Originally published September 9, 2008 at 12:00 AM | Page modified September 9, 2008 at 9:02 AM
Comments (0)
E-mail article
Print view
New laws proposed to combat elder abuse in Washington
A new state initiative aims to make it easier to identify, prevent and prosecute abuse of elderly and vulnerable adults in Washington.
Seattle Times consumer affairs reporter
Elder-abuse information
To see whether a prospective caretaking hire is on the state's APS Abuse Registry, call 360-725-2528.For more information about the state's Vulnerable Adult statutes, including where to report suspected abuse, go to: www.washington-guardianship.com/Vulnerable-Adult-FAQ.htm.
Additional information on preventing abuse is available from the National Center for Elder Abuse, www.ncea.aoa.gov/NCEAroot/Main_Site/Index.aspx.
New laws to protect the fast-growing number of seniors in Washington state are in the works, following a yearlong initiative aimed at making it easier to identify, prevent and prosecute abuse of elderly and vulnerable adults.
Recommendations from nearly 100 people in fields such as law enforcement, social work and financial services were distilled into five recommendations for new laws that will be announced at a news conference today in Seattle.
The proposals, which will go to the state Legislature, include:
• Increasing the punishment for those convicted of crimes against people over 65.
• Requiring employees of financial institutions to report suspected financial exploitation of vulnerable adults.
• Improving coordination between law enforcement, Adult Protective Services (APS) and people who report abuse.
• Allowing better disclosure of information gathered by APS, including a database where consumers can search for names of abusers.
Attorney General Rob McKenna, who initiated the effort, was not available for comment Monday. But in a foreword to the report, he noted that his office has seen a "steady increase in the frequency with which fraud-related cases involve the exploitation and abuse of older adults."
Sharon Merriman-Nai, co-manager of the National Center on Elder Abuse in Newark, Del., said lawmakers across the country have struggled since the late 1970s to craft comprehensive solutions to protect elderly and vulnerable adults, with mixed results. There is limited research on the subject, she said, so no one has a good handle on the most common type of abuse and who commits it.
"Family members are frequently the abusers," she said, but added that patterns of abuse could become clearer as more cases are reported and examined.
In 2006, the year cited in the report, Washington state agencies received more than 13,000 abuse reports involving elderly or vulnerable adults. Policymakers tend to agree the problem is larger than the reports suggest because victims may be reluctant or unable to seek help, they depend on their abusers for care, or they may not realize that financial exploitation is occurring.
Some of the recommendations in the attorney general's report are already law elsewhere. For example, a 2001 survey of APS administrators found that at least 11 states require employees at financial institutions to report suspected abuse to authorities or face criminal charges. That same report, however, noted that the laws were not widely followed.
Other states also maintain lists of people who have committed elder abuse, but the degree to which that information is available to the public varies.
Consumers in Washington state now can check out caregivers on APS' Abuse Registry before hiring people to care for their loved ones. But the state won't guarantee the accuracy of the information, and it is by no means comprehensive, factors that limit its usefulness as a consumer tool.
APS relies on people reporting the abuse — as well as the alleged abusers — to provide accurate names, aliases, spellings, dates of births and Social Security numbers. State employees may verify the information during investigations, but otherwise information from second parties is what goes into the registry, said Carol Sloan, Washington's APS program manager.
Whether the registry becomes more helpful for consumers, she said, depends on legislative funding.
Still, the registry may prove useful as a check for someone thinking of hiring a caretaker.
Susan Kelleher: skelleher@seattletimes.com, 206-464-2508
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
E-mail article
Print view Share:
Digg
Newsvine
![]()
Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
Illegal workers quietly let go
Metro won't cut bus service after all
Jerry Large: Food-bank theft turns into a gift
Bumper to Bumper: How can the city let bridges go dark?

Real Salt Lake wins MLS Cup
Real Salt Lake defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy with penalty kicks after 120 minutes of play at Qwest Field in Seattle.
general classifieds
Garage & estate salesFurniture & home furnishings
Sporting goods
just listed
8 Drawer Dresser with Attached Mirror - $200
8 seat pecon formal dining table and china hutch - $1500
A American Table, Chairs and Bench - $275
More listings
POST A FREE LISTING
shopping
Give yourself a treat and visit Watson Kennedy's Holiday Open Houses
More minding the store
events for Monday, Nov. 23
- Seattle Premium Outlets Thanksgiving Weekend ...
- Handbag-a-Palooza at Clover House
- Contractors equipment and vehicle auction
- Holiday Sale at Pink Ginger
editors' picks
- West Seattle shopping
- Vintage, consignment and used clothing
- Garden furnishings
- Local jewelry designers
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Tugboat sinks at Seattle waterfront pier
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
- Craigslist adoption ad: A plea by young mother-to-be? A scam?
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
- Woman stabbed by stranger in North Seattle
- Snow piles up on Cascade slopes
- Denny Triangle gains skyline, but tenants slow to come
- Illegal workers quietly let go
316 - Climate change speeds up since 1997 Kyoto accord
196 - Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
170 - Metro won't cut bus service after all
129 - Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle
93 - Tattoos at Mill Creek Church pierce skin, soul
78 - Jerry Brewer: Seahawks can't lean on the Hutch Crutch now
69 - New Husky recruit: Enes Kanter
68 - UW, WSU once again meet to see who's worse
63 - Ranking the Pac
53
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- Rediscovering Moab, 'the most beautiful place on Earth'
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Architects, chefs find 'kid' within to build Gingerbread Village
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Taste | The Great Pie Bake-off pits friends and fruit

