Advocates, law enforcement push for stronger elder abuse laws


Elder Abuse: Financial, Emotional & Physical Exploitation

Tuesday, April 21, 6:30 p.m.

Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting room, 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta

Pre-registration required: (770) 528-5355

Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds will give an overview of elder abuse, the different types and how you can help. “If you see something, say something. Most victims of elder abuse have been violated by a friend or relative,” says Reynolds.

Email: agingbydesign@cobbcounty.org or call 770-528-5356 for more information.

Proposals from House Bill 72 (Elder abuse bill)

• Address loopholes that allow owners of unlicensed personal care homes to stay in business.

• Allow prosecutors to charge elder abuse crimes as RICO violations to prosecute groups of people who work together to defraud or abuse elderly and vulnerable adults.

• Allow information collected during departmental inspection or complaint investigation to be used as evidence in a criminal trial.

• Allow elder abuse cases to come to trial more quickly.

• Clarify who has to report suspected financial exploitation. In particular, include banking professionals such as brokers or financial advisers as mandated reporters.

Source: Georgia Council on Aging

Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds is passionate about protecting the elderly, especially when it comes to financial exploitation and other abuses.

Fresh off a jury verdict that convicted a father and son of exploiting millions from a 93-year-old Cobb County woman, Reynolds was apologetically giddy about the trial’s outcome.

“Excuse me for blowing our horn, but that was a big one for us,” Reynolds said. “That’s one I really pushed hard on.”

Crimes against the elderly are increasing nationally. In Georgia, reports of abuse went up 65 percent from 2008 to 2012, according to the Georgia Council on Aging.

“When I came into office (in 2013) I wanted to make elder abuse a priority. At that time I thought most of it was physical in nature, but I found out that’s not true. Financial exploitation is without a doubt the number one crime perpetrated against seniors,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds likens the attention now being given to elder abuse to that of child abuse 20 to 25 years ago.

Back then, people were starting to speak openly about the subject, stricter laws were passed with reporting mandates and special law enforcement units solely focused on child abuse cases were starting to form. Now, similar units are forming with regard to elder abuse, and prosecutors are pushing legislators for tougher laws.

A growing senior population with a lot of wealth is on the horizon, giving the issue even greater urgency. Georgia passed a comprehensive elder abuse law in 2013 and this year legislators are considering House Bill 72, which would close some loopholes in the law.

The changes would make it more difficult for unscrupulous personal care home operators to stay in business, clarify those who have to report suspected financial exploitation and make it easier to bring elder abuse cases to trial.

Kathy Floyd, director for the Georgia Council on Aging, said one of the main objectives of the bill is to deal with unlicensed personal care homes.

Georgia has some 1,800 private homes that are licensed to care for elderly and disabled adults. Complaints about unlicensed personal care homes are on the rise, with almost 300 made during the past fiscal year.

Dishonest operators often escape detection by moving residents into unlicensed homes with substandard living conditions, said Floyd. The bill would allow regulators to revoke the license of the legitimate homes if the owners are caught running one without a license.

“This will help put them out of business,” Floyd said.

Another change would allow the courts to move elder abuse cases up on the court calendar. Some abuse cases were dragging along while the health of elderly victims declined, Floyd said. In some cases, victims have suffered memory loss or died. This change will allow for quicker resolutions, she said.

As for financial exploitation, brokerage firms will be added to the list of those who are mandated to report suspected abuse. “They’re in a position to see if large amounts of money are being taken from an elderly person’s bank account or other personal savings,” Floyd said.

Having others report abuses takes some of the pressure off victims. Often, elder abuse goes unreported because seniors feel vulnerable and are reluctant or embarrassed to tell anyone what’s happened, Reynolds said.

The majority of fraud against seniors — some 60 to 70 percent — comes from relatives or close friends, and many times the perpetrator is also the caretaker, Reynolds said.

Reynolds will give an overview of elder abuse, including the different types and how to spot and report it at a free seminar at 6:30 p.m. April 21 at the Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting room, 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta. Pre-registration is required at 770-528-5355.