End of December Check in:
HOT NEW REVIEW!
Thanks to my now dozens and dozens of readers. The second edition will be coming out shortly after the new year. The best review yet came from Joanna Rose, Poet and Novelist (Little Miss Strange) who wrote me to say of Guardian: "It's amazing, I couldn't stop reading it, even when I really wanted to, which believe me, I often did. It alternately made me feel like changing careers (or) going across the street to the memory care facility to volunteer..... It reads like a thriller."

Thanks Joanna for the praise, I appreciate this is a tough topic, but as Joanna noted, the book is full of hope and sad stories that turn out well. We are all entitled to joy and hope no matter what our ages or circumstances, so thanks to my growing cadre of readers. You make me happy beyond words.

Report to Date, and more on how to order

I  launched Guardian: The Art of Restoring Lives at the National Guardian Association Conference Tampa last October. Thanks to all who attended my talk and crowded around for copies at the conclusion. You made my year. Since then I've had some lovely feedback from folks who have read the book.

Mark Nishi-Strattner, Director of the Multnomah County Public Guardian's office sent me a nice note saying "I'm enjoying the book and not just because I am a Guardian." 
Victoria Blachly, a prominent elder Law Attorney read the pre-publication manuscript and said "It's a page turner."

Guardian is without a doubt the most optimistic book about elder financial abuse ever written. The stories here all show some the most vulnerable people in the country facing completely dire circumstances and triumphing. None of this is unusual. Physical, emotional and spiritual revival are available to victimized elders. All of us who know and care for elders can make this happen.

 And even better is knowing how to prevent elders from becoming victims in the first place.

How to buy the book.  If you would like to order one directly from this site just use the Paypal Button.

The books can also be printed on demand at any Espresso Book Machine station. They are scattered across the country, including Powell's Main Store in Portland, and more are coming on line all the time

If you have problems with either method just send me an email at williamkburke@gmail.com

From the Foreword

Since 2001 I have been a professional guardian, a job that is equal parts medical protector and financial bodyguard. This book tells the story of my small part in the battle against one of the great crime waves of history -- the looting of the estates of elderly Americans. 

The statistics of elder financial abuse in America are staggering. The best estimates are that something like two point seven billion dollars a year are scammed from as many as a million victims. Financial abuse of the elderly is a quiet crime. Victims are isolated from their families and coaxed or coerced into assisting in their own downfall.  Bank accounts are transferred and deeds are executed by vulnerable elders who may not even understand what they are signing. 

Something awful happens to elders who are ripped off by corrupt caregivers, phony investment advisors or the sweet young gal they met in the produce department at Safeway or Kroger. They become depressed, stop eating, stop caring and turn away from this world. People who steal money from elders also steal lives, but those lives can be restored.

  
The stories here have been adapted from some of my first cases. I have changed the names and rearranged details and anecdotes to protect identities, but the stories are essentially true.