YORKTOWN — Organizers of this year’s Senior Safety Summit want older residents to be aware of the risks they face, especially when it comes to being exploited.
The summit was held Wednesday at Yorktown’s Northside Christian Church.
Nursing home residents and senior citizens who don’t have family available to care for them can be susceptible to abuse by staff or other residents.
“When I think about that, my heart breaks,” said Howard Gwynn, an attorney in the Office of the Commonwealth. “I can’t imagine someone doing that to my mother.”
Some of the issues senior citizens face stem from cultural norms in this country, Gwynn said.
Americans simply don’t treat their oldest citizens with the respect that other countries around the world do, he said. Abroad, being old means you’ve become wise and well-respected.
“There are many countries around this world that value seniors,” he said. “We don’t always do that in this country.”
Some seniors suffer abuse when family isn’t around. Others hoard objects because they can’t bear to let them go.
A popular television show called Hoarders revealed to Mahalia Dryden-Mason just how prevalent the dangerous practice is among older citizens in America.
As a Fair Housing Training Specialist, Dryden-Mason sees her fair share of older people in some tense situations. She warned the crowd that what may seem like a new phenomenon is far from being such.
“This has been going on for years,” she said, noting that hoarding is now considered a legitimate disorder in many psychiatric circles.
Because many residents may be living alone, seniors may keep things they shouldn’t since they have sentimental value. As a widow, Dryden-Mason said she can somewhat identify what hoarders are thinking, though she is not a hoarder.
“I understand that loneliness,” Dryden-Mason said. “They are apart from their family, and they want something to hold.”
As their house or apartment fills, senior citizens risk tripping and falling, which could be fatal if no one knows they need help or the sheer number of objects in the house keeps people from helping.
“You could have a really slow death,” Dryden-Mason said. “No one will be able to hear you.”
Staying involved in your friend’s lives and checking on them periodically is one of the ways people can detect and try to prevent hoarding. The biggest hurdle, though, is the emotional one.
“Behind that, more than likely, is a hurt human being from something that happened earlier in their life,” Dryden-Mason said.
Fraud and abuse are especially common among older residents, who sometimes are unaware of scammers and other people – even family – who mean harm.
“Billions of dollars are lost each year because of Medicare fraud,” Fletcher said. She stressed that while Florida has the most cases, Virginia has quite a few as well.
Avoiding cases of fraud can come down to simply perusing your bills and receipts. A once-over isn’t enough, especially if you don’t understand everything you are looking at.
“Double check your statement,” she said. “See if you catch anything questionable on your bill.”
Wright can be reached by phone at 757 345 2343.
Detect and report
If you suspect a family member is being abused at a nursing home or other living facility, call Adult Protective Services hotline at: (888) 832-3858.
You can report anonymously, and information from the calls is kept confidential.
To report suspected fraud, contact the FBI or the state attorney’s office at (804) 786-2071.
