Director's Message

Gary Weeks

February 18, 2005 To: DHS employees From: Gary Weeks, Director

Taking advantage of the elderly

As people grow older, they may become more dependent on others for care, including having someone help them with their finances.

Unfortunately, sometimes that "help" turns into financial exploitation. Consider the following recent examples:

•  A client in Crook County was financially exploited for $10,000 by a neighbor who was picking up her mail on a regular basis. The alleged perpetrator does not have the means to repay the money and the client had to turn to Medicaid sooner because of this.
• A 91-year-old Oregonian never knew he had an ATM card until he did not have enough money to pay his bills. His daughter had used a Power of Attorney to establish a card on his account and used his money to shop for herself.
• An 84-year-old Oregonian was being charged $500 for each trip she made to the grocery story (a total of 19 miles) by the caregiver who was transporting her.

A growing problem

In Oregon, 2003 data shows that there were 2,072 allegations of financial abuse, like the ones described above, that came in to the department in a one-year period, not including those from facilities or institutions.

This is almost 26 percent of all reports of abuse and neglect about seniors and people with disabilities that we receive.

This type of abuse often is perpetrated by someone the person knows -- a family member, friend, or neighbor.

A

s the baby boomer generation ages, this problem is expected to worsen. In 2000, 438,177 Oregonians were age 65 and older. By 2025, the age 65-and-older population is expected to double, according to the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis.

This week, the department organized a concentrated effort, to increase the knowledge of seniors, their families, and baby boomers about financial abuse, including prevention strategies, resources, and public education.

We're doing a number of activities including conducting local public forums, meeting with legislators, producing a variety of materials, and staffing a booth at the Boomer and Senior Expo, being held this weekend in Salem.

We've partnered to form a Senior Financial Abuse Coalition which includes representation from the Governor's Commission on Seniors, AARP, Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon Department of Justice, Washington Mutual, Senior Forums, U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and Excel Marketing.

What you can do

Financial exploitation often goes hand-in-hand with other types of abuse and neglect. Adult Protective Services, a part of Seniors and People with Disabilities, investigates abuse and neglect and offers protective services to those 65 years and older or to adults with disabilities who cannot protect their own interests.

Abuse can take many forms, including financial exploitation, physical harm and injury, failure to provide basic care, unwanted sexual contact, verbal/mental abuse, abandonment by a caregiver, or self-neglect that leads to harm.

If you suspect a senior or person with disabilities is being abused, the department encourages you to contact your local senior services office or local law enforcement agency. Or you can contact the state office at: 1-800-232-3020. More information is available on the web at: www.dhs.state.or.us/seniors/abuse/reporting_abuse.htm

A call could have helped prevent a person like Joan, aged 79, who is blind and in advanced stages of dementia, from losing the money that she had saved. An aide in the assisted living complex where she resided took her to the bank, withdrew money from her account -- and used it for himself for gambling.

Cutting processing time from weeks to days

It used to take six to eight weeks to complete criminal records checks in the department, causing delays in providing services to the department's clients. Our criminal records staff, in partnership with the Office of Process Improvement, reorganized and consolidated workflow, eliminated paper and forms, and created a more user-friendly form. What used to take weeks for processing now takes a matter of days.

This is one example of how Process Improvement can help make changes that improve our employees' work environment and increase client satisfaction.

DHS has recently set up a Process Improvement Office in the Director's Office to help all parts of the agency become more efficient and responsive. A key way to make effective process improvements is to involve those closest to the task -- as they often know best how to identify and eliminate steps that aren't needed.

Marc Bouvier, who recently worked as a child welfare manager in Lane County and has extensive experience in management consulting, organizational development, facilitation and training, is the department's Process Improvement Administrator. If you have questions about what process improvement is or how this part of DHS can help you, contact Marc at (503)- 945-6136 or at marc.bouvier@state.or.us

The Process Improvement Office is currently accepting applications for an Applied Study Group. Participants will meet with peers once a month for six months and learn a set of skills that they will be able to apply to their office or project. By the end of the six months, it is anticipated that those participating will have learned the basics of process improvement and have been able to apply it to a real problem they are facing.

Food for thought

"Don't be a cynic, and bewail and bemoan. Set down nothing that will not help somebody."

Ralph Waldo Emerson, (1803-1882), essayist, poet, and popular philosopher.