Not only is the following link a great overview of Financial elder abuse, (how it happens, how to identify it, and what you can do), it is also an incredibly accurate profile of our family situation. If this lawyer wasn't located in PA I would think he had been spying on us for his textbook case.
Check it out
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Another Thanks
Just at the end of the inauguration, I thought about all the digs on Bush in Obama's speech and how everyone is so happy to be rid of him. I'm not here to get into that discussion. I'm ready to move on from Bush also, but we personally owe him a huge debt of gratitude. He did something good for this small NE Ohio family.
Just about when Mom was at her wits end with lawyers being bought out from under her, the probate court taking favors from the other side, and all the other events that couldn't be proven but were obvious, she made one leap of faith and contacted the White House.
One time she got through and started telling Grandma's story. The White House rep on the other end asked her to hold on and transferred the call to someone who couldn't give his name but identified himself by agent number. This man listened with interest and urged Mom to write a letter and fax it to the White House. He gave Mom the President's direct fax number.
No we didn't believe it was actually his direct number either, but what did she have to lose.
"Dear Mr. President,
I know that your time needs to be spent focusing on National Security, international policies, and victims of natural disasters so normally I would never even consider bothering you with something like this, but sir, I have nowhere else to turn.
My mother is an 83 year old Alzheimer's patient and she has been exploited by someone that she thought was a trusted friend. I have reported this to the (local) police, the Cuyahoga county sheriff's dept., Adult Protective Services, Senior Adult Services, and Cuyahoga county Probate court. I have given all of them a two inch thick folder of evidence and documents that I have acquired over the past 9 months. When I call to check on the status of the case I am treated with absolutely no respect, I get the impression that I am bothering these people. The police tell me that they've sent the case file to the prosecutor but the prosecutor's office cannot find it. Adult Protective Services doesn't care that my mother has been conned our of her house and everything she's ever owned or that she is forced to live with strangers against her her will, as long as she is clean, well fed, and is getting proper medication that's find with them. Senior Adult Services makes excuses for Adult Protective Services and their ridiculous policies, and Magistrate Shankman of the Cuyahoga County Probate court has no respect for me because I choose not to be represented by an attorney. I explained to him that the last attorney I hired had misrepresented me to the probate court and that he had advised me to "start greasing some palms like my mother's "trusted friend" does and maybe things will start going my way" and that I refused to be part of anything like that.
My belief is that there is a lot of corruption and incompetence (in that order) in the Cuyahoga County justice system. I believe that if you have enough money and the right connections that you can get away with anything and I am disgusted that is the case in this country. All I am trying to do is make sure that a criminal is brought to justice and that my mother's house and property is returned to her. I also want other Americans that might be involved in a similar situation to be able to get honest and competent help in a more efficient way than I've experienced.
I really don't expect you to roll up your sleeves and involve yourself in this but if there is any way that you could put me in touch with someone that can (and will) help it would mean everything to one little 83 year old lady and her family here in Ohio."
Shortly after faxing the above letter, Mom gets official mail from the post office.
"On behalf of President Bush, thank you for your correspondence.
We are sending your inquiry to the Department of Health and Human Services. This agency has the expertise to address your concerns. They will respond directly to you, as promptly as possibly.
The President sends his best wishes."
Another week or so goes by and she gets this after being contacted by someone by phone.
"This letter is in response to your correspondence to President Bush regarding your concern, that your mother is being exploited by former family members. One of my staff, (name removed 1), after having talked with you, at your recommendation, also spoke to (name removed 2) of Adult Guardianship Services. (Name removed 1) indicated that they have accepted your mothers case, to provide free legal care, to hopefully remedy this situation. You are to be complimented for your devotion and commitment to your mothers care."
Everything happened so quickly and we have people who really care on this case. It has still been over two years since this correspondence with the President and other parties but they are still working hard for us.
Thank you so much President Bush.
Just about when Mom was at her wits end with lawyers being bought out from under her, the probate court taking favors from the other side, and all the other events that couldn't be proven but were obvious, she made one leap of faith and contacted the White House.
