‘See something, say something’ Local advocates take stand against elder abuse

Thursday marks World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.

Nationwide, about 1 in 10 people 60+ years old have experienced some form of elder abuse.

“It's really important that we keep an eye out, that we check in on our loved ones and make sure that they're not being victimized. This is an abuse that's very much underreported in our county," said Maria Loera, Regional Manager with Adult Protective Services in Riverside County.

She says it's about bringing awareness to this growing problem every day.

Loera tells us they receive about 4,000 calls a month to their hotline related to elder abuse.

"Out of those calls, we’re really generating and investigating about 1600 referrals every month," Loera added.

She says elder abuse is a problem that's only growing.

The most common forms of elder abuse being:

• Self-Neglect
• Financial Exploitation (by others)
• Psychological/Mental Abuse
• Neglect
• Physical Abuse
• Isolation
• Sexual Abuse
• Abandonment

Many of it is unreported.

“If you see something, say something, right. There is no requirement for you to know that the abuse is happening for you to report the information to us," Loera said.

It's a vulnerable community that often gets taken advantage of, especially in the Coachella Valley.

“It's heartbreaking. And every day, you know, there's different things," said Mary Jane Leonhardi, Regional Coordinator for Long-Term Care Ombudsman.

Leonhardi, along with her team of 7 long-term ombudsman, protect and advocate for over 3,500 vulnerable residents in more than 120 assisted facilities.

“We do unannounced visits to the facilities. So they don't know we're coming... but we'll also go if there's a complaint," she explained. "We need the facilities. So we just want to work together to help them do you know, to take good care of the residents."

Leonhardi is a big advocate of keeping our elderly community taken care of. She and her team lending a hand and an ear to those who need it.

“You could have a brother, or a sister, an aunt, an uncle, a grandparent, a mother, or father, in the one of these facilities. So that's why it's so important for everybody to know about us, you know, and that you can call us that we can help your loved one," she said.

What Can You Do To Prevent Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse?

• To help prevent older and dependent adults from becoming victims of scams, we encourage community members to stay engaged with aging family members, neighbors and friends, and to reach out to seniors/dependent adults in isolation.
• Riverside County: If you suspect elder or dependent adult abuse, call the Riverside County Hotline at (800) 491-7123
• Outside of Riverside County: If you suspect elder or dependent adult abuse, call (833) 401-0832, and enter your 5-digit zip code when prompted to be connected to the Adult Protective Services in your county

How Older Adults Can Protect Themselves from Scams Tips from the Federal Trade Commission:

• Stop and talk to someone you trust. Before you do anything else, tell someone — a friend, a family member, a neighbor — what happened. Talking about it could help you realize it’s a scam.
• Resist the pressure to act immediately. Honest businesses will give you time to make a decision. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer. · Block unwanted calls and text messages. Take steps to block unwanted calls and to filter unwanted text messages.
• Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn’t expect. Honest organizations won’t call, email, or text to ask for your personal information, like your Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers.
• If you get an email or text message from a company you do business with and you think it’s real, it’s still best not to click on any links. Instead, contact them using a website you know is trustworthy. Or look up their phone number. Don’t call a number they gave you or the number from your caller ID.
• Know how scammers tell you to pay. Never pay someone who insists you pay with cryptocurrency, a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram, or a gift card. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.

How Adult Protective Services Is Taking Action to Protect Older Adults from Scams

• The Curtailing Abuse Related to the Elderly (CARE) team advocates for victims of fraud and provides education to prevent further fraud/scams from occurring. The team offers fraud prevention presentations through community partners, senior/community centers and government agencies.
• DPSS has partnered with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office to create the Financial Abuse Specialist Team, or FAST. The team specifically investigates older adults who are victims of financial exploitation.