Illinois Department of Aging Legal Services Updated

Medicare Open Enrollment is October 15th to December 7th.

It is the time of the year when Medicare beneficiaries may make changes to their healthcare and prescription coverage. Please visit www.medicare.gov to compare your current coverage or contact SHIP at (800) 548-9034 for assistance.

Please note that Medicare is not part of the Health Insurance Marketplace. Medicare beneficiaries do not need to enroll in the new Health Insurance Marketplace to maintain or change their Medicare coverage. For those not covered by Medicare and interested in more information regarding the Health Insurance Marketplace, please visitwww.getcoveredillinois.gov.

ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES

Effective July 1, 2013, the Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) will handle all reports of alleged abuse against persons with disabilities aged 18-59 who live in domestic (non-institutional) settings. Pursuant to Public Act 98-0049, this responsibility transferred to IDoA from the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of the Inspector General. In addition, IDoA continues to respond to reports of alleged abuse, neglect or financial exploitation of persons 60 years of age and older living in the community.

To report suspected abuse, neglect or financial exploitation, please call the statewide 24-hour Adult Protective Services Hotline (formerly the Elder Abuse Hotline) at 1-866-800-1409, 1-888-206-1327 (TTY).

http://www.state.il.us/aging/

Illinois Department of Aging - Adult Protective Services

Preventing Abuse of Older Persons and Adults with Disabilities Who Live in the Community

Effective July 1, 2013, legislation was passed by the General Assembly to expand the Departments current Elder Abuse and Neglect Program to prevent abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of people with disabilities between the ages of 18-59 living in the community.

The Adult Protective Services Program is locally coordinated through 45 provider agencies, which are designated by the regional Area Agency on Aging and the Department on Aging. Case workers from these agencies conduct investigations and work with adults with disabilities and seniors in resolving abusive situations. All abuse caseworkers are trained and certified by the Department.

What is Abuse?
Reporting Abuse
After a Report is Made
Preventing Financial Exploitation

http://www.state.il.us/aging/1abuselegal/abuse.htm

Post Number 200 - It takes a Village

We are marking our 200th post here at Illinois Social Media Law and choose to include:

It Takes a Village to Protect the Elderly

We’ve all heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” The premise is that while parents have the primary responsibility for raising a child, there will be others who will be influential in the child’s life and will play a role in that child’s development. Those individuals may be members of the extended family, teachers, coaches, religious leaders, neighbors, or friends of the family. As professional advisers who touch the lives of elderly clients, it’s time we adopt the same premise when it comes to protecting these individuals from abuse – it will take all of us.

If you take a quick look through the American Bar Association’s Elder Law section, you will find no shortage of news regarding episodes of elder care abuse.

• “Caregiver used legal documents to siphon $350K from elderly man’s assets, prosecutors say”
• “Judge accused of stealing elderly neighbor’s $1.6M life savings resigns from bench”
• “Lawyer accused of embezzling $500K from her own grandmother gets probation”
• “Staff of reclusive heiress coerced her out of $44M in gifts, executor says”
• “Man v. Mom: Son seeks to evict his mother, 98, from her home of nearly 60 years”
• “Insurance agent gets jail time for selling annuity to elderly woman; he denies recognizing dementia”

http://www.whitecoinsurance.com/it-takes-a-village-to-protect-the-elderly/

PS - what greater village than that offered to us by Social Media?

The task facing those who would like to encourage older Americans to take advantage of the resources that are out there on Social Media platforms is one of education.  There are plenty of centers that offer classes in Internet use, Basic Computer skills, etc but few that offer comprehensive coverage of Social Madia sites. This is the task that faces all involved in Elder Education regarding the Internet.

Elder Abuse Prevention - Elder Abuse, Legal Services, Illinois Department of Aging

Reporting Elder Abuse has gotten a lot easier in the last few years. A good place to begin is at the Illinois Department of Aging:

The Department works to protect the rights of senior citizens. provindes links to Legal Services and prevent elder abuse.

http://www.state.il.us/aging/1abuselegal/abuselegal-main.htm

The Elder Abuse and Neglect Program works to prevent abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of senior citizens living in the community.

The Illinois Long Term Care Ombudsman Program protects and promotes the rights and quality of life for people who live in long term care facilit

Legal Services – The Illinois Department on Aging provides legal services to Senior Illinoisans 60 years of age or older. Legal assistance providers advocate for and represent older clients in civil cases – particularly those involving elder abuse and neglect, financial exploitation, consumer fraud, landlord-tenant relationships, nursing home residents' rights, and conflicts over benefit programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and pensions.

Advance Directives and legal cautions to consider when preparing Power of Attorney and Living Will forms.