Here are some examples of elder abuse cases in Honolulu:

Financial Abuse: An 85-year-old woman had her checkbook stolen from her home by her adult granddaughter, who had a drug problem and was unemployed. By the time the grandmother discovered the irregularities in her checking account, $25,000 had been stolen. Upon her arrest, the granddaughter told police that she was most likely going to get the money anyway when the victim died.

Physical abuse: A 69-year-old mother was beaten by her 45-year-old son, who didn't like the way she had cleaned a bathroom in her home, where he also lived. He led her into the bathroom, yelling at her and asking if she would like to die. He began punching her with such force that he broke bones in her face. When police arrived, they saw her crawling out a window trying to escape from him.

Emotional abuse: An adult daughter and her family constantly told her physically disabled father that their lives would improve once he died and they had the house to themselves. They threatened to leave him and not feed him if he did not take better care of himself, which he was physically unable to do. The son-in-law constantly commented that he should kill the man because he was living too long.

Sexual abuse: A female caregiver hired to live with a 70-year-old disabled Japanese national repeatedly sexually assaulted the victim. The caregiver held down the victim and violated her, and also physically assaulted the woman. The victim spoke only Japanese and the abuse was discovered only after a neighbor who could also speak Japanese checked in on her.

Neglect: An adult son lived in his elderly mother's home, was unmarried and worked only an occasional part-time job. When his mother became unable to care for herself, he convinced her not to sell the house and move into a care facility by promising to care for her himself. Months later police responded to a dropped 911 call and entered the home to discover the mother lying in a bed soiled with feces and urine and suffering open bed sores. The son was out on a date. The mother had tried calling an ambulance because her son had failed to feed her that day.

Source: Elder Abuse Justice Unit