Alliance forms to stem rise in elder abuse

DA sees cases jump 71 percent in 5 years

Crimes against senior citizens are on the rise, and officials in Middlesex County and state agencies have started a special initiative to stem the tide.

The Leaders in Elder Abuse Prevention, or LEAPS, initiative was launched recently in Medford to bring together the agencies that handle cases of elderly abuse by caregivers. The hope is LEAPS will give senior citizens an easier way to prevent abuse and to report abuse when it does happen.

"It is very interesting, and it is very needed," said Medford resident Arlene Boland, 74, who was at the Medford Senior Center on Oct. 3 when the initiative was announced. "I haven't been personally affected by it, but I have heard of other people who are abused."

LEAPS was established by the state Office of Elder Affairs and Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, whose office has reported a 71 percent rise in cases of elder abuse over the past five years, from 123 in 2003 to 210 last year.

"There are a lot more elderly seniors now. People are living longer," Leone said. "The best thing I know how to do is to bring everyone together who knows how to protect you."

In the fiscal year that ended June 30, the Office of Elder Affairs received 14,909 reports of elder abuse and 4,423 confirmed cases across the state, which were respectively a 30 percent and 19 percent increase from the 2005 fiscal year.

LEAPS will train members of the partner agencies in ways to detect signs of elder abuse and how to better assist in individual cases. For example, elder abuse can often start when a caretaker becomes financially strained by rising costs; LEAPS can lead people to programs that assist financially with prescriptions, transportation, food, and health services.

"We are talking about a section of the population that isn't particularly good at advocating for themselves," said Chris O'Connor, a partner at the Revere law firm Rainer & O'Connor, which handles nursing-home abuse cases. "They are unaware that resources are available."

In addition to the Office of Elder Affairs and the Middlesex district attorney's office, institutions that have joined LEAPS include Emerson Hospital in Concord, Lahey Clinic in Peabody and Burlington, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge. The initiative does not call for any public funding, as it is a simple sharing of services and information.

"There is a large social context here, and law enforcement is not going to always be the best solution," said Erin C. Miller, who coordinates Newton-Wellesley's domestic violence and sexual assault programs. "We are treating each survivor as holistically as possible."

Unlike other cases of domestic violence, which typically involve young to middle-age women, shelters aren't set up to handle elders who need help physically or have a diminished mental capacity, Miller said. Special assistance is needed to remove the elderly from abusive situations.

"We can coordinate better when we all work together, and we can work better to prevent these cases of abuse against the elderly," Miller said.

Resources offered to help handle and prevent elder abuse include the Elder Abuse Hotline at 800-922-2275; Protective Services Programs and Services at 617-727-7750; and Prescription Advantage at 800-243-4636.

While focusing on abuse from caregivers during the Oct. 3 announcement in Medford, Leone also discussed the need for better protection of the elderly against scams. Members of his audience, including Boland, had complaints about people and agencies trying to get their money.

"It is not always about physical or mental abuse," Leone said. "Sometimes it is just people taking advantage of the elderly."