The Fifth Annual Conference on Elder Abuse was held on June 18,
2010, at Oakland City Hall. The theme, “No Excuse for Elder Abuse,”
underscored the fifteen excellent presentations of the day and was
highlighted by keynote speaker Natalie Denburg, Ph.D, Associate
Professor at the Department of Neurology, University of Iowa.
The theory and research mesmerized conference
participants, offering new insight into understanding the reasons why
seniors may fall victim to scams and financial abuse.
Dr. Denburg’s research focuses on the cognitive neuroscience of
healthy and pathological aging, with special interest in the
investigation of real-world decision-making, particularly consumer and
financial decision-making in older adults. The theory and research
mesmerized conference participants, offering new insight into
understanding the reasons why seniors may fall victim to scams and
financial abuse.
Emcee for the conference was Dr. Erika Falk, a board member of Legal
Assistance for Seniors (LAS) and conference co-chair. Welcoming remarks
were offered by Catherine Duggan, President, LAS Board of Directors;
Francel D’Andrea, LAS Executive Director; Senator Ellen Corbett;
Honorable Nancy O’Malley, Alameda County District Attorney; Daniel
Murphy, LAS board member and conference co-chair; and Alex Nguyen,
representing Oakland city attorney, John Russo.
...anyone can be fooled...
Throughout the day presenters led participants through practical
approaches for supporting seniors in their quest to overcome the many
forms of abuse they face. A sample of presentations and handouts is
included below.
Service Recognition Awards were presented to Mr. Daniel Murphy,
Elder Abuse Attorney, and Ms. Shawna Reeves, Program Coordinator for
Fair Lending Project for Seniors.
The day closed with a presentation of the power of illusion by Mr.
Kim Silverman, who demonstrated that anyone can be fooled, that
illusion is meant to fool us and that seniors who fall victim to
financial abuse and scams are caught in the illusion that was created
to snare their trust.
Please
click this link to view a slide show of the Conference including a
performance by Professor Merloch Silvermaine
Natalie Denburg, Ph.D., provided extremely
interesting information about the research she and others are involved
in. We were fortunate to learn about the research and its
implications for seniors and very pleased that Dr. Denburg
was willing to spend the necessary time to help make our
conference such a success.