What do lawyers, police officers and health professionals have in common?

They are in a position to see financial abuse of elders and to do something about it.

On April 1, members of the three professions will come together for an all-day conference, “Fraud and Undue Influence,” in the UT Health Science Center San Antonio Auditorium’s Parman Foyer.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus will introduce the keynote speaker Cesario “Chayo” Reyes, an expert on investigations into elder financial abuse. Reyes is founder and director of an agency he founded in Cerritos, Calif., known as Elder Financial Protective Services. The agency grew out of a special elder estate unit he led at the Los Angeles Police Department.

Michèle Saunders, D.M.D., professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology and Palliative Care and director of the South Texas Geriatric Education Center, planned the “Fraud and Undue Influence” conference with local attorney Kelly M. Cross.
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Protecting the elderly
The conference was the brainchild of faculty member Michèle Saunders, D.M.D., and local attorney Kelly M. Cross, J.D. Both had noticed the same disturbing patterns.

“We started hearing more and more anecdotal evidence of how this grandmother was ripped off by some unscrupulous contractor or how that great aunt was financially drained by some younger family member,” said Dr. Saunders, professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology and Palliative Care and director of the South Texas Geriatric Education Center.

Cognitive impairments of the elderly
Faculty members will open the day’s sessions by discussing the cognitive impairment that can make elders physically and mentally vulnerable to financial exploitation. They are geriatric psychiatrists Donald Royall, M.D., professor of psychiatry with cross appointments in the departments of Medicine and Family & Community Medicine, and Jason Schillerstrom, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, who is the primary psychiatric consultant for Texas Region 8 Adult Protective Services. Attorneys will speak about legal and ethical issues regarding guardianship and undue influence.

Twelve percent of older persons are victims of financial exploitation
According to a National Center on Elder Abuse report, financial exploitation accounted for about 12 percent of elder abuse reports. Nearly 22 percent of all domestic elder abuse reports came from physicians or health care professionals; another 9 percent came from service providers.

“The whole idea of teaching the teachers (and practitioners) is for them to take back this knowledge and not only apply it, but share it with peers,” Dr. Saunders said. “Any awareness of this issue in any forum heightens awareness and helps more vulnerable citizens.

Continuing education credit
Conference attendees can earn eight contact hours of continuing education credit.

Registration information
Health Science Center faculty and staff can register at a reduced rate of $75, which includes lunch. To register, call the South Texas Geriatric Education Center at (210) 567-7410 or (210) 567-7439, or e-mail Barbara Giles.