Neighbor turns to CREA to help senior suddenly facing financial, housing crisis

The account of how a concerned neighbor became the lynchpin in the alleged financial abuse of an elderly woman paints a picture of a shadowy kind of crime typically complicated to untangle, challenging to prove and slow to remedy.

Mary picked up a few clues, now and then, after relatives moved in with her longtime neighbor, a senior living alone.

Neglect was the first sign. Mary saw during visits that her friend was not receiving adequate living care.

The relatives subsequently, “blocked me from seeing her,” so she wouldn’t detect the abuse, Mary said.

Many months later, the household’s financial situation abruptly came to light when the relatives were evicted due to unpaid bills, and the home’s furnishings were moved to the sidewalk by Shelby County officials.

When local police were called, Mary got to reunite with her buddy - but at hospital where she was treated for overdue basic care.

“She had no purse, no identification at all and no loved one to help. And all her finances had been frozen.”

That’s when Mary realized the seriousness of the situation and that she was the lone person who could help as the victim had no home to go to, only the clothes on her back and no money.

“She had no purse, no identification at all and no loved one to help. And all her finances had been frozen,” Mary said.

Before the hospital released her neighbor, recovered, Mary turned to her church, which connected her to a Room at the Inn, a non-profit that regularly serves food and care for the homeless.

The facility generously agreed to let her stay in an available space until her situation was resolved.

Mary became aware of CREA (Coordinated Response to Elder Abuse), which guided her through a legal labyrinth that involved Adult Protective Services, police investigators, lawyers and the court system.

Mary said around $300,000 was allegedly taken from her neighbor’s retirement account over about four years; it’s uncertain if alleged crimes will be charged.

After eight-months of legal work Mary became a court recognized conservator for her neighbor, who is now doing well and living happily in an assisted living home and who Mary visits weekly.

Her initial response to help her neighbor led Mary onto a furious track she did not plan nor anticipate. She has a file cabinet filled with papers documenting the legal puzzle, she noted.

People who want to assist in these scenarios have no idea where to start, she said.

“It’s a system you can get lost in.”

Many cases are drawn out simply because all processes take time, says Belinda Bryan, with CREA.  “Gathering information, verifying demographics, verifying location, confirming caregivers, verifying incomes, law enforcement and APS investigations have their individual protocol regarding investigation,” she said, adding that discussions of cases with the attorney general's office to determine appropriate criminal charges hinges strongly on if there is enough evidence to prosecute..

Mary credited CREA for being invaluable in her pursuit to get her friend’s life back.

She insists that increased protocols at banks must be implemented to flag financial abuses of seniors, who are vulnerable to forged checks, fraud and financial ruin in their golden years.

Bryan said, unlike this case when problems became apparent with the eviction many suspected elder abuse cases remain only "red flags," until someone reports to professionals. 

And investigations can take a lot of time.

To learn more about CREA click here.