes this so incomprehensible why this man would interfere with my life’s provisions with malice.

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