Category Archives: Elder Abuse

Caroline Douglas

Carolyn Douglas

Elder abuse is alive and well in America, either Miss Manners didn’t do a good enough job teaching us the finer skills of manners and respect or we are ignoring them believing they are old-fashioned and therefore best forgotten. But I simply can’t forget or overlook today’s story. I was so infuriated and outraged when I got a call from a friend who lives in a retirement community. It is hard to find much that differs from a homeowners association that we typically deal with here except that they seem to be more expensive and more intrusive and as I discovered more abusive. I know, it is difficult to believe.

AS I listened to my friend, I had images of a college dorm room, not an apartment where one can enjoy the privacy of a personal home, which is what these places are supposed to be. Oh, did I mention they are NOT cheap? I got a call from my friend, very upset because she had been given about three weeks to find another home, she was being evicted. Why was she being evicted? It seems harsh to have an employee decide to strip you of your home with no oversight, no insuring that her Constitutional rights were protected, none of that. There was an incident where a member of the staff showed up and without my friend’s permission stuck a cell phone in her face and started taking pictures of her because her mask was not on her face according to the home’s standards. Considering she had a glass of water in her hand that she was drinking that is not surprising. When this woman with her cell phone appeared in her private space, taking photos and videos, my friend did what any one of us would do when someone invades our private space, we pushed them away. Not sure any reader would just stand there and smile for the camera and allow this to happen to them, at least I certainly hope not. An unintended consequence of all this was that the water in the glass gave our sneaky photographer a shower. Of course, the “bad guy” in all of this has to be my friend, and absolutely no mention is ever made of the employee who started this whole thing. I wonder why? What really, really infuriated me was when the ED told my friend to go to her room and stay there. She was not allowed to go in the common areas, or to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, she had to stay in her room until she left in 3 weeks’ time. Her meals would be sent to her. That is a total violation of her Constitutional rights and is elder abuse. And this woman is in charge of a retirement home?

Caroline Douglas joins us On The Commons. Caroline had the same gut reaction to this story as I did when I told her. Although Caroline is a non-practicing attorney she has a law degree, she remembers the Constitutional protections very well and reaffirms my beliefs and Gut reactions. Tune in and make sure your loved ones don’t fall into the same house of horrors.

Listen to Caroline Douglas
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Gary Solomon

Most people aspire to have a nice home, one they are proud of as it reflects their personality and attests to their hard work and success in life.  A place they can be comfortable and surround themselves with the people and things they love.  But, the reality is that the most valuable thing we have is our health.  Without it, little else matters.  Without it you may not be able to take care of your property, or enjoy having the people you love around you.  Yet our homes today are built and forced into toxic environments – controlled mandatory, and often involuntary, membership residential associations.  

Dr. Gary Solomon joins us On The Commons.  Dr. Solomon is a retired professor who became aware of the ugly side of homeowner associations when he realized his neighbors were living in fear.  After a little digging he discovered that life really wasn’t rosy and all happy in these pristine environments, where the color and shape of the grass was more important than the health and happiness of the people living there.  With his many degrees and his background in psychology, he started studying the effects of living in an HOA.  One of the most alarming and damaging consequences created by associations, is the level of stress they create and the very damaging effects on our health.  He has since written extensively on what goes on in residential America today.  His most innovative and creative work is an e-book called HOA:Crisis in America.  The book is free and you the option of reading it, watching the videos or just listening to it.   But before he wrote his book, he wrote a couple of papers about HOAs, HOA Syndrome  and Elder Abuse.  We talk to Dr. Solomon about the health of HOAs and especially the health of the residents in HOAs.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Barry Silver

The dictionary has many definitions for the word “home” but to me home is that safe place we all go to recharge our batteries, be with those we love or enjoy the solitude those 4 walls provide.  It is a place that is uniquely our own.  Houses, apartments, hotel rooms and ” units” can all look alike, but much like fingerprints and snowflakes no two ” homes” are ever exactly alike.  In a world that seems to fear individuality and promotes uniformity, a home has even more importance than ever.

In our brave new world of cookie cutter dwelling units, crammed into modern day  communes,  more often than not the heart and soul of what we once called a community is gone.  In addition to all looking alike and living alike we now also are expected to be alike.  

