Sunday, October 11, 2009

Abuse Experts Heartened by Astor Verdict - The New Old Age Blog - NYTimes.com


By Paula Span

During the long months of testimony in the Astor trial, as the courtroom emptied of spectators and the headlines shrunk, prosecutors and other professionals involved in elder abuse cases were still paying close attention. In fact, some were biting their fingernails, especially as the jury’s deliberations grew heated and stretched to 12 days.

“I’ve been very worried about it,” confessed Lori Stiegel, senior attorney at the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging. If the prosecutors, including the head of the Manhattan District Attorney’s pioneering elder abuse unit, had failed to win a conviction, she said, “it could have been perceived as reinforcing the notion that these cases are just too difficult to bring and that juries will have trouble understanding the issues.”
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Additional Resource and to Report Suspected Abuse:
National Center on Elder Abuse
If you suspect elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation, call 1-800-677-1116.
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or the local police for immediate help.
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