New Research Brief on Older Adult Abuse

The National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) is pleased to share our latest research brief on Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Elder Maltreatment. 

The brief explores the profound impact of social isolation and loneliness on the well-being of older adults, emphasizing their significant role as both risk factors and consequences of elder maltreatment.

Please read and share widely

The NCEA Team 

NCEA@med.usc.edu

Marsha Joiner and Debbie Mulcahy LPN

Broadcast times and other info set forth below. 

This year begins the 6th year of hosting programs to warn unsuspecting people about the dangers of hospice. Everyone needs to do their own research before just accepting what a doctor or medical facility says you should do. 

Never were truer words spoken than in regards to hospice! Hospice was created in 1967 by Cicely Saunders for the ACTIVELY dying and to MINIMIZE pain but today people who can be successfully treated for an illness like, COPD, CHF, Kidney Disease or even dementia are “qualified” to enroll into hospice! 

Marsha Joiner: Tune in Tonight 5 PM Pacific Time

Mary Nettles was another unsuspecting victim whose death was hastened because they trusted what they thought hospice was.

Two daughters, Kim Beeston and Terry Slape had no idea when their Mother, Mary Nettles was taken to a hospice respite care facility that it would be her last outing. Mary was told that she would be going to a spa like facility that would cater to her, paint her finger and toenails and provide a peaceful solarium where she could relax for just a few days....

Do You Really Need Hospice?

By Marsha Joiner, 02/20/2022

This information was provided by Michelle Young Doers - a Respiratory Therapist who authored the book Killing for Profit - The Dark Side of hospice. She has been on my talk show several times and has some very good advice on these pages. She shared some of this information on the program on February 9, 2022 if you want more information.

The first thing to consider is DO YOU REALLY NEED hospice? What do they really bring to the table that you need that only they can provide? My perspective is that unless your loved one is in the active stages of dying and has an illness that requires pain meds to MINIMIZE their pain, not put them into a coma, I don't see they are needed but that's me. Before considering enrolling into hospice, consider these questions to ask of a potential facility.

Take the questions with you and let them know you are writing down their responses because they bait and switch depending on who you talk to. Be aware and Knowledge is POWER.

California Inland Empire $4.2 Million Billing Scheme

Attorney General Bob Bonta

To view the article as published on 02/24/22, click here

Sixteen people, including two doctors, have been charged with felonies after the state Attorney General’s Office said it uncovered a scheme in which people who were not terminally ill were enrolled in expensive hospice care without their knowledge by two Inland Empire treatment facilities that fraudulently billed Medicare for millions of dollars.

New Hope Hospice and Sterling Hospice Care have been shut down, Attorney General Rob Bonta said at a news conference on Thursday, Feb. 24, outside San Bernardino County Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga.

The loss to Medicare and Medi-Cal from 2015 to 2021 was $4.2 million, Bonta said. Charges include conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, identity theft, grand theft, money laundering and tax evasion. Two suspects were still at large Thursday.

The defendants could face up to 27 years in prison if convicted as charged, Bonta said.

Novus Health Clinicians Sentenced to Combined 23 Years in Prison for Hospice Fraud

To view original article, click here

Judge Lynn

By Jim Parker

Chief U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn has sentenced Novus Health Services Medical Directors Mark E. Gibbs, M.D., and Laila Hirjee, M.D., along with one of the company’s nurses, Tammie Little, to a combined 23 years in prison following their convictions for hospice fraud exceeding $40 million.

Gibbs was sentenced to 13 years as well as paying restitution of nearly $28 million. Hirjee received 10 years in prison and must pay more than $16 million. The judge also sentenced Little to a 33 month incarceration.

The company’s CEO Bradley Harris was also convicted in the case. He agreed to a plea deal, pled guilty and testified against his former employees, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Lockdowns Result in Deaths of Isolation

"Is this the rest of my life? If so, I don't want to go on."

This is one of the many heartbreaking questions asked of Dr. Louise Aronson, a geriatric doctor from San Francisco, who works with elderly patients who are stuck in isolation....

"Sometimes the doors to their rooms are open, and you just see someone sitting in a chair with tears running down their face," Aronson said, according to NBC News. Chester Peske, a resident of a long-term care facility in Minnesota, contracted COVID-19, and though he was asymptomatic, he died shortly thereafter. His death wasn't due to the virus, however. The cause of death was listed as "social isolation/failure to thrive related to COVID-19 restrictions" in combination with his progressing Alzheimer's disease...

To read full article, click here.