Barry Silver joins us On The Commons.  Barry, an attorney who practices law in Florida, has spent his career fighting for the rights of individuals, including homeowners in HOAs. Currently Barry has been working with several homeowners in a particular association where the owners are being evicted from their own homes.  These owners are paid up, they do not owe any money so it is not a case of “mooching off their neighbors” as proponents of this dysfunctional housing scheme often cite as an acceptable reason for this barbaric behavior.  They are, however, elderly so they are vulnerable. Their alleged “crimes”, and the reason they are being evicted are petty, absurd and ridiculous.  We’ll talk to Barry about these homeowners, what they are being targeted for and where they are now. This is a rebroadcast of an earlier show and a reminder of just how abusive and nasty people can be.

 Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Gary Solomon

20160416solomon

A picture is worth a thousand words, or so we have heard.  As I watch the primaries unfold for the US presidential candidates and seeing the backlash against both political parties, the picture that comes to my mind is “The Awakening”.  The Awakening is an enormous sculpture, that is now housed at the National Harbor in Maryland, of a giant waking up after a long sleep.  When you look at the candidates in both parties what is of particular interest is that the front runners are not the party favorites.  Senator Sanders has amassed millions of dollars in contributions, a handful of dollars at a time which suggests a huge base.  Donald Trump is self-funded and therefor not beholden to any of the special interests that have traditionally manipulated the direction this country has taken.  Mr. Trump is, by far, the biggest vote getter.  Both of these candidates have enormous grass roots support.  Not party support but people support.  It seems a showdown may be on the horizon.  Will this dissatisfaction with the status quo manifest itself in the homeowner  association arena?  Are Americans fed up and are they really ready to do something about it?  I say, power to the people!

Dr. Gary Solomon joins us On The Commons.  Dr. Solomon is a retired college professor who took an interest in how the stress of living in HOAs affects homeowners, the very people who are supposed to benefit from homeownership.  He has authored several papers, including HOA SyndromeElder Abuse in HOAsChild Abuse by Proxy and his brilliant and creative book, HOA Crisis in America which is a must read, watch and listen to book.  He explains how HOAs are a sick concept.  Many of the board members have psychological problems, problems that affect them. They, in turn, take it out on their neighbors.  The stress of living in the cross hairs of a mentally unsound board member triggers stress related diseases.  It is a fascinating idea and a scary thought when we consider not only the ill health of many homeowners but also the cost of medical care.  Perhaps it is time for preventive medicine instead of what we have.  Dr. Solomon is willing to consult with homeowners and their attorneys in lawsuits against their HOAs.  He is also ready and willing to assist medical doctors understand how their patients who live in HOAs may be living under constant stress.  Is an Awakening headed to the homeowners in mass produced HOAs nationwide?  Will homeowners reject the special interests and start really taking control of their own lives?

awakening

The Awakening, a statue in the DC area of a giant waking up after a long sleep.  It is now at the National Harbor in Maryland.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Barry Silver

The dictionary has many definitions for the word “home” but to me home is that safe place we all go to recharge our batteries, be with those we love or enjoy the solitude those 4 walls provide.  It is a place that is uniquely our own.  Houses, apartments, hotel rooms and units can all look alike, but much like fingerprints and snowflakes no two homes are ever exactly alike.  In a world that seems to fear individuality and promotes uniformity, a home has even more importance than ever.
In our brave new world of cookie cutter dwelling units, crammed into modern day  kommunities ,  more often than not the heart and soul of what we once called a community is gone.  In addition to all looking alike and living alike we now also are expected to be alike.  
 
Joining us On The Commons this week is Barry Silver.  Barry, an attorney who practices in Florida, has spent his career fighting for the rights of individuals, including homeowners in HOAs. Currently Barry is working with several homeowners in a particular association where the owners are being evicted from their own homes.  These owners are paid up, they do not owe any money so it is not a case of “mooching off their neighbors” as proponents of this dysfunctional housing scheme would use as an acceptable reason for this barbaric behavior.  They are, however, elderly so they are vulnerable. Their alleged “crimes”, and the reason they are being evicted are petty, absurd and ridiculous.  We’ll talk to Barry about these homeowners, what they are being targeted for and where they are now. 

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail