The 82-year-old woman suffered from dementia and macular degeneration. She depended on a daughter for daily care. Then, someone noticed the older woman’s money disappearing.
This woman was a victim of financial elder abuse.
Besides filing criminal charges against her abuser, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office reached out to the victim to make sure she overcame this ordeal.
The office’s Bureau of Victim Services provided a wide array of services to more than 15,000 crime victims last year. This month, the District Attorney’s Office recognizes National Victims’ Rights Week by reaffirming its dedication to helping victims become survivors.
In the case of the 82-year-old woman, a victim services representative secured the woman’s financial records and gave them to police.
She helped another daughter, who was disabled, become her mother’s legal guardian and bar the suspected abuser from the mother’s bank accounts.
The victim services representative also arranged for meals to be delivered and helped the mother and daughter apply for public assistance and services. She even organized the woman’s church members to periodically check in on them.
To learn more about victim services, please visit our website at http://da.lacounty.gov/victims/.