One time she got through and started telling Grandma's story. The White House rep on the other end asked her to hold on and transferred the call to someone who couldn't give his name but identified himself by agent number. This man listened with interest and urged Mom to write a letter and fax it to the White House. He gave Mom the President's direct fax number.
No we didn't believe it was actually his direct number either, but what did she have to lose.
"Dear Mr. President,
I know that your time needs to be spent focusing on National Security, international policies, and victims of natural disasters so normally I would never even consider bothering you with something like this, but sir, I have nowhere else to turn.
My mother is an 83 year old Alzheimer's patient and she has been exploited by someone that she thought was a trusted friend. I have reported this to the (local) police, the Cuyahoga county sheriff's dept., Adult Protective Services, Senior Adult Services, and Cuyahoga county Probate court. I have given all of them a two inch thick folder of evidence and documents that I have acquired over the past 9 months. When I call to check on the status of the case I am treated with absolutely no respect, I get the impression that I am bothering these people. The police tell me that they've sent the case file to the prosecutor but the prosecutor's office cannot find it. Adult Protective Services doesn't care that my mother has been conned our of her house and everything she's ever owned or that she is forced to live with strangers against her her will, as long as she is clean, well fed, and is getting proper medication that's find with them. Senior Adult Services makes excuses for Adult Protective Services and their ridiculous policies, and Magistrate Shankman of the Cuyahoga County Probate court has no respect for me because I choose not to be represented by an attorney. I explained to him that the last attorney I hired had misrepresented me to the probate court and that he had advised me to "start greasing some palms like my mother's "trusted friend" does and maybe things will start going my way" and that I refused to be part of anything like that.
My belief is that there is a lot of corruption and incompetence (in that order) in the Cuyahoga County justice system. I believe that if you have enough money and the right connections that you can get away with anything and I am disgusted that is the case in this country. All I am trying to do is make sure that a criminal is brought to justice and that my mother's house and property is returned to her. I also want other Americans that might be involved in a similar situation to be able to get honest and competent help in a more efficient way than I've experienced.
I really don't expect you to roll up your sleeves and involve yourself in this but if there is any way that you could put me in touch with someone that can (and will) help it would mean everything to one little 83 year old lady and her family here in Ohio."
Shortly after faxing the above letter, Mom gets official mail from the post office.
"On behalf of President Bush, thank you for your correspondence.
We are sending your inquiry to the Department of Health and Human Services. This agency has the expertise to address your concerns. They will respond directly to you, as promptly as possibly.
The President sends his best wishes."
Another week or so goes by and she gets this after being contacted by someone by phone.
"This letter is in response to your correspondence to President Bush regarding your concern, that your mother is being exploited by former family members. One of my staff, (name removed 1), after having talked with you, at your recommendation, also spoke to (name removed 2) of Adult Guardianship Services. (Name removed 1) indicated that they have accepted your mothers case, to provide free legal care, to hopefully remedy this situation. You are to be complimented for your devotion and commitment to your mothers care."
Everything happened so quickly and we have people who really care on this case. It has still been over two years since this correspondence with the President and other parties but they are still working hard for us.
Thank you so much President Bush.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
A Short Visit
As you can see the visit to the house was a wonderful experience for Grandma, but there's more to tell.
At one point throughout this whole ordeal fighting to get the house back in Grandma's name, the man who stole the house (we've called him Joe in the past and will continue to call him Joe here) said "if you don't back down on this, you'll be sitting on a pile of rubble." It appears he's trying to make that threat come true.
The deeper we have gotten into this legal battle the more Joe knows we aren't backing down and he's not going to win. Last winter the heat was on in the house only enough to keep the pipes from freezing. This year is a totally different story.
When everyone got to the house for the visit, Joe's lawyer was already there at the front door, and the window on the door was completely broken. The lawyer said he had a hard time getting the door unlocked and accidentally broke the window. That made no sense at all. How do you break a window unlocking a door? And even if he put his other hand on the door to give it a shove it wouldn't have been on the window. The window and the door handle aren't close enough to each other to have putting your hand on the window something you would naturally do to unstick the door. If he did put his hand on the window then why wasn't he cut? So, we feel that he broke it on purpose.
The video already mentions how many things are missing from the house. By breaking the window Joe and his lawyers can say during the visit we saw the window was broke. All the items in the house are missing because we must have come back another day and let ourselves in to take that stuff ourselve. Or something. I'm sure they broke it for some reason. That's how dirty these guys play.
Additionally, the heat was completely off in the house. In the dining room there was a horrible water stain on the ceiling and wall where in over 100 years there had never been one before. It's obvious the heat was shut off and the house was not winterized. A pipe or pipes burst somewhere and it's going to be a huge mess when all the ice melts. Any homeowner knows you have to winterize a house if you're going to turn the heat off. Joe has owned his own house, and had rental property. He's stupid but he can't be that stupid. I'm sure in the end he'll try to play stupid like he didn't know about the pipes. However, it's very clear this was an act of intentional negligence.
There is a little more I have to say about this video and our whole experience. I had quite a time editing this video to get it to fit on YouTube. I'll spare you the technical details but this was difficult to do. I had been working on it since Christmas and I couldn't fit any more of the original video in. So, I had to upload it to YouTube as is. The worst part about that is not having the face of the man doing most of the video taping in view. I really wanted to get every single important part in the uploaded video but I couldn't and I feel horrible. But it's kind of a good thing because it gives me a chance to shine a spotlight on a very important person in our lives throughout this whole ordeal.
At one point throughout this whole ordeal fighting to get the house back in Grandma's name, the man who stole the house (we've called him Joe in the past and will continue to call him Joe here) said "if you don't back down on this, you'll be sitting on a pile of rubble." It appears he's trying to make that threat come true.
The deeper we have gotten into this legal battle the more Joe knows we aren't backing down and he's not going to win. Last winter the heat was on in the house only enough to keep the pipes from freezing. This year is a totally different story.
When everyone got to the house for the visit, Joe's lawyer was already there at the front door, and the window on the door was completely broken. The lawyer said he had a hard time getting the door unlocked and accidentally broke the window. That made no sense at all. How do you break a window unlocking a door? And even if he put his other hand on the door to give it a shove it wouldn't have been on the window. The window and the door handle aren't close enough to each other to have putting your hand on the window something you would naturally do to unstick the door. If he did put his hand on the window then why wasn't he cut? So, we feel that he broke it on purpose.
The video already mentions how many things are missing from the house. By breaking the window Joe and his lawyers can say during the visit we saw the window was broke. All the items in the house are missing because we must have come back another day and let ourselves in to take that stuff ourselve. Or something. I'm sure they broke it for some reason. That's how dirty these guys play.
Additionally, the heat was completely off in the house. In the dining room there was a horrible water stain on the ceiling and wall where in over 100 years there had never been one before. It's obvious the heat was shut off and the house was not winterized. A pipe or pipes burst somewhere and it's going to be a huge mess when all the ice melts. Any homeowner knows you have to winterize a house if you're going to turn the heat off. Joe has owned his own house, and had rental property. He's stupid but he can't be that stupid. I'm sure in the end he'll try to play stupid like he didn't know about the pipes. However, it's very clear this was an act of intentional negligence.
There is a little more I have to say about this video and our whole experience. I had quite a time editing this video to get it to fit on YouTube. I'll spare you the technical details but this was difficult to do. I had been working on it since Christmas and I couldn't fit any more of the original video in. So, I had to upload it to YouTube as is. The worst part about that is not having the face of the man doing most of the video taping in view. I really wanted to get every single important part in the uploaded video but I couldn't and I feel horrible. But it's kind of a good thing because it gives me a chance to shine a spotlight on a very important person in our lives throughout this whole ordeal.
Here's Larry helping Grandma through the houseSince this nightmare in our family began Larry has been there as the rock we depend on. He gave Mom the support to help her fight this. And now going on 2 years, ever since Grandma came to live with him and Mom, he has been Grandma's caregiver every single day, 24/7. Larry is incredibly loving, attentive, and patient with her. He talks to her, feeds her, helps her in every way attending to her every need. He stays at home with her all the time as her and our family's guardian angel.
Leaving the houseIt is apparent in these photos and by his voice on the video just how wonderful he is with her and how blessed we are to have him as part of our family.
THANK YOU LARRY! WE LOVE YOU AND WE DON"T KNOW WHAT WE WOULD DO WITHOUT YOU!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Elder Abuse Forensics
Way to go Los Angeles county!
In the general field of forensics, Los Angeles has led the way in innovation and training officers and investigators. They had the first forensic crime lab in 1924 and set the standard for future American crime labs. Forensics exists because such detailed specialization is needed in all crimes to properly collect evidence so that investigators can find out "who done it" and so that evidence may be eventually admitted in court. It's very good to see the specialization taking a turn into the world of elder abuse.
"The Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center is a multidisciplinary team of professionals that provides expert and comprehensive case examination, documentation, consultation and prosecution of elder and dependent adult abuse cases. Partnered with the University of Southern California, the Los Angeles County Forensic Center is funded by the Archstone Foundation and the UniHealth Foundation."
The best thing is they are not just about legality and evidence. They also offer support services to vicims and their families! This is the kind of change we need in this country. Hopefully, it won't take too much longer for this crime to be taken seriously and handled with professionalism across the country.
Please check out The Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center's full website.
In the general field of forensics, Los Angeles has led the way in innovation and training officers and investigators. They had the first forensic crime lab in 1924 and set the standard for future American crime labs. Forensics exists because such detailed specialization is needed in all crimes to properly collect evidence so that investigators can find out "who done it" and so that evidence may be eventually admitted in court. It's very good to see the specialization taking a turn into the world of elder abuse.
"The Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center is a multidisciplinary team of professionals that provides expert and comprehensive case examination, documentation, consultation and prosecution of elder and dependent adult abuse cases. Partnered with the University of Southern California, the Los Angeles County Forensic Center is funded by the Archstone Foundation and the UniHealth Foundation."
The best thing is they are not just about legality and evidence. They also offer support services to vicims and their families! This is the kind of change we need in this country. Hopefully, it won't take too much longer for this crime to be taken seriously and handled with professionalism across the country.
Please check out The Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center's full website.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Only Two Years?
Woman sent to prison for stealing from mother (click for original link)
Akron -- An unrepentant daughter. An unforgiving mother.
A breach of love and trust led Wednesday to a two-year prison sentence for Jerelyn Sue Estright, who sold her mother's house without her knowledge and spent up to $94,000 on travel to Irish festivals and gifts to herself and others.
Estright, 60, of Barberton, had been convicted of theft. Estright apologized but indicated to Summit County Common Pleas Judge Thomas Teodosio she deserved the money for all she had done for her mother.
"For many, many years I was the only person on her side," she said. "My life revolved around her. I was the only one to care about her. I still am."
Estright's mother, Leora Harrison, didn't buy it.
"The whole ordeal has touched on every emotion a mother could have," she told the judge. "Jeri had no thought except for her own greed.
"It hurts for me to say this but Jeri needs to spend some time in prison to think about all the people she has affected," said Harrison, 85.
Leora Harrison reads her wishes for the sentencing of her daughter, Jerelyn Sue Estright, who was convicted of stealing money from her. The attorneys are Mike Todd and Joy Wagner.Estright's daughter, Katie Estright, sobbed as her mother was led away in handcuffs. Estright's mother showed no emotion.
Harrison gave Estright power of attorney in 2002 to handle her affairs, prosecutors said. In 2005, when Harrison was hospitalized, Estright sold her Barberton home for $104,000, putting the money in a joint checking account. She stored furniture, sold items on Ebay and kept jewelry and other personal items.
Harrison, who lived in an assisted living facility, initially was unaware the home was sold.
Jerelyn Sue Estright waits to leave the courtroom after sentencing at the Summit County Courthouse in Akron.In December 2005, Estright moved $94,000 to a personal account. Harrison and another daughter wondered how Estright, who was unemployed, could afford to eat out, take trips and buy gifts, including a digital camera and a copy machine.
They sought bank records and filed a police report in December 2006. Estright was convicted after a five-day trial.
Her attorney, Joy Wagner, asked Teodosio to place Estright on probation, saying she had no prior convictions and would pay restitution.
Assistant prosecutor Mike Todd said Estright continued to spend money even after she was charged and had shown no remorse until she told Teodosio she was sorry.
Teodosio ordered Estright to return her mother's personal items and set a hearing to determine how much she owes.
(Click title for original link. Published in the Plain Dealer. 08-06-08)
Really? Only 2 years?
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Sorry for the break
We've had a very busy couple weeks. From recovering from the blow of a court hearing ending up in yet another delay to the change of the seasons and back to school, we've had a couple weeks away. This week, there will be two posts to hopefully make up for it.
I'm going to deviate from the misdiagnosis segment and briefly mention a program recently being aired on most PBS stations. It is called "The Forgetting: a portrait of Alzheimer's," and it is very good, as most PBS programs are. If you don't see it scheduled in your area you can watch it online!
Please take some time away from "reality tv" and watch real tv.
PBS, The Forgetting, website
I'm going to deviate from the misdiagnosis segment and briefly mention a program recently being aired on most PBS stations. It is called "The Forgetting: a portrait of Alzheimer's," and it is very good, as most PBS programs are. If you don't see it scheduled in your area you can watch it online!
Please take some time away from "reality tv" and watch real tv.
PBS, The Forgetting, website
Friday, August 8, 2008
Misdiagnosis Part 3
Poisoning
Yes, poisoning can mimic as Alzheimer's. In particular I'm referring to poisoning from heavy metals like arsenic, and lead.
"There are 35 metals that concern us because of occupational or residential exposure; 23 of these are the heavy elements or "heavy metals": antimony, arsenic, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gallium, gold, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, platinum, silver, tellurium, thallium, tin, uranium, vanadium, and zinc (Glanze 1996). Interestingly, small amounts of these elements are common in our environment and diet and are actually necessary for good health, but large amounts of any of them may cause acute or chronic toxicity (poisoning). Heavy metal toxicity can result in damaged or reduced mental and central nervous function, lower energy levels, and damage to blood composition, lungs, kidneys, liver, and other vital organs. Long-term exposure may result in slowly progressing physical, muscular, and neurological degenerative processes that mimic Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis. Allergies are not uncommon and repeated long-term contact with some metals or their compounds may even cause cancer (International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre 1999)."
Read more here about heavy metal poisoning. http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-156.shtml
Yes, poisoning can mimic as Alzheimer's. In particular I'm referring to poisoning from heavy metals like arsenic, and lead.
"There are 35 metals that concern us because of occupational or residential exposure; 23 of these are the heavy elements or "heavy metals": antimony, arsenic, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gallium, gold, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, platinum, silver, tellurium, thallium, tin, uranium, vanadium, and zinc (Glanze 1996). Interestingly, small amounts of these elements are common in our environment and diet and are actually necessary for good health, but large amounts of any of them may cause acute or chronic toxicity (poisoning). Heavy metal toxicity can result in damaged or reduced mental and central nervous function, lower energy levels, and damage to blood composition, lungs, kidneys, liver, and other vital organs. Long-term exposure may result in slowly progressing physical, muscular, and neurological degenerative processes that mimic Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis. Allergies are not uncommon and repeated long-term contact with some metals or their compounds may even cause cancer (International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre 1999)."
Read more here about heavy metal poisoning. http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-156.shtml
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