Elder abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Elder abuse - Essay Example Remember that perpetrators spend months, and sometimes years, to set up their victims for exploitation. Conclusion: By the time Patricia Murtaugh was finished with her two victims, she had emptied their bank accounts of almost half-a-million dollars and used the money to open up a business and purchase homes, cars, and a boat. Her victims were broke and although Murtaugh was arrested and convicted for her crimes, it is doubtful that they will ever see their money again. Murtaugh went to jail, but most victimizers get away with their crimes. Breton, T. (January 9, 2007). A Trust Betrayed: How Two Women in Their 90s Were Fleeced by a Helper. Rhode Island News. Retrieved from http://www.projo.com/news/content/Murtaugh_01-07-07_2034LD5.21a31c1.html. We’ve all heard, I’m sure, of severe cases of elder abuse, in which older people are physically abused by younger people, usually family members. There are some horrific cases of the elderly being victimized, sometimes to the point of death. I’d like to talk about another type of elder abuse—economic exploitation, which is often just as devastating. One of the most notorious cases of economic exploitation of the elderly happened in 2007 in New York. Patricia Murtaugh swindled hundreds of thousands of dollars from two women in their nineties, women who had spent fifty years wisely saving their money. Over a period of months, she gained their trust and then stole their life savings. At first, she was helpful, providing both women with the assistance so that they could keep their independence, in the form of bill paying and much-appreciated companionship. Eventually, she was able to gain access to their finances, a common approach of many a victimizer. This kind of elderly abuse is more common than you may think. One in five elderly Americans are victims of financial exploitation, and in some areas, that figure may be as high as 50%.