Wednesday, July 3, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Commentary...
Be alert to elder abuse
By Betsy Leighty-Johnson
Guest Columnist
Cheat grass. Once you
know what to look for, you
begin to see it everywhere.
Elder abuse is kind of the
same 4 once you know the
warning signs you begin to
see it more frequently. <See
it, stop it, prevent it= have
become the watchwords for
this insidious and growing
crime.
One reason it may seem
elder abuse is on the rise
is the increasing number
of Baby Boomers crest-
ing age 65. Wes Fitzwater,
a Portland-based attorney
specializing in elder law, has
been a presenter at various
forums including to Oregon
attorneys, eldercare service
providers, as well as finan-
cial and insurance groups.
He emphasizes the <human
tidal wave= that will <change
the face of America= based
on U.S. Census Bureau
data. In the next 15 years,
more than 10,000 Baby
Boomers will reach age 65
per day. Further, he presents
the economic outlook that
<America is sitting on the
edge of what is expected to
be the greatest transfer of
wealth in our history.= The
prediction is <by the year
2052, an estimated $40.6
trillion will change hands as
Baby Boomers and their par-
ents pass on their accumu-
lated assets to their heirs.=
The Oregon Legislature
and Oregon Department
of Human Services (DHS)
have worked together to
improve Oregon laws.
ORS 124.005-124.040 is
the Elderly Persons and
Persons with Disabilities
Abuse Prevention Act
(EPPWDAPA).
DHS9 Adult and
Protective Services (APS)
is responsible for coordinat-
ing and conducting abuse
investigations and providing
statewide services to reports
of neglect and abuse of vul-
nerable adults, including:
adults over the age of 65,
adults with physical and/or
developmental disabilities,
adults with mental illness,
and children receiving resi-
dential treatment services.
If you9re reading this and
are over the age of 65, you
are part of the vulnerable
population and are covered
by Oregon9s elder abuse
laws.
The DHS APS 2017 Data
Book reports they conducted
16,793 investigations to
determine whether abuse or
self-neglect had occurred,
encompassing 18,855 dis-
tinct allegations, some
involving multiple victims;
70 percent of these allega-
tions were community based
and 30 percent were for
facilities. Of these allega-
tions, 4,720 were determined
to be abuse with 32 percent
financial exploitation, 26
percent verbal abuse, 15
percent self-neglect, 15
percent physical abuse, 9
percent neglect, 2 percent
abandonment, restraint, and
seclusion, and 1 percent for
sexual abuse.
What is elder abuse?
<Elder abuse includes physi-
cal harm, failure to provide
basic care, abandonment
or involuntary seclusion,
unwanted sexual contact,
verbal or emotional abuse,
neglect, self-neglect, wrong-
ful restraint and financial
exploitation. Abuse can hap-
pen in a person9s own home
or the home of family or
friends. It can also occur in
a professional care setting
such as a nursing facility, a
residential care facility, an
assisted living facility, an
adult foster home, a retire-
ment home or a room and
board home= (from the DHS
website).
This is Part 1 of a multi-
part series on Elder Abuse
Awareness, intended to raise
community awareness and
to provide resources for
individuals who are them-
selves vulnerable or are
caregivers, family or friends
of vulnerable people.
If you become aware of
signs that a person over 65
(or a person with disabilities
of any age) is being abused,
report it and let the authori-
ties investigate. Protect any
evidence you may have and
call the toll-free abuse hot-
line at 800-503-SAFE or by
calling local law enforce-
ment in the county where
the abuse occurred. If you
report elder abuse in good
faith, the law will protect
you from being sued by the
alleged abuser if you are
mistaken.
D r. B e t s y L e i g h t y -
Johnson has a PhD in
Human Services with a
specialization in Social and
Community Services. In
September 2014, the author
and her husband discov-
ered his (then) 96-year-old
mother had been the victim
of financial elder abuse.
They were very involved in
the collection of evidence
assisting in the felony prose-
cution of the victim9s daugh-
ter for the crime. Since that
time, the author has become
an elder-abuse advocate,
currently assisting the
Deschutes County District
Attorney9s office with elder-
abuse cases.
COWBOY DINNER TREE -
SILVER LAKE
Grant applications are
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the restoration and improve-
ment of Whychus Creek
where it runs between the
Creekside Campground and
Creekside Park inside the
city of Sisters.
The Upper Deschutes
Watershed Council (UDWC)
will apply to the Oregon
Watershed Enhancement
Board and the Pelton/Round
Butte Fund. There is approxi-
mately $150,000 available to
pay for fish passage and in-
stream and riparian habitat
restoration.
The City submitted a
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help fund the Locust Street
component of the project,
which involves removing
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Correspondent
the bridge-mounted sewer
line from the upstream side
and placing it under the
streambed to avoid damage
to the line during high water
events.
The UDWC and the City
are planning to implement
the fish passage and ripar-
ian restoration work along
with ADA retrofits on the
pedestrian bridge over the
creek based on funding
availability.
July 1 through October
15 is the window for the
in-stream work to occur
in order to have the least
impact on the fish. The water
will be at its lowest flow
level so the least amount of
water will need to be piped
around the in-stream work.
The City will take the lead
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work.
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Live Life Better!
Efforts planned to
improve Whychus Creek
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