skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Governor Pence to Sign Indiana’s New "Senior Consumer Protection Act"

play audio
Play

Monday, May 13, 2013   

INDIANAPOLIS - An Indiana attorney, who is also a state senator, has noticed an uptick in Hoosier seniors being intimidated in financial matters by con artists, salespeople, even family. The Indiana Division of Aging indicates financial exploitation of seniors went up 80 percent between 2001 and 2011. Consequently, Tim Lanane authored a "Senior Consumer Protection Act," Senate Bill 382, which has bi-partisan support.

Lanane said he hopes it encourages seniors, friends and family to seek assistance.

"There may be other people who now could say we need to act, you know, go see a lawyer, get the assistance of a lawyer," he said. "It's another way to hopefully protect people who are vulnerable. "

The legislation provides that individuals who commit financial abuse of seniors may have their assets frozen, be issued an injunction and have to pay investigation or prosecution costs. The senator said Governor Mike Pence's office has set a May 22 ceremonial signing of the legislation.

According to Republican state Senator Sue Landske, many seniors are too trusting, and sometimes have large amounts of money misused by family members and caregivers.

"One of the things that I thought made the bill even stronger was that when someone knowingly makes this violation, the Attorney General can increase the amount of the restitution for up to three times the amount of the damages."

Joan Cuson, director of the Area 2 Agency on Aging in South Bend, warned that scammers and unscrupulous caregivers prey on loneliness.

"Somebody comes along who's nice to them and over time, and it may not even be a lot of time, they're very . . . they're going to want to trust that person; they're going to want to trust that person," Cuson said. "So, it makes them really a different kind of a target."

Cuson said that just as with suspected child abuse, if you suspect elder abuse, you are legally required to report it.

According to Cuson, some scammers take advantage of an older person's fear. For instance, she said, one person got a senior to agree to pay for mowing the lawn.

"And they continued to mow the lawn frequently, didn't do a pretty good job of it, but continued to ask for payment and the older adult was afraid not to pay."

She stressed that if you suspect a problem, you should contact Adult Protective Services.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021