6 The Hampton Roads Messenger


Volume 9 Number 1


Unsafe at Any Age-- Georgia’s New Gun Law vs. State Alzheimer’s Plan


emergency room in Salisbury, N.C. It is only now, that the work of


the VA is entering the civilian world of public safety.


By taking up this issue, the


Georgia gerontology community will become leaders in shaping a public health response to the issue of dementia and guns.


Some may ask whether there is


really an extensive issue. According to materials developed by the Georgia AAA, the symptoms of dementia may cause a person to use a gun inappropri- ately or trigger a catastrophic reaction by another person with a gun.


Last year, for instance, Joe


Hendrix, 34, shot and killed what he thought was a late night prowler. It was actually a man of 72 with advanced Alzheimer's disease in Walker County, Ga.


Photo: Gov. Nathan Deal is shown signing Georgia's new open-carry gun law, which went into effect July 1. One week earlier, the governor, whose mother-in-law had dementia, signed his state's Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Plan.


BY TONI P. MILES ATLANTA—When Gov. Nathan


Deal signed Georgia House Bill 60, called the Safe Carry Protection Act last spring, the new law, which went into effect July 1, sharply contrasted with another document the governor signed recently—Georgia Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Plan (GARD).


While House Bill 60 creates


an environment where licensed gun holders can carry a weapon into any establishment, as long as the property owner has not banned them, the state’s gerontologists and service providers in aging worry that it could lead to unintended public risk as the rapid aging of the population increased the prevalence of people with dementia.


In a 2011 case in Nashville,


Tenn., for example, Freeman Stafford, a 91-year-old World War II veteran with dementia, shot his daughter in the stomach. Police stated that Stafford appeared to be unaware of the shooting when they arrived. Family members told police they didn't realize the man still had a gun. He kept the revolver, given to him 25 years before, in a shoebox beside his bed.


House Bill 60 places the onus on


facility managers to prohibit guns on their premises. For example, anyone bringing a gun into a church that prohibits them could pay a fine of up to $100.


The gun law not only applies to


such places as restaurants or shopping malls, but licensed guns are now legal in places populated by frail and cognitively impaired older adults – county area agency on aging offices, adult day care centers, long-term care facilities and hospices.


Bipartisan Alzheimer’s Plan It is ironic, then, that during


the same recent legislative cycle, Georgia’s Department of Public Health developed and published the Georgia Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Plan (GARD)—which Gov. Deal signed on June 23.


The GARD process is a sober


recognition of the public health impact of dementia in our aging society. As families well know, paranoia and suspicion often occur with dementia. In addition, long-term care workers are developing practices to contain the aggressive behaviors of people with dementia.


The plan is the product of a six


months consultation process that brought elected officials from both political parties together with patients, families, advocates and 50 experts representing education, health care, public safety, financing, housing and transportation.


The depth and breadth of this plan


shows how effective state and local government can be when acting in concert with its constituents.


This is a national issue given the rapid aging of the baby boomers and increased


parents. Georgia is one of more than 40 states that have enacted or are developing an organized response plan to meet the public health challenge of a dementia epidemic.


In Georgia alone, 120,000 older


adults were diagnosed with dementia in 2010 — projected to reach 160,000 by 2025.


Experts also estimate that half of those living with dementia are currently undiagnosed. In fact, over 14 percent of Georgians ages 60 or older report that they have been increasingly experiencing confusion or memory loss.


Now that the state has a plan, the


GARD will help to implement and oversee it. This is the genius of the GARD process and a shining example of the effectiveness of Georgia’s Council on Aging and the Coalition of Advocates for Georgia’s Elderly (CO-AGE). Since 1977, CO-AGE has met annually to identify legislative and budgetary priories for Georgia and its older adult population.


Lessons From VA Shooting During its July 2014 meeting,


CO-AGE celebrated the achievement of GARD. In the midst of this celebration, Georgia’s network of area agencies on aging (known as AAAs) took up the issue of Georgia’s new gun law. The AAA’s intend to bring this issue to the Georgia Gerontology Society held this week to advocate for a legislative amendment to exempt AAA offices and senior centers from the gun law.


