Fresno Police Warning Public of Elder Abuse Scam

Today, perpetrators of elder abuse are increasingly using the internet and technology to defraud seniors, but a recent elder abuse scam in Fresno serves as an important reminder that more “old-fashioned” scams continue to target the elderly.

In this instance, individuals in Fresno have been approaching senior citizens to perform yard work or other home-improvement labor. In teams of two or more, these people will often claim to have worked for the elder in the past, thereby establishing a false sense of trust or security. Once these individuals begin their “work” at the elder’s home, one of them will distract the elder by talking to them or asking for a glass of water while the other sneaks into the home to steal expensive-looking objects.

In recent days, multiple instances of this type of fraud have been reported in Fresno. Witnesses have reported that one suspect is a heavy-set dark-haired male in his 40s and the other is a thin female, 18-20 years old, with dark shoulder-length hair. The Fresno Police Department asks that you contact their Elder Abuse Unit at 559-621-6317 with any information on the suspects.

Elder abuse continues to be a rampant and immoral problem in California and throughout the country. As more and more scammers target the elderly, it is vital to be extra cautious of any individual who attempts to enter or gain access to your home or personal information. If you have an elder relative living alone, be sure to check up on him or her regularly and be aware of any suspicious behavior by people in that elder’s life. If you believe that you or a loved one has been the victim of elder abuse or fraud, contact the Evans Law Firm in California at 415-441-8669 or 888-50EVANS (3-8267) for a free and confidential consultation, or email info@evanslaw.com.

Charges of Elder Abuse, Negligence After Dementia Patient Dies of Exposure
Bay City News

The family of Kenneth Chin, an elderly dementia patient who died last February, filed a wrongful death suit against his conservator Jewish Family and Children’s Services and the transit agencies responsible for his transportation: MEDSAM Enterprises.  

After not returning home to his assisted living facility in San Francisco’s Richmond District on February 25, 2011, 73-year-old Chin was reported missing. His body was discovered on March 6 in Lincoln Park, and autopsy results indicated that he died from hypothermia.

Chin’s living relatives, represented by Ingrid Evans of the Evans Law Firm, gathered at a press conference on February 8, 2012. His niece Jennifer Chin said she remembered “lying awake at night, it was pouring and freezing… praying that he was indoors somewhere.”

Plaintiff alleges that the MEDSAM shuttle van negligently dropped Chin off at the wrong location, causing him to wander around San Francisco for days before succumbing to the elements in Lincoln Park. In addition, the conservator Jewish Family and Children’s Services did not notify Chin’s family that he was missing until three hours after the event – during which time it had grown dark, cold, and stormy. The family began a search immediately, but was significantly hindered by the delay and its consequences.

Chin says he brings this complaint in order to ensure that such wrongful negligence and tragedy never happen again.

Lawsuit alleges that dementia patient Kenneth Chin wandered the streets of San Francisco for ten days and died as a result of negligence by a shuttle bus company and its driver.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/the-evans-law-firm/elder-abuse-chin-case/prweb9160123.htm

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) February 08, 2012

San Francisco elder abuse attorney Ingrid Evans, The Evans Law Firm, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit (San Francisco County Superior Court, Case #CGC-12-518046) alleging that a shuttle bus company and its driver were negligent in the transport, care and death of an elderly dementia patient who went missing for ten days.

The lawsuit alleges that MEDSAM Enterprises, its driver, San Francisco Paratransit and Jewish Family and Children's Services (JFCS) engaged in elder abuse and negligence in the death of 73-year old dementia patient Kenneth Chin, who went missing for ten days after he was allegedly dropped off in the wrong location and not taken directly to his assisted living facility.

According to the complaint, on February 24, 2011, Chin allegedly boarded a MEDSAM shuttle van, driven by Eugene Pearlman, for his regular shuttle ride from Irene Swindell’s Center for Adult Day Services to his home at Nacario’s Home #5. The complaint states that when Chin did not arrive at the assisted living facility at his scheduled time, his conservator, JFCS, was notified as required. However the lawsuit is alleging that JFCS hampered search efforts by negligently delaying notification to Chin's family.

"The three-hour notification delay by JFCS was critical to Chin's safety especially since his dead body was found approximately one mile from his house," said Evans. "By the time the family was notified that Chin was missing, darkness had already set in and an approaching storm made search conditions extremely difficult," added Evans.

The lawsuit states that despite an alleged awareness that Chin required special attention due to his dementia, the bus driver allegedly failed to ensure Chin's safe delivery to his home in a manner consistent with Chin's special needs. Chin suffered from debilitating mental and emotional conditions that required him to be escorted from his transportation to his residence.

"The bus driver had an obligation and a duty of care to walk Chin to the door and ensure his safe arrival due to Chin's dementia," said Evans. "Instead, no one knows for sure where Chin was dropped off. All we know is that he was left stranded in the freezing cold and wandered around San Francisco for days and died," added Evans.

Chin suffered from dementia and required adult care, supervision and special transportation. The family believes that Chin was left to aimlessly wander for days without food or shelter and, as a result, he suffered a horrible death. Ten days after he disappeared, a man walking his dog found Chin's body lying face down off the side of a path near the VA Hospital.

MEDSAM Enterprises, Inc. is a private shuttle van provider.

About Ingrid M. Evans
San Francisco elder abuse attorney Ingrid Evans, http://www.evanslaw.com, is an aggressive advocate protecting the elderly from consumer fraud along with physical and insurance, banking and financial abuse. In more than ten years protecting senior citizens, Evans has litigated and successfully resolved multiple cases involving senior citizen financial abuse, particularly for the sale of insurance products.

Evans was honored by Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) for recovering approximately $5 million in restitution for 750 senior victims that were sold deferred annuities by AIG and its agents, and also recovered an estimated $100 million dollars in compensation for other senior victims against insurance companies in other legal actions.

Editorial: Elder abuse on the rise with growing older population

The Herald-Dispatch

As the quality of healthcare and the average life expectancy in the United States has gone up, so too unfortunately has the incidence of elder abuse. The demographic of people 85 years and older is the fastest growing age group in the United States, and many of those people require various degrees and forms of elder care. To meet this demand, both honest and alleged elder care institutions have cropped up all across the country. As cases of fraud and abuse are on the rise because of these alleged elder care institutions, it is becoming more and more imperative for elders and their loved ones to learn how to prevent elder abuse and how to distinguish between legitimate and fraudulent elder care providers.  

 

 Some examples of elder abuse in recent news and local headlines include caregiver theft, exploitation, and substandard care that puts the elder in physical danger. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, reported instances of abuse towards elders have increased by 20% from 2000 to 2006. Yet an even bigger issue – according to the Dr. Mark Lachs of the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare system, is that most problems related to elder abuse are not even reported. An interview he conducted with 4,000 elders showed that only one out of thirteen incidences of elder abuse is detected and documented.

 

This is why, in today’s increasingly predatory climate, elder abuse prevention and awareness is as important as litigation and response. Not only elders, but their families, friends, and acquaintances should be on the lookout for signs of physical and financial abuse and neglect. These signs include but are not limited to: behavioral changes, unusual financial activity, or deteriorating healthcare with new caregivers or care providing institutions.

Thanks for visiting the Evans Law blog.  Our hope is that in the coming weeks and months our blog can become a valuable resource on information related to our practice areas, including financial elder abuse, physical elder abuse, consumer fraud, insurance fraud, bank fraud and personal injury.

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