Is someone stealing money from your purse or wallet? Pressurising you into selling your valuables, into making a will or signing documents you don’t understand?

Are they demanding your ATM card? Living in your house but not sharing household expenses? Spending money on themselves that you’ve given them for your shopping?

If these questions are ringing any bells, you may be the victim of financial abuse or the thinner but still upsetting end of the wedge – financial exploitation.

The perpetrators may not be strangers either! Sons or daughters are the most common perpetrators of elder abuse (49%) (which includes financial abuse) according to Older People’s Empowerment Network (OPEN) research. Spouses/partners are next (20%).

Other potential perpetrators include other relatives, for example a niece or nephew (24%), a friend (4%) or a home help assistant or professional caregiver (2%).

Abuse can be psychological, physical, financial or sexual, according to the experts. Neglect is also abuse.

The HSE set up a special unit to combat elder abuse in 2007 and in 2015, for example, almost 2,600 cases were reported. Two thirds of those referrals concerned women over the age of 80.

Public health nurses were the main people to report cases to the HSE special elder abuse teams.

“It’s important to talk about elder abuse because it is a growing problem,” says Justin Moran of Age Action Ireland.

“Figures published by the HSE have shown increases in all levels of elder abuse since they started compiling figures, and financial abuse is the second most common type.”

Financial abuse, he points out, can be a criminal act.

“It can be theft, maybe someone has taken pension money or forged your signature, but it can also be used with other types of abuses like psychological abuse, as in someone pressurising the person to change their will. Often the person threatens that they will withdraw care unless money or property is provided.”

One of the most horrifying aspects of financial elder abuse is that the perpetrators in the majority of cases, are immediate family members, he adds.

“They are sons, daughters, sisters or brothers who have access and are prepared to use it. So, for example, you could have a situation where a family member demands money, maybe even literally frogmarching the person to the ATM.”

It can be terrifying for the person involved.

“You could be dependent on the family member who is perpetrating the abuse for care. While the overwhelming majority of family carers do an amazing job and, frankly, without them the entire system of how we support older people and others in Ireland would grind to a halt. But if you are in a position where, for example, your son is taking money from you and you depend entirely on that son for care, then it can be a really scary situation because what happens if you challenge him and he says, ‘well, okay, I’m not going to look after you anymore’? Those can be really difficult situations for an older person.”

While aggression or intimidation can be part of financial abuse, more subtle financial pressure can also occur. This could be a family member regularly mentioning that they can’t pay a particular bill of their own or that they’ve some big expense coming up.

“If an older person wants to give money to their sister or their grandchild – and a lot of parents do help children with things like utility bills – that’s their choice. There is a grey area, however, where maybe someone is being subtle – they are not exactly putting pressure on the person – but they know that if they share that information that their parent will step in to help.

“That wouldn’t be abuse but what’s really important in those situations is for the older person to be quite conscious of their own financial security first.

“If you can help a member of your family that’s fantastic, and I think the contributions that older people make to family members that way are quite substantial, but the important thing is to make sure that you are financially safe first. You shouldn’t be struggling to make ends meet yourself as a result.”

JOINT AUTHORITY ON

ACCOUNTS TRIGGERS CALLS

Age Action often gets calls where people have issues around joint authority on their account, Justin Moran says.

“That’s where a person has decided to share control of their finances with someone else and money is then taken without permission. That unfortunately can leave the elderly person open to financial abuse, so they have to take measures to make sure that their money is protected.”

PUT WITHDRAWAL LIMITS ON YOUR ACCOUNT

Age Action’s advice if you are considering giving someone access to your account is to sit down with your bank manager first.

“This would be to work out withdrawal limits and what the money can be withdrawn for. You should also talk about that with the person you are sharing control of the account with.

“When someone collects your pension and does your shopping, make sure to get and keep receipts too. Minimise the amount of cash transactions also. Set up direct debits or standing orders for household bills where you can so that you don’t need to withdraw cash for them.”

SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT Underlying ABUSE

A sense of entitlement related to inheritance may also underlie some of the attitudes of those who exploit or financially abuse.