Georgia’s AAAs have


learned from the Veterans Health Administration (VA) that it is important to get in front of this issue. The VA launched a public awareness campaign about gun access by dementia patients after an 83-year-old veteran pulled a pistol from his pocket in August 2000 and shot a doctor in a VA hospital


longevity of their elderly Preparing FROM PAGE 1


or obligations will save them time and avoid risks of unnecessary expenses (such as fees associated with certain old, "dormant" accounts). Other paper records that your heirs may need to know where to find include wills, home titles, car titles, bonds and certificates of deposit. But this list can also be valuable to a criminal, so keep it in a secure place that only you and selected others have access to.


Consider the pros and cons


of consolidating accounts. Think about how many savings, checking, investment and credit card accounts you have. Then ask yourself if combining multiple accounts could make it easier for your loved ones to identify, monitor and manage those accounts on your behalf. If you plan to consolidate your deposits at one institution, though, make sure the combined funds are within the FDIC's deposit insurance coverage limits. Remember that you can have more than $250,000 in one bank and still be fully insured provided that the money is in different ownership categories — single accounts, joint accounts, retirement accounts and so on. If you need help, visit www.fdic.gov/deposit/ deposits or call 1-877-ASK-FDIC (1- 877-275-3342).


legal documents to create or update. One example may be


Consult with an attorney about an


advance


directive that will specify your wishes for medical care if you are terminally ill. Others may include a will and/ or a trust to guide the distribution of your property after your death, and a "power of attorney" authorizing someone else to handle transactions and make decisions on your behalf if you become mentally or physically incapacitated.


Carefully evaluate who you


hire to help you. You may want to talk to a financial advisor for help, such as in deciding whether to consolidate accounts or sell investments. Before choosing an advisor, understand what training


Hendrix killed Ronald Westbrook


after the older man had walked--lost and confused--about three miles to the shooting scene from his home. With his two dogs, Westbrook wandered while wearing a light jacket and straw hat as the wind-chill temperature hovered around 20 degrees.


Following the shooting, Westbrook was found clutching letters


September 2014


taken from another mailbox along the road, the sheriff said. Westbrook had awakened Hendrix and his fiancée at 3 a.m., when he rang the doorbell and turned the doorknob. Hendrix has not been charged.


Legislative Strategy Questioned Although


gerontologists are


Georgia’s examining


legislative strategies for banning guns from locations directly concerning the seniors and staff members they serve, this limited initiative, if successful, would still leave our children and their parents in public spaces vulnerable to gun violence.


approach,


When asked about this limited one


gerontologist


responded, “I understand people who want to own guns for hunting. I kind of get those who want them in their home for protection -- even though it is irrational since they are more likely to shoot a friend or family member versus a criminal intruder. But there is at least a patina of logic there.”


He continue, “What I don’t get


is the desire by many to return to Hollywood’s version of the wild west where everyone had guns on their hips wherever they went. [This is an] interesting, approach to put at least a dent in legislation [and it] is likely to pass.”


he or she has had and any record of complaints. For tips on choosing an investment advisor, including what professional designations (the letters after an advisor's name) mean, start at www.finra.org/Investors on the Web site of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, an independent, not-for-profit organization authorized by Congress to help protect investors.


Determine if you have adequate


insurance. Consider discussing with an insurance agent or a financial planner whether you have adequate life and disability insurance, and evaluate the pros and cons of long-term care insurance. Your needs will depend on factors such as whether you have dependents and any property that you would like to pass to an heir but is serving as collateral for a debt. Note: In general, your debts will be paid from your estate and will decrease the money that your heirs could inherit. But exceptions exist. For example, the responsibility to repay any debts that another person co-signed with you shifts to that person after you die.


Take steps to make it easier for


your heirs to access your valuables. Start by confirming that the beneficiaries or co-owners you want on accounts are named in the records. For example, having joint accounts with your spouse or another loved one can make it easier for him or her to access the account if you become disabled or die, but you are giving this person equal rights to the money in that account. You can also set up payable- on-death (POD) accounts at a bank that would ensure that the people you name would have access to the money after you (or any other co-owners) die.


And if you have a safe deposit


box, talk to a bank employee or an attorney about how a loved one or another person you designate could access the box. Procedures vary considerably by state. For example, after a death, some state laws may permit a decedent's safe deposit box to be accessed immediately by a co-owner, but other states may generally not permit anyone to remove any items other than a will and burial instructions for several weeks.


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