Episode 30: Elder Abuse Crimes, Cases, Impact on Victims, Tips & Alerts (pt. 2)
Description: Discussion on Elder Abuse crimes, kinds of cases the DA’s Office sees, the role of the DA victim advocate in these cases and some tips alerts to help detect and prevent abuse and becoming a victim of common scams. Guests are Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Paul Durenberger, Deputy District Attorney Frederick (Fritz) Gotha, Victim Advocate Bridgid Moffett Yeo.
Show Notes: The group introduces themselves and explains their role within the office and the Elder Abuse Unit.
Paul and Frederick explain who would be considered a victim of elder abuse and the different type of abuse. They then talk about the DA’s Elder Abuse Unit and how prevalent these cases are within Sacramento County – what kinds of cases they see most often, and who are often the abusers.
Bridgid talks about how she works with Elder Abuse victims and how she and Frederick work together. They talk about the most challenging, or complicated, cases they handle. They also share examples of cases that had a good result from both the victim and prosecution standpoint.
Frederick talks about the current laws to protect elders, and if he thinks they should be changed and adjusted or if there is a need for new laws.
Paul talks about the Elder Death Review Team (EDRT). There are unfortunately some cases of suspicious deaths of elder and dependent adults. Paul, explains how EDRT started, who is involved and the purpose of the review team. He then shares some of the findings from the most recent review and report.
The group then provides advice for victims as well as warnings for potential victims in terms of what to do if they are being victimized and how to protect themselves. They talk about some common scams that target seniors, and how they can protect themselves from being scammed. They also talk about important resources available to anyone who needs help or would like more information on Elder Abuse.
They end with closing thoughts on Elder Abuse crimes and its victims.
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Tags – District Attorney, Elder Abuse, Dependent Adult Abuse, Justice Journal Podcast, Victim Advocate, Elder Death Review Team