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Elder Abuse pp 141–157Cite as

Financial Exploitation of Older Adults

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Abstract

Surveys have repeatedly found that financial exploitation is the most common type of elder mistreatment [1, 58], and the loss of financial resources can be devastating for older adults. Despite this, there has been very little theory development in elder financial exploitation. Part of the problem is that it encompasses a wide range of crimes—theft, scams, abuse of powers of attorney, unauthorized joint tenancies, etc.—each involving perpetrators with varying relationships to their victims. In this chapter, we review several currents of thought on financial exploitation, describe and test a plausible theoretical model based on current understandings, and discuss practical actions that may prevent exploitation and help investigate it when it has been reported or is suspected. We close by suggesting directions for future research to test pressing theoretical propositions and intervention approaches.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stanford Center on Longevity, Stanford University, 365 Lausen St., Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Marguerite DeLiema

  2. Department of Health Policy and Administration, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1603 West Taylor Street, Chicago, 60612, IL, USA

    Kendon J. Conrad

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  1. Marguerite DeLiema
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  2. Kendon J. Conrad
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Correspondence to Kendon J. Conrad .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA

    XinQi Dong

Appendices

Appendix: List of Measures and Brief Descriptions of Items

This appendix lists item numbers and brief descriptions of the constructs used to assess financial abuse by APS workers. Full questionnaires are available at www.eadss.org.

Abuser Risk Factor Item Numbers and Content

B1: AA history of trouble with the law, B2: AA history of violence, B3: AA history of previous abuse, B4: AA trouble keeping a job, B5: AA lack knowledge of the AV’s needs, B6: AA unreliable in providing you with care and assistance, B7: AA too stressed to help you, B8: Relationship with AA drain you emotionally or wear you out, B9: AA ignore you, B10: AA seems irresponsible, B11: AA dependent on you for money, B12: AA have a drinking/alcohol problem, B13: AA abuse drugs, B14: AA have a problem with gambling, B15: AA have problems with mental illness, B19: AA have problems controlling his/her temper, B20: AA too pushy and demanding, B21: AA have a habit of telling lies, B22: AA sometimes seems out of control, B23: AA try to control your decisions too much, B24: AA complain about caring for you, B25: AA ever punish you, B26: AA expect too much of you, B27: AA live beyond his/her means, B28: AV been abusive to AA.

Victim Cognitive Status Item Numbers and Content

C4a: Disoriented to time, C4b: Disoriented to Place. C4c: Disoriented to Person, C4d: Incoherent, C4e: Poor Memory, C4f: Confused, C4g: Cannot follow conversation, C4h: Faulty judgment/reasoning.

Victim Mental Status Item Numbers and Content

C6a: Current Psychiatric DX, C6b: Bizarre behavior, C6c: Severely anxious, C6d: Unreasonably fearful, C6e: Unresponsive, C6f: Sees things that are not there, C6g: Hears voices, C6h: Compulsive behavior/hoarding, C6j: Appears depressed, C6k: Change in eating habits, C6m: Change in sleeping habits, C6n: Recent Loss, C6p: Decreased social interaction, C6q: Loss of Interest, C6r: Withdrawn, C6z: Other mental status indicators.

Victim Substance Abuse Item Numbers and Content

C9a: Substance abuse–alcohol, C9b: Substance abuse–drugs, C9c: Previous history SUD, C9d: Smells of alcohol, C9e: Slurred speech, C9f: Dilated pupils, C9g: Poor Coordination, C9h: Bottles and Cans present, C9j: Abuse of Rx or other medications, C9z: Other Substance abuse indicators.

Activities of Daily Living Item Numbers and Content

C10: Needs help with ADLs, C10a: Needs help doing housekeeping, laundry, C10b: Needs help with driving/arranging transportation, C10c: Needs help with using appliances safely, C10d: Needs help with using telephone, C10e: Needs help with seeking medical care, C10f: Self-administering medications, C10g: Needs help with Dressing and undressing self, C10h: Needs help with ADLs, C10j: Needs help with shopping for food, C10k: Needs help with Preparing Meals, C10m: Needs help with Eating, C10n: Needs help with Using Toilet, C10p: Needs help with transferring, e.g. bed to chair, C10z: Needs help with Other needs.

