Ranna.com

Ranna
®- Contemporary Artist

Social Issues

Photo - Ranna 2019. © All rights reserved.

Button - home


Button - contact

RESOURCES for PROTECTION OF THE ELDERLY

In late 2007, Ranna's own mother, still recovring from 3 surgeries, was swindled out of home and belongings by a "carer" and put out in the street in the rain during an oncoming cyclone. That emergency precipitated a fast learning process in issues of "Elder Abuse" and "Elder Financial Abuse". The following provides links to anyone whose family or friends find themselves needing to protect their elederly loved ones from predations:

For information about Elder Abuse, Financial Exploitation of the elderly, or if you are concerned that an elderly loved one is being mistreated, regardless of whether in a family context or in an institutional or care-based setting, please follow these links below - each link opens a new window:

Australia: Elder Abuse Protection Unit. A community based organization in Queesland, Australia. Definitions of the various forms of elder abuse - financial, emotional, psychological, physical, sexual, and neglect.

Australia: Media release from the Office of the Public Trustee (Queensland, Australia) regarding financial abuse of the elderly. The release states that "This type of abuse frequently results in an elderly person’s assets, such as their bank accounts or house being stolen. The effects can be devastating because they may lose financial capacity to meet the cost of their care... Frighteningly, the research shows it is family or friends, entrusted with an elderly person’s financial affairs, who take advantage of this trust to steal assets for their own financial gain. It is common for the perpetrator to claim that the financial abuse was just a form of early inheritance..." (Peter Carne, Office of the Public Trustee, Queensland, 15 October, 2009.)

USA: National Center On Elder Abuse . Has definitions of the various forms of elder abuse - financial, emotional, psychological, physical, sexual, and neglect. Government organization. Has a Help Hotline.
USA: National Committee for the Prevention Elder Abuse . Also provides definitions and current action in the USA for prevention of Elder Abuse.
USA:
On Facebook - there are multiple resources, case histories and links to legislative issues on Facebook. This page will give you some leads.

OTHER: From the public record - recent equity lawsuits involving aggrieved elderly plaintiffs:

Advances in legislation are underway in many countries. Canada recently (March 2012) passed laws protecting the elderly. There is no legislation in Australia specifically addressing Elder Dinancial Exploitation or Abuse. Regardless of the absence or existence of legislation, Elder Abuse is clearly defined by the social welfare professions and by the World Health Organization. In Australia, for example, legal cases which those professions or any reasonable person would identify as fitting the definitions of elder financial exploitation or abuse are typically framed in terms of equity. Each of the following Australian cases involved disputes of property between an elderly person and an adult child or friends/ carers of the elderly person.

Plaintiff arguments were based on equity and contended resulting trust and/ or constructive trust, and defence arguments contended gift or early inheritance.

The cases below are cited here following the model of a recent article, "Equitable Remedies for Elder Financial Abuse In Inter-Vivos Transactions" (Cockburn, T. & Hamilton, B, in The Queensland Lawyer, 2011, 31(2) ) identifying issues of the use of living elderly people's assets by an adult child or friends, and citing cases which did not specifically state that elder abuse was at issue.

Peterson v. Hottes [26 October, 2012] Queensland Court of Appeals (Australia). Decision in favour of the elderly plaintiff/ appellant. Constructive trust imposed on the defendant/ respondent "to address the respondent's unconscionability" (paragraph 41). Proportionate equitable interest in the subject property awarded to the plaintiff. Declaration that the defendant held the proportionate interest in the subject property on trust for the appellant. Defendant also was ordered to pay commensurate proportion of rents received by her over the subject property since January 2008.
Peterson v. Hottes [12 March, 2012] Queensland Supreme Court (Australia). Decision in favour of the eldelry plaintiff awarding "equitable charge" sought in the plaintiff's claim. Defendant also was ordered to return chattels to the plaintiff.
Taske v. Elliott [2 May, 2008] District Court of Queensland (Australia). Decision in favour of the elderly plaintiff. Equitable charge sought and awarded, plus interest.
Field  v  Loh &  Anor [27 November, 2007] Queensland Supreme Court (Australia). Judgment in favour of the elderly plaintiff. Equitable interest in the subject property awarded to the plaintiff.
Swettenham v Wild [29 March, 2005] Queensland Court of Appeals (Australia). Appeal ddcision was in favour of the elderly plaintiff. Monetary award ordered along with declaration that the defendant held the subject property on trust for the appellant.

These links go to external sites providing full transcripts of the decisions in those cases in a new window for each case. Click here for an aggregate site with brief summaries of each case and links to the decisions in those cases.

 

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Manatees

Ranna® Arts Incorporated (Limited Liability Company) (USA).

Copyright, trademark, company & site information.

Artworks © Ranna®. All rights reserved.

Site © 2000 - 2024.

Privacy