Description
The Family Guide to Preventing Elder Abuse: How to Protect Your Parents—and Yourself
by Thomas Lee Wright
Practical Advice for Taking Care of Loved Ones as They Get Older
The rapid aging of the American population and its accompanying epidemic of dementia and Alzheimer's disease has brought about an awareness of the increasing vulnerability of our elders. Taking care of our parents and protecting them from exploitation and abuse at the hands of others can evolve into a virtual full-time occupation, especially among today’s baby boomers. The Family Guide to Preventing Elder Abuse provides a practical manual to help prepare the reader for the challenges that arise as our parents begin to lose their independence.
Reviews
“A one-stop shop for what people need to know about safeguarding the health and well-being of seniors. Both authoritative and accessible, this book is full of useful information making it a go-to resource for families and human services professionals alike.”
―Annelle B. Primm, MD, MPH, former deputy medical director, American Psychiatric Association
“A comprehensive guide to a hidden epidemic, including powerful (indeed heart-wrenching) stories, and practical solutions.”
―Paul Rogat Loeb, author Soul of a Citizen
“Insightful, helpful and needed. This book is an invaluable tool for the elderly, the encumbered, the ‘targeted,’ and for loved ones that advocate for them, on so many levels.”
―Steve Boorstein, stroke survivor and author of Different Strokes
“The luckiest among us live long enough to become elders, but then that luck changes for more of us than we imagine due to abuse such as Tom Wright so harrowingly describes in his essential book. But Wright does not just describe the problem. He also offers ways to take on the abusers. The Family Guide to Preventing Elder Abuse is a must read for anybody who has even a single grey hair or knows anyone who does.”
―Michael Daly, special correspondent, the Daily Beast
“Thomas Lee Wright’s The Family Guide to Preventing Elder Abuse is a brave, compelling and compassionate examination of a national problem―sometimes negligence, sometimes a crime―that gets all too little attention. In clear, direct prose, Wright and the experts he has enlisted detail the challenges and tell us what we all can and must do to protect one of the most cherished, but also one of the most vulnerable, segments of our society. A welcome addition to the literature of social justice.”
―Former FBI Special Agent John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, #1 New York Times bestselling authors of Mind Hunter and Law & Disorder
“Old age brings with it a maze of medical, legal, financial and care issues that can be overwhelming and lead to disaster and abuse. This brave book should be required reading for anyone facing the challenges of old age, either for yourself or your loved ones.”
―Douglas Preston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story
“With clarity and compassion, Thomas Lee Wright transforms his own grief and regret into powerful advocacy and practical advice in The Family Guide for Preventing Elder Abuse. His work is enlightening and necessary.”
―Amanda Knox, exoneree and New York Times bestselling author of Waiting to be Heard
About the Author
Thomas Lee Wright is a prize-winning documentarian and author whose works have dealt with urgent and emerging social justice issues, including PTSD in the military, judicial reform, and urban American gangs. His films have toured with the Human Rights Watch International festival and been broadcast worldwide on the Discovery Channel. He lives in Mercer Island, Washington.
