Neuropsychological Profiles of Victims of Financial Elder Exploitation at the Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center

Abstract

The current article examines neuropsychological correlates of financial elder exploitation in a sample of older adults who have been documented victims of financial elder exploitation. The purpose of this exploratory study was twofold. First, a subsample of the referrals at the Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center (LACEAFC) was compared to community dwelling adults in terms of the specific cognitive domains linked to financial capacity including memory, calculation, and executive functioning. Next, the correlation between presence of neuropsychological data and the likelihood of filing a case with the LA County's District Attorney office was examined. Twenty-seven LACEAFC cases and 32 controls were assessed. Overall, the forensic center group performed worse than a community-based age-matched control group on the MMSE, calculation, and executive functioning (ps < .01). The presence of neuropsychological data was significantly correlated to an increased likelihood of a case being filed.

Crime in Greater Los Angeles: Experiences and Perceptions of Local Urban Residents

“…Most of the people in the study reported being first victimized either in their teenage years or in their early 20's. This is in accordance with the literature in regard to younger people being more prone to being victimized in certain kinds of ways (e.g., violent crimes, drug-related crimes) than older people (Hawke et al, 2003;Wood et al, 2014).…”

“…According to Kelly, Merrill, Shumway, Alvidrez, and Boccellari (2010) the major risk factors that are correlated to being victimized include being poor, living in the inner-city, living in urban public housing, being exposed to ongoing community violence, and being (Kelly et al, 2010). Additional risk factors include higher numbers of marijuana dispensaries, which has been associated with predatory crime and increased opportunities for crime (Contreras, 2017), drug use and being violently victimized (Hawke, Jainchill, & DeLeon, 2003), and being a community-dwelling elderly individual in Los Angeles and being financially abused (Wood et al, 2014). Research has also found that Black elderly men and women living in poor urban neighborhoods are especially at risk for being victimized and live in higher than average levels of fear (Bazarghan, 1994).…”

Financial Capacity and Financial Exploitation of Older Adults: Research Findings, Policy Recommendations and Clinical Implications

“…In a study of substantiated fraud victims, Wood and colleagues found that the victim sample was more likely to have a diagnosis of dementia and evidenced poorer memory, calculation abilities, and executive functioning (Wood et al, 2014). These findings are consistent with a recent report examining undue influence cases in California (Quinn, Goldman, Nerenberg, & Piazza, 2010).…”

Financial decision-making abilities and financial exploitation in older African Americans: Preliminary validity evidence for the Lichtenberg Financial Decision Rating Scale (LFDRS)

“…While it is useful to know that overall cognitive ability predicts financial literacy (Earl, Gerrans, Asher, & Woodside, 2013) and that cognitive decline increases the likelihood of financial exploitation—and even the decision by prosecutors to prosecute the perpetrators (Wood et al, 2014)—general cognition may or may not be related to a specific financial judgment. It is clear that such measures are too limited to accomplish what is needed.…”