Protecting Arizona's seniors from abuse and exploitation is an essential function of my Office.  Since 1963, May has been set aside to honor our country's oldest Americans.   This year's theme is Working Together for Strong, Healthy and Supportive Communities.  It is a month to celebrate the many contributions older citizens make to our community and to focus on the many opportunities each of us has to create safer, healthier communities for all ages.

Seniors comprise a large and vital part of Arizona's population. By 2020, it's projected that 25 percent of Arizonans will be over 60 years of age.  Seniors are often vulnerable to physical abuse and neglect, as well as financial exploitation. They are targeted by unscrupulous people attempting to defraud them through home repair ripoffs, living trust scams, bogus charities and other financial schemes.

Helping seniors through active crime prevention programs and vigorous enforcement of our consumer fraud laws will always be one of my top priorities. In addition to prosecuting white-collar crime, my Office has initiated programs that protect seniors in many areas, including preventing identity theft, making informed life-care planning decisions and minimizing the chances of consumer fraud and elder abuse.

Most consumer protection efforts benefit all state residents, but some are especially helpful for older Arizonans.  Last Year’s “Senior Strike Back” mail fraud project provided valuable information about scams targeting seniors through their mail.
The updated “Top 10 Consumer Scams” booklet is a practical guide on avoiding the most common consumer schemes and what to do if you become a victim. The brochure can be requested from my Office or downloaded from the Web site, www.azag.gov.

Life Care Planning materials are another important resource. Many families struggle with the same difficult health care decisions Terri Schiavo's family experienced. Completing the Advance Directives helps ensure that your wishes or a loved one’s wishes will be respected.  The Life Care Planning packet contains instructions, background information and legal forms to help plan for the future.  The forms include a living will, durable health care (medical) power of attorney, pre-hospital medical care directive ("Do Not Resuscitate" or "DNR"), and a durable mental health care power of attorney. All the forms can be downloaded from the Web site or can be mailed upon request. 

Additionally, the Attorney General Web site (www.azag.gov ) contains much useful information for preventing and responding to elder abuse.  Studies have found that a significant percentage of older adults are victims of abuse and neglect.  Tragically, only one out of 14 cases is reported. Our guide explains how to spot the signs of abuse, how to ask a victim about abuse and how to refer them to the proper agencies for assistance and services.

To ensure the Attorney General’s Office stays on top of existing and emerging issues that affect seniors, I established the Attorney General’s Senior Advisory Council. Membership in the Council includes representatives from our state’s major community groups, universities and non-profit organizations. They advise me on current financial, health-related and other matters that directly affect Arizona’s seniors. They help our Office do an even better job for older Arizonans.

The Attorney General’s Office has satellite offices throughout the state to make it easy for citizens to access services.  These offices are staffed by trained volunteers who can answer questions, help resolve consumer and civil rights problems and help file consumer complaints.  Please visit the Attorney General’s Web site at www.azag.gov for locations and phone numbers or to sign up to receive AG messages and scam alerts.

Because so many crooks and con artists take aim at seniors, I continue to keep older Arizonans in the forefront of my Office’s consumer protection work.  While continuing to prosecute vigorously both criminal and civil law violations, my first goal is to arm consumers with enough information to minimize the chance they will be abused or defrauded.  

I look forward to meeting with seniors throughout May to warn of scams targeting them and provide tips to help them avoid being victims of fraud.

Terry Goddard