San Francisco California Elder Abuse Law Blog

 The day comes that your father or mother can no longer take care of themselves. You have the choice to hire in-home care, have them move in with you or send them to live in a nursing home. If you chose the latter, you want to make sure your loved one’s care is top of mind for the caregiver -- and treated as if you were caring for them yourself. The worst thing to imagine, is abuse.

Whether the abuse comes in the form of physical, emotional, sexual, caregiver neglect, financial exploitation or health care fraud, it does happen. Therefore, doing your research and vetting the potential nursing home is very important.

According to a report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), elder financial abuse is on the rise. The Bureau says that suspicious activity reports involving elder financial abuse increased by a factor of four from 2013 through 2017. For California residents with elderly family members, this increase is a significant cause for alarm.

Senior citizens are ideal targets for financial abuse, especially if they insist on remaining in charge of their finances. Unfortunately, their family members often do not recognize potential abuse until the damage has already occurred. However, you can help keep your loved one's finances safe from such abuse while preserving the independence your loved ones deserve.

1. Ease into discussions about your elder's finances slowly. If you appear to completely take over their financial responsibilities, you may encounter resistance. Some people request financial advice from their elders as a way to get these discussions started.
2. Suggest to your elders that it would make you feel better if they put certain legal documents in place. Examples of such documents include powers of attorney, wills and/or trusts and health care directives. If your elders realize that your concern is real, they may be more open to taking these steps.
3. Explain how streamlining their finances can help your elders keep an accurate track of how their money is used. Making money management as simple as possible helps your elders or you identify unusual transactions. Simplification will likely free up at least some of the time normally spent on bookkeeping, enabling your elders to engage in more enjoyable activities instead.

The Stebner and Associates law firm is proud to announce that the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (SFTLA) has recently honored one of its most dedicated lawyers and elder advocates. The Association chose Kathryn Stebner as the most recent recipient of its Civil Justice Award.

As a member of the SFTLA and an advocate for elders, Ms. Stebner is pleased to receive this award. A large part of her nomination for the honor stemmed from her efforts to hold the Oakmont Senior Living facility responsible for a devastating fire that occurred in 2017. She filed a negligence lawsuit on behalf of the residents of Oakmont. In 2018, her efforts paid off when she secured a settlement for the residents and their families.

Last Christmas Eve, authorities arrested two women on their way to Hong Kong as suspects for a scamming practice targeting elderly Chinese women. A few weeks ago, a third woman was arrested for alleged involvement with the blessing scam.

The scheme involved convincing elderly Chinese women that a healer could mend their physical ailments. Scammers would convince the women to bring valuables in a bag to a location for a blessing. A "healer" would put a blessing on the valuables and banish the ghost or spirit that was causing their ailments. During the "ritual" the scammers would switch the valuable bags with a ringer, tell the mark to leave without looking into the bag and keep the valuables.