‘Life With Pop"

From bestselling author and clinical psychologist Janis Abrahms Spring comes a refreshingly honest and tender portrait of a devoted daughter caring for her father through his final years of life

After her mother died, Janis Abrahms Spring “inherited” her father-Pop- and set off on an all-consuming five-year mission to make his days as rich and comfortable as possible. This is their story, overflowing with humor, insight, and love. In beautifully crafted vignettes, spring brings their deepening relationship to life-both the joy and the imposition, the happiness and the heartaches.

From her unique perspective as a clinical psychologist, Spring explores the emotional and practical complexities of parenting a parent. Inspiring, deeply moving, and frank, Life with Pop is an ultimately comforting meditation on a universal experience, as well as a book with profound lessons on how to grow old gracefully.

Available @ Amazon

‘Ending Elder Abuse’

Nearly 1.6 million Americans now live in nursing homes. That number will double in the next twenty years, as medical science lengthens our life expectancies and the senior population grows. Inevitably, most of us will have to supervise the care of aging parents or grandparents, and every one of us faces the prospect of growing old and possibly frail. Thirty percent of elderly Americans say they would rather die than move into a nursing home. Their fears are well founded: Inspection documents show that more than a  quarter of the nursing homes in the United States have been repeatedly cited for violations that caused serious harm or death to residents. In California, fully one-third caused serious injury or death, and less than 2 percent of nursing homes had no violations!

**Diane Sandell’s ninety-one-year-old mother was severely beaten in a nursing home in Orange County, California. She died six weeks later. The home was never cited for abuse, nor was anyone ever prosecuted.

Ending Elder Abuse confronts the inexcusable pervasiveness of abuse, verbal, physical, mental, sexual, and financial, of America’s elder generation. Its practical, creative approach provides hope and encouragement to the elderly and their families.

Available at Barnes Noble

"Lovingly and Orderly"

With the imminent death of a mother tensions rapidly erupt in her household to dismantle and destroy her family as a consequence of evil.

During a time of obvious lamentation, a devoted son based on a divine covenant with his mother responded to uphold her honor after her sudden and tragic death.

Despite being confronted with one hindrance after another by the wicked acts of his dishonorable siblings, the son reveals a diabolical and criminal conspiracy in progress.

After being challenged and eventually dismissed by the Chicago Police Department, the son discovers that his mother was flagrantly violated upon her death by the suspects in connection with their criminal conduct through a onerous and intense investigation. The culmination of the illegal activity adversely impacting the deceased matriarch’s estate occurs in the Circuit Court of Cook County, IL Probate Division. Would the probate court mandated by Illinois State Law to address the outstanding and pressing legal issues concerning the dearly departed in our society allow the criminal activity to be ignored in order to preserve the economic concerns of an influential financial institution?

Lovingly and Orderly: A Son’s Lament is a real life account of the arduous task the son accepted upon his own free will inspired by God. The compelling drama is a true indication of the state of affairs in our free market, capitalistic society in the United States of America where guile and clout leaves room for doubt regarding justice in our nation.

Available at Amazon

"Judicial Deceit: Tyranny and Unnecessary Secrecy at the Michigan Supreme Court"

Details of the infamous feud between Republican-nominated Michigan Supreme Court justices and flamboyant Democratic attorney Geoffrey Fieger is one of many allegations of judicial misconduct in a book by former Justice Elizabeth Weaver due out later this month.

 

In the wide-ranging, 750-page account of the high court’s inner workings, Weaver accuses former Chief Justice Clifford Taylor of offering to change his ruling on a Fieger matter if she would withdraw a public dissent accusing Taylor and three other justices of being biased and prejudiced toward Fieger.

 

Fieger asked the court in August 2006 to halt its reprimand against him for disparaging three appeals court judges in a malpractice lawsuit against Beaumont Hospital.

 

According to Weaver’s book, Taylor, in a memo to fellow justices, offered to change his vote against granting Fieger a stay if Weaver would withdraw a dissenting opinion that the so-called “Engler Four” — Taylor and justices Stephen Markman, Robert Young Jr. and Maura Corrigan — had a bias against Fieger, a political enemy who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to defeat them at the ballot box.

 

“These were deals, and I wouldn’t make the deals,” Weaver writes in the forthcoming book. “The majority of four simply were not liking that I wouldn’t be bullied. I was going to stand up, even alone.”

 

Weaver and co-author David Schock claim in “Judicial Deceit: Tyranny and Unnecessary Secrecy at the Michigan Supreme Court,” there were countless instances of unethical behavior among justices during her 16-year career on the high court.

 

“You can’t be bargaining like the Legislature, horse-trading on a case,” Weaver said in an interview with The Detroit News.

Full Article and Source:
Former Justice Alleges Supreme Court Misconduct in Forthcoming Book

Certified Financial Board of Standards (CFB) Releases Guide for Protecting Older Americans From Financial Abuse

Older Americans are too often victims of financial fraud and abuse. Recognizing this unfortunate trend, Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. today released a free guide, Financial Self-Defense for Seniors, which is informed by recent survey data on senior financial exploitation, to help older Americans and their families identify the warning signs of financial abuse and to better protect themselves and their loved ones.

“CFP Board remains deeply concerned about incidents of consumers – particularly senior citizens – being misled by those claiming to be trusted financial professionals,” said CFP Board CEO Kevin R. Keller , CAE. “This guide to financial self-defense will help protect seniors from abusive, fraudulent and unethical financial practices.”

Financial Self-Defense for Seniors was written by CFP Board Consumer Advocate Eleanor Blayney, CFP®. It describes 10 “Red Flags” – common situations in which older Americans are vulnerable to financial abuse – and provides warning signs of financial abuse; real-life situations in which seniors are often taken advantage of; and advice for guarding against such abuse.

The guide draws upon CFP Board’s 2012 Senior Financial Exploitation Survey of more than 2,600 CFP® professionals, which found that more than half had personally worked with an older client who had been subject to unfair, deceptive or abusive financial practices in the delivery of financial advice or the sale of financial products. Participating CFP® professionals estimated that only five percent of senior citizens actually report such financial abuse.

The survey also found that CFP® professionals were aware of a variety of abusive practices in the delivery of financial advice or the sale of financial products, including some practices that could violate state and federal regulations:

•Nearly three-quarters (73%) were aware of older investors who have been invited to “free meal” seminars that were actually sales pitches;
•58% were aware of older investors who have received unsolicited pitches for financial products or services; •Nearly three-quarters (74%) of CFP® professionals were aware of older investors who have been offered unsuitable financial products; and
•58% were aware of older investors who have been subject to omission of material facts about financial products.

“CFP Board wants to shine a bright light on those who seek to abuse older Americans so that all seniors and their families can defend themselves against scammers,” Blayney said. “Seniors have contributed so much to our families, communities and our country. We owe them our thanks, but also our protection, so that they may live out their remaining years in financial security.”

Financial Self-Defense for Seniors is part of CFP Board’s series of financial self-defense guides, including the Consumer Guide to Financial Self-Defense, released in 2010. The U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) will include the guide in its Fall 2013 Consumer Information Catalog. The public can access an online version by visiting http://www.cfp.net/financial-self-defense-for-seniors or requesting a hard copy by sending an email to mail@CFPBoard.org or calling 800-487-1497.

Full Press Release and Source:
CFP Board Releases Guide for Protecting Older Americans From Financial Abuse

See Also:
Financial Self Defense for Seniors

"The Ultimate Ponzi"

Every region of the country has its Ponzi villain, but it’s hard to imagine another who could match Fort Lauderdale’s pugnacious despot Scott Rothstein for the audacity of his $1.4 billion crime against friends, neighbors, co-workers and good taste.

A web of tragedies that might give both Shakespeare and Elmore Leonard pause, Rothstein’s reign played out right in front of our disbelieving eyes, as he flaunted his Bugattis and $10,000 suits on Las Olas Boulevard, leaving millionaires plundered, lives ruined and questions lingering about the mysterious deaths of two women close to him.

Fort Lauderdale public relations executive and author Chuck Malkus, who attended some of Rothstein’s over-the-top social gatherings, has chronicled the now-imprisoned lawyer’s rise and fall in a book, “The Ultimate Ponzi: The Scott Rothstein Story” (Pelican Publishing).

