Elder abuse referrals jump 20%

STAFF MEMBERS OF OZAUKEE COUNTY’S Adult Protective Services office gathered on Grand Avenue Monday with a collection of colorful pinwheels to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15. Each pinwheel represents one of the 435 elder abuse referrals received by their office in 2023, up 20% from 2022. Pictured (from left) are Sabrina Gleason, Lauren Peterson, Julie Schlehlein and Katie McCormick. Photo by Sam Arendt
By DAN BENSON
Ozaukee Press staff
It’s no secret that Ozaukee County is aging. And with that, elder abuse is increasing, figures show.
The county is already one of the state’s oldest, with 20% of the county population already over 65. And it’s getting older.
Julie Schlehlein, Ozaukee County’s adult protective services supervisor in the county’s Human Services Department said the number of elder abuse referrals increased to 435 in 2023, a 20% jump in just one year.
“It’s been going up every year for some time,” she said.
In recognition of June 15 being World Elder Abuse Recognition Day, she and her staff mounted 435 pinwheels in the planter wall on Grand Avenue in downtown Port Washington next to the county Administration Center’s parking lot.
And those referrals only include individuals who live at home. Abuse cases in nursing homes and other facilities are followed up by the state, not the county.
Elder abuse takes many forms, she said.
“Over 50% is self-neglect. Individuals who perhaps because of mental or physical changes are struggling to take care of themselves,” she said.
Another common, and growing, problem is financial exploitation of seniors, accounting for about 20% of her office’s cases.
“Sometimes those cases are related to someone the individual trusts, like a family member or a friend, but we’re also seeing more scams online, romance scams, crypto currency, those kinds of things,” she said.
In all, she said $2.5 million in scams of local seniors were reported to her office.
“We had an outrageous year last year with financial scams just reported to Adult Protective Services,” she said.
“I’m sure law enforcement had many more cases that we didn’t hear about.”
Seniors are a prime target of scam artists, she said.
“They’re very good at their job. They prey directly on seniors and then they sell their information and people don’t always recognize they’ve been scammed.”
Other abuse includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
“Our referrals come from all over the community. Individuals, neighbors, businesses, law enforcement. People who notice someone who may be struggling or need support.”
“We can connect them to services where they can get help. Legal intervention is a last resort,” Schlehlein said. “Part of what we do is organize informal support or alternative agency assistance.”
In many ways, what Schlehlein’s office does is help adult children better care for their parents.
“That is a lot to put on an adult child,” she said. “Everyone is running around trying to run their own lives.”
While Schlehlein’s office takes referrals of elder abuse, a good first step before things reach a crisis stage, she said, is the county’s Aging and Disability Resource Center, or ADRC, in Port Washington.
“ADRC is extremely helpful getting people connected to what they need for support,” she said.
“But then for individuals who meet criteria for an investigation, we can pop in and do a home visit and make a connection to see what we can do to help them stay independent and try to connect them to a program.”
Schlehlein said most seniors are happy to have someone offer to help them.
“Surprisingly, most people are pretty receptive. Most people have some recognition that they my need some help. There are some who are not,” she said.
A home visit starts with a knock on the door and a smiling face from one of her four staff workers.
“We let them know we have been contacted by someone regarding a concern they had and asked us to check in and see how we might be able to help,” she said.
“We do an assessment and, depending on their cooperation, we try to give them things that they feel may benefit them.”
The assessment typically involves helping eliminate risks and hazards in the house and make recommendations for services such as meals and transportation.
For people who are not capable of caring for themselves or may even be a danger to themselves, legal intervention may become necessary in the form of legal guardianship or placement in an institution.
“That is our last resort. We really make an effort to partner with those individuals in the community,” she said.
“My staff really works to build a relationship with our clients and keep in mind their right to make their own decisions.”
Of the 435 referrals received by her office last year, 367 resulted in investigations, mostly in the form of home visits, she said.
Schlehlein has been with Adult Protective Services since 2001. A lot has changed in that time, she said. And it’s not just the numbers.
“Certainly, the volume has increased, but so has the complexity. There are just lots of factors today. Family dynamics are different, mental health is more of an issue, resources are limited. It’s a challenging job. These gals work very hard.”
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