“They could be saying, ‘that’s going to be my money anyway when she dies, I’m going to get it, sure I might as well get it now when I need it or want it’.

“It is difficult to understand that kind of mentality but we tell our members that this is your money and they need it to look after themselves, first and foremost.”

NURSING HOME – PROTECT YOURSELF FINANCIALLY

Situations can vary in nursing homes, Justin Moran says. “Some people in nursing homes are still able to handle their own finances. Generally speaking, one of two approaches would be used – you would ask a family member to make sure that your pension is collected and that your bills are paid and that you have cash on hand in the nursing home if you need it.

“Alternately, the nursing home itself can provide a private patient account where the nursing home staff can do the same for the patient – withdraw money when you need it.

“It has come out recently from by HSE audit reports that more controls are needed. However, while there was no evidence of serious fraud found, it did show that nursing home staff weren’t keeping all the records they should and that checks weren’t robust enough. So it was a system where it might allow fraud to take place. There needs to be more supervision and cross-checking by staff to prevent such theft.”

The advice again is as above. Put bank restrictions on the amount that can be withdrawn from your account at any one time.

“Make sure to check your bank statements too. We also suggest keeping a spending diary so you are able to see how much money is going out and what it is spent on.”

USEFUL WEBSITES

• www.hse.ie (key in elder abuse).

• www.keepcontrol.ie to view a video about what to do if you suspect abuse.

• www.thirdageireland.ie

>> Red flags of financial abuse & what to do about it

SIGNS OF FINANCIAL ABUSE OUTSIDERS MAY NOTICE:

  • • Unexplained or sudden inability to pay bills.
  • • Unexplained disappearance of possessions.
  • • Extraordinary interest by family member in person’s assets.
  • • Making dramatic financial decisions.
  • WHAT TO DO

    “If you notice any of these signs, try to have a quiet conversation with the person – and I know this kind of conversation can be difficult,” says Justin Moran of Age Action Ireland.

    “You can say, ‘I just want to make sure you’re okay’, ‘if you’re worried about money we can get help’. There are organisations out there that can assist if abuse is happening. The HSE now has social workers who are specially trained in this, so there are people to whom you can turn. Age Action can be contacted anonymously if you’re not sure if it is financial abuse and we will suggest steps to follow.”

    The number is 01-4756 989 or email helpline@ageaction.ie. The HSE is contactable at its info line 1850-24 1850. You can also ring the Senior Helpline LoCall 1850-440 444

    MAY NOT WANT TO INVOLVE GARDAI

    Even if the person says, ‘I want to make this stop’, they may not want to involve the gardai’, the Age Action spokesperson says.

    “Going to the HSE, then, is a way where it doesn’t necessarily have to end up being reported as a crime. In some cases, you can have the situation where the perpetrator doesn’t even really see or consider what they are doing as abuse because they don’t have that perception of abuse. In those situations, the abuse could stop after the HSE social worker sits down with that person and explains how their actions are being perceived.”

    SPEAK OUT

    OPEN says: “Do not be afraid to tell somebody. Very often by talking to a trusted friend, neighbour, family member or caregiver you will not only receive the support you need but you are also showing the potential abusers that you have supportive people around you. This may help to prevent abuse occurring. “

    WHAT HAPPENS TO REPORTS OF ELDER ABUSE?

    The HSE says that all reported cases of Elder Abuse are treated very seriously.

    “All cases will be treated with confidentiality and, in so far as is practical, will be handled in a way that respects the wishes of the older person. The prime focus is on ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the older person while providing supports to stop the unwanted behaviour and facilitate the continuation of care.”

    The HSE has a dedicated elder abuse service with senior case workers in elder abuse now working in most local health office areas. OPEN (the Older People’s Empowerment Network) was founded to support older people to be empowered against all forms of elder abuse, particularly financial abuse. It developed the Keep Control Campaign for that purpose.

    For a list of crimes of financial abuse and examples of other types of financial abuse, see www.keepcontrol.ie