Elder abuse charges now carry criminal penalties after Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed a measure into law last week.
SF 522 sets new mandatory minimums for elder abuse and older and creates a new category for financial exploitation. Penalties range from a simple misdemeanor to a Class D felony and cover a range of abuse from physical assault to theft to financial exploitation.
“Far too often, our members have become aware of financial exploitation of older adults, and this law gives Iowa law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to prosecute for these crimes,” LeadingAge Iowa President and CEO Shannon Strickler told McKnight’s Senior Living. “We support SF 522, which builds upon existing Iowa elder abuse laws to ensure law enforcement have the tools available to them to bring charges and prosecute individuals who commit abuse against older adults, whether physical, emotional or financial.”
Strickler said the law also adds enhanced penalties for theft from an older adult when targeted due to their age, adds a civil penalty for consumer fraud against an older person, and creates new criminal penalties for elder abuse, which includes physical and emotional abuse, neglect, isolation or sexual exploitation. The law covers adults aged 60 or more years who are unable to protect themselves because of a mental or physical condition, or due to personal circumstance, that “results in an increased risk of harm to the person.”
Iowa Health Care Association / Iowa Center for Assisted Living / Iowa Center for Home Care President and CEO Brent Willett said keeping older adults safe is of “utmost priority” to the association and the long-term care providers it represents.
“Our members are healthcare providers that provide quality healthcare services that keep our seniors medically safe,” Willett told McKnight’s Senior Living. “We support this bill, which strengthens the legal system’s ability to prosecute those who financially exploit Iowa’s vulnerable seniors.”
Iowa Assisted Living Association Executive Director Craig Walter called the new legislation a positive step forward in the protection of older Iowans.
Reynolds signed the bill last Wednesday at the Highland Ridge, a Presbyterian Homes & Services continuing care retirement community in Williamsburg, IA. It goes into effect July 1.
Older adults in the United States were scammed out of $1.7 billion through fraud schemes in 2021, according to a recent report from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
