Financial abuse of people over 60 is on the rise, professional advocates for the elderly said during an American Bar Association Webinar Tuesday.

The improving economy is a contributing factor because many relatives who lost their jobs during the recession and were able to provide full-time care for an elderly family member are now back at work, AARP New York State Associate Director Chris Widelo said.

“It’s a big factor,” he said, in part because seniors who were getting free care are faced with paying for it. He added relatives back at work are under stress that could lead them to take it out on the senior because they are faced with a 40-hour-a-week job, 20 hours of care and raising a family.

While the massive growth in the elderly population with the aging of the baby boomer population has been known for decades, government and private agencies responsible for protecting seniors have been lagging in preparing for the surge, Widelo said.

“This is not something we can address tomorrow,” the AARP executive said.


Financial exploitation of seniors is massively hidden, said National Center on Elder Abuse Co-Director Mary Twomey. She noted one out of every 45 instances is reported to authorities.

“A lot elder abuse is subtle, you have to listen to it carefully, she said.

Twomey warned financial abuse can lead to physical abuse, noting it happens sometimes when a senior refuses to give money to a relatives or other potential victimizer.

One out of 10 persons over 60 are abused each year. In 90 percent of the cases, the perpetrator is a family member.

Alzheimer’s Association Constituent Services Vice President Beth Kallmyer said most people aren’t aware how lethal the brain disease is.

She pointed out the ailment kills more Americans than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.

One in nine Americans over 65 has Alzheimer’s. The percentage rises to one in three for those 85 and over.

Shining the light on the disease further, she said women over 60 are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s than breast cancer. African-Americans get Alzheimer’s at twice the rate of whites and Hispanics 1.5 times more frequently than Caucasians.

Kallmyer said Alzheimer’s victims lose their ability to manage a budget while the natural lapse for an elderly person would just be to miss a monthly bill payment.

Explaining the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia, she said Alzheimer’s is just one type of brain function loss. Alzheimer’s is a disease while dementia just refers to gaps in the ability to think.

“Alzheimer’s not a normal part of aging,” Kallmyer said. She said the disease kills by stopping brain cells from communicating with each other.