AUGUSTA — Abuse comes in various forms, but whether it’s physical, emotional or even financial, the attacks can have a devastating effect because they’re often delivered by those closest to the victim. The sting is every bit as sharp when that victim is elderly.

“What we’re seeing, most often, the abuser is an adult son or daughter or family member that is using the opportunity to take control of this family situation,” said Nan Bell, of the Family Violence Project.

Bell is one of roughly a dozen members representing various agencies and disciplines that comprise the Greater Augusta Elder Abuse Task Force. The group, which covers the Kennebec County area, meets every other month to brainstorm ways to address specific situations of elder abuse or broader issues faced by the elderly. The group also works to raise awareness of elder abuse and connect seniors with myriad services that are available to help them.

“The meeting serves a purpose of us getting together and networking so we can come up with creative solutions,” Bell said.

Adult Protective Services, which formed an intake unit in 1997 to make it easier to report abuse of all kinds, received nearly 18,000 calls in 2014 and is on track to surpass that number in 2015, program manager Dorreen McDaniel said. Nearly half of those calls, or 7,230, were allegations of abuse, neglect or exploitation of an incapacitated or dependent adult. About 1,800 calls were handled by the Augusta district office, which serves Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Somerset and Waldo counties.

Calls to the intake unit have increased about 22 percent since 2011, McDaniel said. Allegations of abuse, neglect or exploitation of incapacitated or dependent adults have increased about 30 percent in that same time frame.

“Reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation have been on a steady incline statewide for the past several years,” McDaniel said.

But those numbers may not provide an accurate picture, said former Augusta police Detective Eric Dos Santos who, until recently, represented the department on the elder abuse task force. There is a general belief that much of the elder abuse that occurs goes unreported, Dos Santos said.

“People are concerned that the perpetrators, who often are family, will go to jail,” he said. “Law enforcement is not the only option.”

There are other agencies, such as Adult Protective Services, that allow seniors and other family members to report problems and get help, without fear of criminal prosecution.

The task force began meeting in 2004 with a goal of creating a multi-disciplinary response to elder abuse. The group began to engage in community outreach in 2007 and in 2008 organized a health fair at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Augusta that offered workshops on powers of attorney and other issues. The group has reached out to help educate elders in various venues, from place mats distributed through Meals on Wheels to a Healthy Aging Expo at the Cohen Center in Hallowell.

“We try to distribute resources so the elderly know we’re there and know where to go if they want to ask for help,” Bell said. “There’s a lot of things going on in the community, but we have to get the word out.”

Maine, in some ways, is at the forefront when it comes to dealing with elder abuse. The state not only has one of the oldest populations in the nation, but the laws that affect seniors, such as those governing health care and estate and money transfers, are complex. As people age, Bell said, they are less inclined to take the time to understand how to navigate those bureaucratic waters.

“Changes in the law, and how it affects financial well-being, are very challenging,” she said.

Those elders often rely on their younger children to help, which at times gives an opening for those family members to take advantage of the circumstances.

“If a grandson convinces his grandmother with dementia to give him all her money, there’s really no recourse for that,” said Elizabeth Crawford a family caregiver specialist for Spectrum Generations, which helps connect central Maine seniors with services and education. “Even though she may not understand what she’s doing, or the consequences of that, the fact she signed a check and handed it over, there’s no real legal recourse for that.”

Abuse, whether physical or financial, is especially difficult for seniors to overcome.

“If somebody steals from me, I’m in my 30s, there’s a good chance I’ll bounce back from that,” Dos Santos said. “If I’m in my 90s, on a fixed income, I have limited opportunity to recover from that.”

Though the effect is far greater, there is no distinction when it comes to the courts. Dos Santos has lobbied lawmakers to change the laws to protect elders.

“A theft is a theft. An assault is an assault,” he said. “The courts don’t necessarily look at the age of the victim when they’re adults.”

Bell said sometimes the abusers justify their actions by remembering the abuse or neglect the parent inflicted on them in their youth.

“We know abuse is generational,” she said. “Often times this is coming back around now that the kids are older.”

The abusers are not always family members, however. Jennifer Howe, community outreach manager for the Sexual Assault Crisis & Support Center, said assaults can occur in residential facilities. The victims are often hesitant to report the incident.

“They have that old-time fear that nobody’s going to believe them, that they’re gong to get kicked out of their housing,” Howe said.

But housing, whether they remain in their homes or move to a facility, poses challenges for seniors. Maine’s rural makeup can isolate seniors who live at home from the community and services.

“A lot of elderly folks don’t want to leave their home because they love their home and that’s where they want to be,” Bell said. “That kind of feeds into the problem, though, of making them vulnerable.”

Lynn Kidd, who runs the SEARCH program for Catholic Charities, connects volunteers with elders who need someone to come into their home to help with transportation or just for company. Kidd said there is no shortage of interested seniors, but finding enough volunteers has been a challenge.

Crawford, of Spectrum Generations, said neighbors can play a crucial role in protecting the elderly. She recalled one man, living in the area, who has mild dementia but is still able to drive and remain involved in his community, but who is not eating or taking his medication properly.

“If he were married, or had a kid that lived next door, or someone that was around and keeping an eye on him, he would be totally fine,” Crawford said, “but there’s nobody.”

Craig Crosby — 621-5642

ccrosby@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @CraigCrosby4

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