June 15, 2023 by Natalie Cochran
June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month: Justice for Older Adults Project at Lone Star Legal Aid
Our elderly population routinely faces several forms of abuse, like neglect and financial exploitation. Consistently educating the public through advocacy and action will provide awareness and prevention of elder abuse. June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month, and today, June 15, is Elder Abuse Awareness Day!
While physical abuse, neglect and abandonment are frequently used forms of elder abuse, financial exploitation is the most common and fastest growing form of elder abuse. Anyone can take advantage of the elderly, whether they are a caretaker, a family member, neighbors, attorneys, bank employees, doctors, or nurses. Mistreatment of aging adults is widespread, and can even become deadly. Only one in six elderly people report their abuse.
Older adults often do not know that their needs are legal, and they are not fully aware of their legal rights and responsibilities or the options available to resolve their legal issues. Unscrupulous caretakers and fears of repercussions may also prevent this group from asking for and getting legal help. Too often, they do not have access to an attorney or meaningful access to the courts. When this group tries to resolve legal problems on their own, they face an overwhelming legal system with regulations, rules, procedures, complex terminology, deadlines, and necessary document filings.
Our Justice for Older Adults Project at Lone Star Legal Aid aims to assist older adults living in 25 high-poverty counties. This advocacy initiative serves older adults facing various civil legal issues, such as:
- Protection orders;
- Divorces;
- Securing, challenging, limiting, or terminating guardianships;
- Instituting and revoking powers of attorney;
- Recovering assets;
- Restoration of public benefits;
- Creating trusts; evicting an abusive caregiver;
- Modifying and voiding legal instruments;
- Removal of social security representative payees for funds mismanagement and abuse of fiduciary duties;
- Identity theft and debt collection;
- Unlawful nursing home discharges; and
- Deceptive and unfair business practices.
List of additional resources
Texas Crime Victim Legal Assistance Network
Webinar: Range of Remedies in Elder Mistreatment
National Center on Elder Abuse Publications
Adult Protective Services Technical Assistance Resource Center
SAGE & National Resource Center on LGBT Aging: Mistreatment of LGBT Elders
National Indigenous Elder Justice Initiative
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Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income and underserved populations by providing free legal education, advice, and representation. LSLA serves millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines, who live in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties in Southwest Arkansas. LSLA focuses its resources on maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability; preserving housing; improving outcomes for children; establishing and sustaining family safety, stability, health, and wellbeing; and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those with disabilities, the aging, survivors of crime and disasters, the unemployed and underemployed, the unhoused, those with limited English language skills, and the LGBTQIA+ community. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at www.LoneStarLegal.org
Media contact: media@lonestarlegal.org
