University of New England

UNE Maine Geriatric Education Center and AARP launch course to fight exploitation of older adults

PORTLAND, Maine - The University of New England Maine Geriatric Education Center and AARP have launched an online course on "Observing and Addressing the Financial and Material Exploitation of Older Adults."

The course was announced at a press conference at the Park Danforth living center in Portland on Nov. 13, 2007.

Financial and material exploitation occurs when there is an illegal use of a vulnerable individual's resources for another persons profit or gain.

"Con" men and women want to gain people's confidence and have them rely on their sincerity and expertise.  U.S. consumers lose more than $40 billion annually to telemarketing fraud.  In Maine, 40 percent of all cases of elder abuse involve financial exploitation.  It is for these reasons, that law enforcement agencies have traditionally been trained to recognize the signs of financial exploitation.  Now it is the
health professionals turn. 

This online course was developed for health professionals, health professions faculty and students who want to have a better understanding of financial and material exploitation/abuse against older adults - whether committed by family members, friends, individuals in a position of trust, strangers or caregivers.  

Each module of this CME Course is approved for 1.5 Category 1B AOA, Category 1 AMA PRA Credits and UNE contact hours by the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine.

This course was produced through collaboration between the University of New England Maine Geriatric Education Center and AARP.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration provided partial funding for this project.

Visit the UNE Maine Geriatric Education Center website for more information.

(Press release issued Nov. 13, 2007)