Alleged Abuser (AA) Strengths as Reported by Alleged Victim (AV)

C1: AA provide financial support for you, C2: AA take care of your personal needs well enough, C3: AA provide emotional support, C4: AA help you maintain activities outside the home, C5: AA do things that contribute to the well-being of your household, C7: AA is willing to work on the problem.

Alleged Abuser Strengths as Reported by Alleged Abuser

AQ2: Do you do things that show you care? AQ3: Do you provide personal care? AQ4: Do you provide financial support? AQ5: Do you provide non-monetary resources? AQ6: Do you help maintain activities outside the home?

Alleged Abuser Stress and Burden as Reported by the Alleged Abuser

AQ8: Do you feel that ___ expects too much from you? AQ9: Do you feel that you’re being asked to do more than you can possibly do to care for _____? AQ10: Do you feel resentful of having to take care of _____? AQ11: Do you feel that _____ criticizes you unfairly? AQ12: Do you feel annoyed with _____? AQ13: Do you feel that because of the time you spend with _____ you don’t have enough time to do things you would like to do? AQ14: Do you feel stressed between caring for your relative and trying to meet other responsibilities? AQ15: Are you fed up with taking care of _____? AQ17: Has ____ been abusive to you?

Alleged Abuser Negative Attitudes as Reported by the Alleged Abuser

AQ18: Do you feel that _____ is to blame for many of the bad things that happen to you? AQ19: Do you feel resentful of things _____ has done? AQ20: Do you feel that _____ is overly sensitive when you try to correct his/her behavior? AQ21: Do you criticize _____ a lot? AQ22: Are you angry with _____? AQ23: Do you feel bad about things you have said or done? AQ24: Do you feel like just leaving _____? AQ25: Do you feel you have a right to AV’s money and resources? AQ26: Have you felt like physically hurting _____?

Isolation as Reported by the Alleged Victim

P3OV: Have you been overmedicated, poisoned, or chemically restrained? P4CON: locked you up, tied you up, or confined you against your will, P4A: kept in a location unable to leave (for example, closet, room), P4BPHONE: not get to the phone due to physical restraints (like phone placed out of reach), P4DNOVIS: not allowed to have visitors, P4FRESTR; restrained without medical orders, N15: Does the older adult have any untreated sores, wounds, rashes, or other health conditions? N16: Is the older adult left alone without adequate supervision? E14: Has ____ abandoned or threatened to abandon you? E17: Has ____ prevented you from having contact with the outside world via telephone, newspapers, television, or radio, etc.?

Financial Exploitation

F1A: Has ____borrowed money from you but not paid it back? F2A: Has ____felt entitled to use your money for him/herself? F3A: Has ____used your money on their own behalf instead of for your benefit? F4: Have there been unexplained disappearances of your money or possessions? F5: Has ____ lied about how they were spending your money? F6: Has ____demanded money from you? F7: Did ____take advantage of you to get a hold of your resources such as a house, car, or money? F7A: Has______ lived with you, but refused to pay their share of expenses? F8: Has ____given unreasonable explanations for spending the older adult’s money? F9: Has ____refused to give you an accounting of how your money was spent? F10: Has ____taken your money to do something for you but never did it? F11: Have there been unusual activities in your bank accounts, for example, large withdrawals, frequent transfers of funds? F12: Has ____said they were buying something for you, but it was really for their own use? F13: Has ____handled your money irresponsibly (for example, gambling, illegal activities)? F14: Have there been unauthorized withdrawals from your bank account? F15: Has ____taken advantage of cultural or family expectations to get your resources? F16: Has ____ persuaded you to sign any documents even though it was not in your best interest? F17: Has ____manipulated you to give him/her larger than usual gifts (money, cars, homes)? F18: Has ____ prevented you from spending your money in order to preserve their inheritance? F19: Has ____ promised care for you but then did not provide it? F20: Has ____ tricked or pressured you into buying something that you now regret buying? F21: Have your legal or financial documents been frequently changed? F22: Has ____become the payee on your benefit check and used the money for him/herself? F23: Has ____convinced you to turn the title of your home, property, farm, car, etc. over to them? F24: Has ____pressured you to modify your will? F25: Has ____ changed the direct deposit destination so as to benefit him/herself? F26: Other indicator(s) of FE.

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DeLiema, M., Conrad, K.J. (2017). Financial Exploitation of Older Adults. In: Dong, X. (eds) Elder Abuse. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47504-2_8

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