It's all about the $$...

Financial elder abuse is often looked over when discussing abuse of the elderly. While it may be less common it is certainly no less serious. People work for a good portion of their lives in order to earn money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. When people get older and their hard earned money (sometimes all they have left) is suddenly taken away from them by someone else it is heartbreaking. The article mentions that financial abuse is often performed by family members of the elderly person. This makes it even worse because the older person may feel they cannot stand up to their children or other relatives. Financial elder abuse should be punishable by law. There is no reason people should get away with stealing from anyone let alone the elderly. I think that people need to be more aware of what this form of abuse is and know the consequences of it as well. Health care professionals should be trained to recognize the signs of financial elder abuse and not to ignore them. This may make it easier to catch people who think they can do this to their family members. Right now I think it is hard to catch because a lot of it goes under the radar and happens in homes. If the public is also educated then they can be aware of what is going on around them and see the signs as well. As the population ages this may get worse if we don't stop and recognize it right now.