News

Latest news from the Council on Elder Abuse

October 20, 2015Read Story Priest swindled out of life savings says betrayal ‘enriched me spiritually’

Please click "read story" to find the link to this article on The Buffalo News website. 


October 08, 2015Read Story Hoarding Information Now on Website

October 07, 2015Read Story CEA Minutes 10/6

October 07, 2015Read Story Lies, Secrets, and Scams: How to Prevent Elder Abuse

"To understand how Beth Baker, an independent, generally robust 87-year-old, got taken for $65,000 in less than one week last year, it’s important to know about her grandson, Will. Baker, a retired second-grade teacher living in National City, Calif., beams when she speaks of the 24-year-old, the eldest of her five grandkids. As a high school football player and later a U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduate, Will made his grandmother terribly proud. When, late last year, Will’s wife delivered Baker’s first great-grandchild, Baker was overjoyed. “Will is precious to me,” Baker says.

So when a man phoned one morning last December from an unfamiliar number, the news he delivered hit her like a sledgehammer."


September 28, 2015Read Story How to Detect Elder Abuse

"Would you be able to tell the difference between a bruise caused by an innocent bump into furniture, or abuse in an older adult? What if it were a 3-year-old child? How quickly would you report the life-threatening problem?"


September 21, 2015Read Story Vanishing Retirement: the Hidden Epidemic of Financial Exploitation

"Whether pressured by a desperate family member seeking money or duped by a scam artist who gains access to a bank account, seniors facing financial exploitation can suffer severe consequences."


September 02, 2015Read Story CEA Minutes 9/1

August 10, 2015Read Story CEA Minutes 8/3

July 01, 2015Read Story Gambling-addicted health aid gets prison for stealing from a blind man

"Kathy Oertelt, who cheated an 87-year-old blind man out of $75,000, blames her wrongdoing on gambling."


June 20, 2015Read Story Woman, 77, loses life savings in scam; suspect posed as disabled policeman

"A 51-year-old man posing as a injured police officer doing handyman work because he needed money for a sick wife and son wiped out a widow’s life savings during a 10-month scam, Buffalo police say."


May 26, 2015Read Story North Tonawanda liquor store owner gets probation in $215,000 theft from elderly aunt

"When the business started losing money a few years ago, he made a bad decision. Instead of closing the store and trying to sell it, he started taking money from his elderly aunt’s bank account to keep the business going, prosecutors said."


May 19, 2015Read Story Isolated and Vulnerable Elderly make Perfect Targets for Scam Artists

http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/police-courts/isolated-and-vulnerable-the-elderly-make-perfect-targets-for-scam-artists-20150519


If you Suspect Abuse, TAKE ACTION!

More than 1,500 cases of elder abuse are reported each year in Erie County. Many more cases are never reported.

If you suspect abuse and would like legal assistance, please contact:

Center for Elder Law & Justice:

716-853-3087

For immediate assistance 24 hours a day, please contact:

Crisis Services Hotline at:

716-834-3131

If you suspect someone is being abused, please contact:

Erie County Protective Services for Adults: 

716-858-6877

For general information on programs or referrals, please contact:

Erie County Department of Senior Services / NY Connects: 

716-858-8526

            In an emergency, call 911

For Elder Shelter screening tool, please visit the Elder Shelter Page located under the "Elder Shelter" tab at the top of your screen