Elder abuse of epidemic proportion

A Santa Rosa woman has admitted to committing financial elder
abuse against one victim and grand theft from a second deceased
senior victim’s estate, Sonoma County District Attorney Jill
Ravitch announced Friday.
The 46-year-old Sarah Joanne Holm also said the loss to the
second victim’s estate exceeded $50,000. Both victims were
Sebastopol residents, who were close friends and neighbors of each
other, Deputy District Attorney Robin Hammond, the prosecutor
assigned to the case, stated in a press release.
The case involving the first victim was discovered after Holm’s
former mother-in-law noticed several unauthorized charges to her
bank account, which were traceable to Holm, according to Hammond
who said Holm used the victim’s credit card and bank account
information to steal money. In addition, Holm used the victim’s
identifying information to apply for an American Express card,
which Holm used and then failed to pay for, Hammond said.
The second case came to light after an elderly woman for whom
Holm had been working as a caregiver passed away. The estate
trustees found that over $50,000 of the estate funds had been spent
at River Rock Casino, and at other unapproved locations, in the
months following the victim’s death. The spending was traced back
to Holm, who had access to the deceased victim’s financial
documents and credit cards both before and after the victim’s
death, Hammond said. Holms will be sentenced in August to six
months in jail and three years of felony probation, according to
Hammond.
In a separate case that occurred in 2009, a Sebastopol woman’s
own son stole thousands of dollars from her bank account. The theft
was discovered by Citibank officials who noticed a significant drop
in June Wetch’s account balance, according to Sebastopol Police
Chief Jeff Weaver who said upon the discovery a bank official
called Wetch and also the police, which led to an
investigation.
Soon after, Wetch’s then 62-year-old son, Randall Wetch, was
convicted on felony charges of financial elder abuse, and ordered
to pay over $30,000 in restitution. He was also placed on formal
probation and he spent some time in jail, Weaver said.
Elder abuse is “unfortunately common” and often involves a
trusted family member, the police chief said.
These are just a few examples of what experts say is of epidemic
proportion in Sonoma County – among other areas – where the senior
population is growing. Anyone can be a victim of elder abuse, which
can be financial, physical or sexual, or can involve neglect
(including self neglect), abandonment, etc., according to Diane
Kaljian, division director at Adult and Aging Services of the Human
Services Department.
Only one in 25 cases of financial elder abuse are reported, and
as many as 10 percent of elder adults fall victim to financial
elder abuse, Sonoma County Assistant District Attorney Christine
Cook said, citing statistics provided by the National Center on
Elder Abuse.
The Sonoma County District Attorney’s elder protection unit,
dedicated to handling physical and financial elder abuse incidents,
currently has 13 pending financial elder abuse cases, excluding
outstanding arrest warrants, Cook said.
“We have created an elder protection unit to deal with these
troubling cases, where oftentimes family members or trusted
individuals take advantage of a senior’s position and raid their
life savings,” she said.
The Family Justice Center Sonoma County also assists elders who
are victims of financial and physical abuse, as well as victims of
domestic violence and sexual assault of any age. For more
information call project manager Laura Colgate at 565-8257.
In Sonoma County alone, Adult Protective Services investigates
more than 2,300 reports a year, and that is only the tip of the
iceberg, Kaljian said. “Financial elder abuse is increasing, for a
couple of reasons,” she said. “People live longer and seniors tend
to hold more wealth, and because of the economic times some
unscrupulous people are looking for easy ways to transfer that
wealth to themselves.”
In recognition of the growing problem of elder abuse, the Sonoma
County Area Agency on Aging has launched a new program of
information sessions on elder abuse prevention available to
community groups, associations and organizations throughout the
county. The free sessions will include discussions on elder abuse,
led by seniors for seniors and those who care about them. The
meetings will cover how to recognize elder abuse, how to report it
and how to prevent it. For more information contact Joanne
DeAlejandro at Adult and Aging Division of the Human Services
Department at 565-5950.
People who suspect any kind of elder abuse are encouraged to
call the Adult Protective Services hotline at 526-4108, or
1-800-667-0404, or the Ombudsman (for abuse within nursing homes or
assisted living facilities) at 526-4108.
Laura McCutcheon can be reached at [email protected].