On Thursday (4/19/18), I attended “How Elder Abuse, Fraud and Exploitation are Fueled by the Opioid Epidemic!” hosted by Brunswick Senior Resources, Inc and Cape Fear Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging, supported by AARP of North Carolina, North Carolina Senior Medicare Patrol Program, Cape Fear Elder Abuse Prevention Network, and Brightmore of Wilmington.
I was really looking forward to hearing how the growing opioid crisis was impacting crimes in an aging community. Just for reference, almost 30% of the population in Brunswick County, NC is 65+, while only 15% of the US population is 65+ (per US Census QuickFacts, 7/1/17). And, Brunswick County is battling the opioid crisis, having experienced a rate of overdose deaths nearly double (22.6/100k) that of the state (12.2/100k) from 2012-2016.
Info Presented
- “Elder abuse is more prevalent than child abuse!”
- In my attempts to confirm, I found estimates put elder abuse rates at 10%. And a study in New York found that for every abuse case reported, 24 cases go unreported. For child abuse, an estimate of maltreatment by a caregiver among children was almost 14%; however, this estimate is from a 2011 phone survey.
- In North Carolina, reporting of suspected elder abuse, fraud or neglect is mandatory.
- If you make a report, and give your contact info, the county (or other investigative body) will provide you with an update about what happened. [In public health (especially disease surveillance), we often fail to have feedback loops which reduces the likelihood of people reporting information – so I found this very impressive.]
- Signs of exploitation could include unpaid bills, change of property ownership, new “friends”
- There is a free tracking system available in Brunswick County for people suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia.
- Project Lifesaver is available through the Sheriff’s Office.
- Risk factors for elderly to become victims of fraudsters and scammers:
- Older adults have accumulated wealth (their “nest egg”) and are profitable targets, often with liquid assets
- Older adults may move away from their family members, and have limited local connections or be lonely
- In retirement, people are looking for new experiences and opportunities
- The role of seniors in fighting the opioid crisis is to fight stigmas & keep medication safe.
- Older adults should talk to their kids and grandkids about mental health, substance abuse, and pain management, potentially passing along insights from their grandparents.
- Medication drop-offs for unused/unnecessary pills and lock boxes for current medications are key.
- There are some incidents of people getting jobs at assisted living facilities as a way to get access to older adults medications (either while the person is alive or immediately following their passing).
Unanswered Question: Is there any relationship between elder abuse or fraud and the opioid crisis? Despite the title of the event, I still do not know the answer so I’ve listed a few hypotheses below:
- People suffering from opioid addiction may be more likely to commit some types of elder fraud or abuse in pursuit of resources.
- As the opioid crisis intensifies, rates of crime against all people (including the elderly) will rise.
- Distributors of opioids may also serve as central nodes for fraud schemes, as a way of diversifying their criminal portfolio.
- People may be more likely to commit fraud against their peer group, so elderly opioid addicts may seek out elderly people to defraud.