Protecting seniors from exploitation

Re Falling prey to ‘grandma scam,’ Aug. 28

Everyone knows vulnerable elders who are abused or exploited, yet our laws do little to address it.

The authorities and police must investigate concerns as they do with spousal or child abuse. The police and other organizations also encourage people to report those abuses.

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board encourages employers to help reduce domestic violence with a health and safety document called Domestic Violence Doesn’t Stop When Your Worker Arrives at Work.

We need the same approach for seniors. We need the same kind of responses and supports when concerned friends or relatives observe what could be abuse or exploitation of a vulnerable senior. A visit by the police to those who have been alleged to abuse or exploit could reduce the abuse considerably. Joseph Polito, Toronto It’s quite evident that 90-year-old Elizabeth Mahoney wasn’t protected by TD Bank when she virtually emptied her bank account with a cash withdrawal.

The easiest solution would have been to call her daughter, since she is a part of the joint account.

That’s just Banking 101, you would think.

But more disturbing is that the police didn’t perform the “serve” from the “to serve and protect.”

The lawmen weren’t interested in interviewing Ms. Mahoney after she called to make a complaint. What were they too busy with? Roy Wilkie, Richmond Hill