Editor
Freda Underwood would not be alive today if not for an anonymous call to the Union Township Police Department on June 21, 2015.
The caller said Underwood had burns to her hands that were not being treated. Officers Josh Hathorn and Chris Wilson were dispatched and, upon arrival, noticed burns on her hands. Once they separated her from the couple she was living with and told her she did not have to go back there, Underwood told the officers that she was being abused, said Detective Ken Mullis.
Officers had been dispatched to check on her before, but she always told officers that everything was fine and she had no visible marks. Once she was removed, Mullis learned during an interview that Underwood was essentially used as a slave for Colleen Haynes, 36, and Timothy Ellis, 37.
Haynes and Ellis were living with her to get her social security check, which they used to purchase heroin. They physically abused her, tortured her and kept her from eating, causing her weight to drop from 168 to 92 pounds.
Underwood has since been reunited with her family, Hayes and Ellis are in jail and Mullis, Hathorn and Wilson have received the Police Officer of the Year award from the American Legion Post 72 and an award for criminal investigation at the Law Enforcement Awards Banquet, Mullis said.
Underwood is just one example of what Clermont Senior Services and many other organizations are trying to prevent. The agency participated in World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15 to bring attention to elder abuse in the community.
The International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations began World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15, 2006 to help communities understand the abuse and neglect that happens to the elderly, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse website.
It is very important that Clermont County citizens be aware of elder abuse in the community, as the population in the county of people 60 and older is projected to double from 2010 to 2020, and because the rise in heroin addicts is causing a rise in elder abuse, said Cindy Gramke, executive director/CEO of the agency.
Underwood’s case was odd, but Mullis does see many cases where the elderly are threatened or have been pushed or shoved.
“Unfortunately I’m sure there’s more of these cases out there but people don’t report them as they should,” Mullis said.
In 2008, Clermont Senior Services saw 124 referrals for investigation. Last year, they had 264, but many cases also are never reported.
“It’s continuing to increase, it will continue to increase. We’re seeing that these cases are far more complex than they’ve ever been,” Gramke said.
The cases sometimes involve a family member that the elder does not want to see in jail, or it involves someone who is intimidating the elder. Most exploitation cases are financial and are often linked to opiate addiction.
“They will stop at nothing, including abuse and intimidation,” Gramke said of drug addicts.
Sometimes banks can help when they see a senior being financially exploited. The agency works closely with banks to catch seniors who are being exploited. Park National Bank is part of the Community Advocacy and Protection for Seniors team that is made up of businesses that are exposed to or assist in elder abuse situations, Gramke said.
CAPS is an interdisciplinary team whose mission is “to prevent, recognize and end abuse, neglect and exploitation of older adults through community partnership, education and advocacy,” Gramke said.
Miami Township Police Chief Sue Madsen is part of CAPS because when the department sees cases of abuse, they work with the agency.
“We want to work collectively, not independent of each other,” Madsen said.
The group meets once a month to look at ways to educate the public and do outreach and to look at how they can work together more. Members of CAPS strive to make sure people know that if they see something suspicious, they should report it.
“We want to get the word out,” Gramke said.
Not only is abuse underreported because of intimidation, desire to keep a loved one out of jail or embarrassment, but adults also do not always have much social interaction, making it much harder to identify abuse that with a child.
“They’re very isolated,” Gramke said.
Elder abuse can also include self abuse and self neglect, such as a person who is a hoarder and has created an unsafe environment to live in, or someone who is not taking needed medications, Gramke said.
She encourages the public to pay attention if something seems suspicious, such as someone unusual visiting, someone standing over a senior in an intimidating way or not letting the senior go anywhere alone.
While adult skin is more fragile and can be bruised easily by accident, she also encourages people to pay attention because there is usually a hint, such as the senior seeming tentative or afraid around someone.
Gramke stresses that by reporting a suspected case of abuse, the reporter is by no means being asked to make a judgement. People can report possible abuse anonymously and within 24 hours investigators will start looking into the report. Call 513-732-7173 to make a report.
Madsen recommends that people who live in neighborhoods with seniors check in on them sometimes to make sure they are okay and they don’t need anything.
She also encouraged seniors to get involved in their local recreation activities. The Miami Township Recreation Department, for example, holds activities for seniors.
Elder Abuse Awareness Day is an opportunity to acknowledge the crimes and the responsibility of the community to be aware and work together in order to reduce and prevent abuse. The day is about getting the word out, which is especially important as the elderly population rises in Clermont County.
“It’s extremely significant here,” Gramke said.
The Clermont County Commissioners proclaimed June 15 Elder Abuse Awareness Day in Clermont County at their meeting that day.
“Protecting Clermont County’s elder adults is a community responsibility and it is imperative that communities work together to help reduce and prevent abuse, neglect and exploitation,” the proclamation reads.
It also encourages residents to help keep seniors safe.