PPH reported “Financial exploitation almost always happens at the hands of a relative, a bitter lesson learned by Cedric and Pauline Long and some 33,000 other Maine elders every year.”
The article states “in Maine, there’s been an effort to clamp down on elder abuse.” Really?
“Maine’s legal statutes do not define “elder abuse.” Other states have a definition of financial abuse of an elder in its criminal code. This year, the Legislature passed L.D. 527, sponsored by Rep. Mark Dion, D-Portland, a former Cumberland County sheriff. That measure clarifies state law to say that people with dementia and other cognitive impairments cannot consent to financially abusive conduct by caregivers that would be criminal without the consent.”
Does this law “fix” the problem? Abuse is abuse! With Maine’s track record…laws are selectively enforced!
New Hampshire and New Jersey also have elder abuse laws on the books. They don’t enforce them either! The DHS, Division of Elder Abuse, is also a joke! They all gain financially when brushing this serious matter under the rug.
“A 2009 report from the Maine Attorney General’s Office said 84 percent of elder-abuse cases go unreported, because victims either can’t report crimes, can’t keep themselves safe or are too afraid to tell someone.”
“The elder is often embarrassed, frightened, hurt. It’s emotional violence with financial consequences,” said Dion. “The abuser is a criminal who has betrayed the most vulnerable.”
What happens with cases that are reported to the Maine Attorney General? Nothing!
What difference is there when the government abuses its elderly?
There is no difference between family members and government officials/employees who abuse the elderly in order to profit and gain financially…or further their personal, or friends, agendas.
What are the real truths and facts that lie behind closed doors beyond sight of the public view?
Related: Prevent Truth Decay
The Unmasking of Maine....and Beyond 