All over America elderly citizens and dependent adults with assets are forced into involunary guardianships where they lose all their rights and another person (usually a professional guardian) is appointed to control their lives and their assets essentially becoming the alter ego of the supposedly incapacitated adult.

Once these vulnerable citizens estates become exposed to the elements of corruption (as the ward has not say in what is done with their money) greedy professionals line up to line their pockets as the fleecing of the estate commences.

There are hundreds of cases that illustrate that outrageous needless litigation and guardianship fees are racked up at allarming rates and the Probate judges are for the most part rubber stamping the petitions for fees to be paid from the incapacitated persons estate.

This opportunity to get rich off of lucrative guardianships and conservatorships is too tempting and the theft of these estates occurs with impunity.

We believe this is outright financial exploitation. A reputable Study done in early 2008 found that the highest percentage of funds exploited from the elderly in their study was done by professionals.

Many vulnerable citizens are not only robbed of their estates and their heirs robbed of their inheiritance but they are also neglected and put into to abusive situations. They are often forced from their homes and put into living conditions they would never choose so their homes can be sold. Their families are ripped apart and those who complain about a guardian’s treatment of their loved one are separated from them and refused the right to even visit them.

It is time to address this horrific silent crime that is the ultimate disgrace.

Please take a stand again this crime.

Read the hundreds of comments on our petition site at http://www.stopelderabuse.net and sign our petition for real Meaningful Change !

Elder Abuse Victims Advocates
Houston, Texas

I am the eldest of my siblings as well as an RN who enjoy providing care to elders and advocating on their behalf. Myself and 3 of my siblings live in Michigan and the siaster in question lives in Ohio. This sister took advantage of my mother’s trust in her and was able to get my mother to move all of her money out of an account she has had for over 30 yrs into another account. Then my sister took my mother’s money and for a long while we did not know where my mother’s money was. Protective service determined my mother was not being abuse because my sister was paying all of her bills, she was neat and clean and had food to eat. My sister was able to trick my mother into giving her power of attorney and get her Dr to declare that she was incompetent. My sister is not the one here that my mother depends on. I take her to all of her Dr’s apts and set up her meds etc. We recently found out that my sister put my mother’s money into an annuity in her name. It is not in my mother’s name and she put my youngest sister as the beneficiary. We are fighting my sister for trying to obtain guardianship and trying to get the money back into my mother’s control.
I realize it sounds like my mom is incompetent but she isnt. My sisters would like to treat her as if she is but I encourage her independence. She was continuing to work up until last year when she became ill but she is fine now and able to continue to care for herself with minimal asistance.
My sister claims that what she has done is legal. But it is only by the Grace of God that my mom is still here because it has been one devastating experience and betrayal after another. My sister even tried to get my mom to move to Ohio and put her in a nursing home. My sister is not here to see how this has affected my mom’s ability to tust and to sleep at night. She worries. But my sister thinks she’s protecting my mother. At first she told my mom she was not getting a condo. But finally I was able to convince her to give the money needed for my mother to purchase the condo. My mom has told my sister, the court , protective services and the attorneys that she wants to be in control of her own finanaces. In the meantime, my mother’s money is being wasted on attorney fees and she lost money moving cd’s that had not yet matured, as well as the annuity that we just found out that is not in my mother’s name. My sister justifies her actions by indicating that my mom gets social security and she pays all of her bills so she doesn’t need any more money than that. This is why she says she took it upon herself to put my mother’s money in annuity in my sister’s name that is based on my sister’s age being eaten up in insurance!