Abuse of Elders

Abuse can take many forms. While it is most common among close friends or family members, it can also happen between people remotely, such as through internet dating scams or identity theft.

When people are coerced or forced to enter into financial agreements against their consent, that can amount to financial abuse. Financial abuse among family members is common. Examples of coercion are:

• Threatening to send an Elder to an aged care facility, if they do not agree to a financial arrangement
• Pressuring an Elder into making or altering their Will, to benefit a particular person
• Socially isolating the Elder or removing access to Grandchildren, so that the Elder capitulates to their demands
• Misusing a Power of Attorney, for their own benefit or someone else’s
• Family members’ frequently demanding money or access to your financial affairs
• Moving in with an Elder and/or refusing to leave.

Where an Elder has encountered financial abuse, resulting in monies being paid to a family member or other person, it may be possible to recover these monies. We are able to offer advice as to how this might be done, and assist in the implementation of the recovery process.