Canadian Conference on Elder Law/financial elder abuse issues in the news

Financial abuse of seniors quickly emerged as a hot topic Thursdayas health-care experts, lawyers, academics and policy makers gatheredin Vancouver for the fourth annual Canadian Elder Care conference.  Butit was who was missing from the debate that generated the most commentamong the estimated 150 international conference participants.  “Somuch of elder abuse is financial abuse and that involves the banks . .. and they’re not here,” said Graham Webb, a lawyer with theToronto-based Advocacy Centre for the Elderly.  Margaret Easton of Westminster Savings Credit Union was the only voice representing financial institutions nationwide.  Easton,a counsellor in planning for elders, said her interests lie ineducating people about seniors’ rights related to the often complex anddelicate negotiations around financial guardianship, and the creationof joint accounts.Without adequate training, bank workers canincrease seniors’ vulnerability to the bad — or, in some casesdeliberately misleading — advice of family members or caregivers.It’sa situation that can be corrected with proper education and motivation,Easton said. A recent U.S. survey found that 14 of the 22 leadingindicators of financial abuse can be caught right at the bank tellerwindow by an alert clerk.

Source/more:  Vancouver Sun, http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=e4193e77-13a1-4dea-a0cf-9edb43a0efe5