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 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.