Two years in the making, the profile of this tacky, made-for-TV horror story is a spritely mix of Malkus’ own memories of the “vulgar arriviste” layered with interviews with former co-workers, the duped, the adversaries and the girlfriends, as well as deposition testimony, input from forensic accountants, psychologists and local attorneys, and reporting from South Florida media, including the Sun Sentinel.

Full Article and Source:
The Ultimate Ponzi:  Scott Rothstein Books Excerpts Reveal Juicy Details

"Against Her Will"

A cautionary tale of elder abuse and the system that perpetuates it. Two years ago John Wyman’s mother Carol walked out of a nursing home in Rockford, Illinois. She had been placed there for the convenience of others, not for her own well-being and had suffered mentally, physically and emotionally.

When she ended up at John’s home outside of Aspen, Colorado his journey began. Hairdresser by trade, rebel at heart, John took on the challenges of dealing with nursing homes, courts and family members to provide the best possible situation for his mother.

What he experienced woke him up to the inequities and injustices lurking in the systems which have been established to help our older population. He decided to share his story to make us all aware of the catastrophic possibilities that lie in wait if we don’t take action to change these systems. A must read for all who may become old.

Available through Amazon

KILL MOM, KILL DAD – Disposing of the Elderly for Profit. Chapter Three!

Joe Roubicek is presently the economic crimes investigator for the State Attorney’s Office 17th Judicial Circuit of Florida, and author of  the book:  Financial Abuse of the Elderly:  A Detectives Case File of Exploitation Crimes

READ CHAPTER THREE  of Joe Roubicek’s new book in progress:“KILL MOM, KILL DAD: Disposing of the Elderly for Profit”

See Also:
The OPPAGA Report and Elder Abuse

Financial Abuse:  Fraud vs Exploitation of the Elderly

Why Exploitation Crimes are Misunderstood by the Government

Snowbird Scams

Financial Abuse of the Elderly website

Recommended Website and Book: Marked for Destruction

A Shockingly Powerful Story; A True Crime Exposed.
by Officer John Caravella /retired

What Adele Fraulen might have thought to be nothing more than a meaningless bad dream one night in 1935 would actually come true. At age 79 she would find herself living a nightmare — a struggle for her life, simply because she innocently trusted the wrong professionals to help with her portion of a Million Dollar inheritance; they would steal her very existence. Her neighbors, Chris and Patricia Zurillo, would realize that Adele’s life was going terribly wrong and dedicate themselves to freeing her from captivity.

“Marked For Destruction” is a rare book that exposes an ever-expanding crime against our elderly.

Source: MarkedForDestruction.com

From the Author:

AN ESSAY: REFUSE COURT EXAMINATION ORDER – FREEDOM FROM INTERFERENCE

Imminent danger to the alleged incapacitated person, who is criminally and civilly innocent, begins with a court ordered pre-trial examination by an examining committee.

Court ordered examinations, and examining committee members, are controlled by statute. If indicated, the committee’s examination must be comprehensive and include:

1. A physical examination;
2. A mental health examination;
3. A functional assessment;
4. A diagnosis, prognosis, and recommended course of treatment.

Read the Essay: Freedom From Interference

Recommended Website: Financial Abuse of the Elderly

~ UNDERSTAND IT TO DEAL WITH IT EFFECTIVELY ~

In a sentence, Florida’s exploitation law (FSS 825.103) states that when someone maliciously takes the property of an “elderly person,” they are committing exploitation. That’s the essence of the law.

But there is also an important requirement: Within this law, an “elderly person” is defined as someone 60 years of age or older who is suffering from the infirmities of aging to the extent that their ability to adequately care for and protect themselves is impaired. The law states that the elderly person must suffer a physical or mental infirmity. Therefore, exploitation is based primarily on infirmities or disabilities and not deception.

This is why exploitation is not fraud and why it can be much more devastating and offensive. Fraud is generally defined as deception that is carried out for the purpose of achieving personal gain while causing injury to another party. Exploitation requires more than that. It requires that the victims suffer disabilities that make them more vulnerable. And when the victim is more vulnerable, the victim impact is far worse.

Source:
FinancialAbuseOfTheElderly

Read Excerpts From Joe Roubicek’s New Book in Progress: “KILL MOM, KILL DAD; Disposing of the Elderly for Profit