A few years ago the California legislature decided to hold forums in counties throughout the state to make the public aware of the growing problem of elder abuse.

Last week Ventura County was the seventh and final stop of the campaign hosted by the California attorney general. Why here? Because officials feared the number of reported abuse cases in the county represents only the tip of the iceberg.

A spokeswoman for the state attorney general’s office said that Ventura County was chosen as a backdrop for the campaign because of its high elderly population and relatively low number of reported abuse cases—1,700 cases in the last 18 months.

According to studies, one in 20 elderly Californians is a victim of some sort of abuse, be it neglect, physical, psychological or financial abuse. Last year more than 225,000 elderly and dependent adults in California were victims of abuse. Other agencies who work with the elderly place the figure of elderly abuse victims at one in five.

Why isn’t abuse of the elderly reported more often? Experts in the field who spoke at the forum agreed it’s often because the perpetrators are the very ones the elderly person depends on—a relative, close friend or caregiver. When the abuser is a family member who lives in the same home, the senior fears they’ll be put into a nursing home or left homeless if the perpetrator is jailed. Moreover, because of intimidation, shame, love or loyalty, they’re resistant to exposing a family member and putting him or her in jail.

What’s more, when the abuse is financial, the problem often isn’t reported because people don’t see it as life-threatening, said Joan Virginia Allen, coordinator for the Ventura County Financial Abuse Specialist Team (FAST).

But it can be. Allen said that when the assets of an elderly person are depleted, the person is left with fewer lifestyle choices, which can lead to a loss of independence and, in turn, depression. Depression for the elderly can be deadly. Those who suffer financial abuse statistically die earlier than those who aren’t victimized, Allen said.

Financial abuse, particularly by family members, is on the rise, said Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten. The 1,700 cases of abuse reported represent a 12 percent over previous 18-month period, he said.

Two myths concerning seniors contribute to making them targets for abuse, Totten said. One misconception is that they’re able and well-equipped to protect themselves. He said they’re not; they’re the most vulnerable of society.

Another myth is that seniors are naturally distrustful of strangers. In reality, and partly due to our youth-oriented culture, seniors are usually lonely and much too trusting of strangers.

"This is an underreported crime, much like child abuse was 20 years ago," Totten said.

Richard Shaw is a manager with the Ventura County Human Services Agency, Adult Protective Services. He said that, based on their estimates that one in five elder abuse cases is reported, his office should have received 8,500 complaints instead of 1,700.

But sometimes advocates of the elderly find that their hands are tied. Shaw said although there’s much his office can do on behalf of abused seniors, there are limitations.

The three protective services offices—in Ventura, Oxnard and Simi Valley—are charged with responding to and investigating complaints of adult abuse and neglect, including self-neglect. But seniors, like any other adults, can refuse the services of his office, and there isn’t much that can be done about, Shaw said.

The forum also served to demystify what county and private agencies associated with the elderly do. The Long Term Care Services of Ventura County is a nonprofit private agency that sends a troop of ombudsmen (Swedish for advocates) on weekly visits to area nursing care facilities to monitor the quality of food and care elderly residents receive.

The agency tries to make the resident’s stay in the facility as comfortable as possible: for example, they will advocate for what may seem unimportant, such as food preferences; investigate claims of abuse or theft by a caregiver; or secure a place for the senior to live. Their services are free and confidential.

Kimm Bryan, an investigation coordinator with the agency, said oftentimes in the case of abuse, the abuser—usually a trusted friend or family member—gets the senior to sign over power of attorney—the legal authority over the senior’s health and finances—and at some point stops paying for the senior’s medications and stay at the facility. Before long, thousands of dollars are owed to the pharmacy and nursing facility, and the senior is facing eviction. In cases like that the ombudsman tries to work out a deal with the facility and pharmacy so the senior has a place to live and can get medication.

Another form of elder financial abuse is a construction scam, prevalent in Ventura County. The scam works this way: either via telephone or through door-to-door solicitation, a contractor offers to do construction or repair work for a "good price." Instead they’ll take the money and do little, substandard or no work at all, said Lydia Patron, a special investigator with the California Contractors State License Board. They may even tack on extra charges for work the resident didn’t agree to.

Patron said residents need to learn their legal rights and always verify that a contractor they’re considering hiring is licensed by the state.

Oxnard police Detective Luis Mancha said some scam artists will pose as fundraisers for police auxiliary organizations. Their goal is to steal a victim’s identity by getting as much personal information as they can, especially targeting the Social Security number. They then have access to even more sensitive information, such as credit card numbers and medical history.

Repairing the damage done by identity thieves can take years, Mancha said. "It’s out of control right now, especially in California. It ruins your life and it’s not easy to fix," he said.

Mancha recommends never giving out personal information to anyone over the phone or to someone who approaches you.

If you suspect elder abuse of any kind, call either the county’s elder abuse hotline at (805) 654-3200 or the state attorney general’s hotline at (888) 436-3600.

(See the accompanying article "How to identify elder abuse and what can be done about it?")