I would first like to thank the Elder Justice Coalition for stating that voices and stories matter. They do. I indeed need my voice heard. I need my story heard and spoken. And, I need help. The heart of my story centers around my paternal uncle, who I loved dearly, and he was my confidant as well as my best friend. My Uncle Ed never married and didn’t have any children of his own. He in fact treated me as if I was his own child and had contributed to my financial support throughout my life. I am a vulnerable adult. I have suffered most of my life with illnesses which have disabling symptoms, and I have been unable to consistently work enough to be self supporting. Upon my father‘s passing I became my uncle’s only next of kin. My uncle had appointed me his durable power of attorney and I was co-trustee of his estate. All of my uncle’s estate planning had been finalized with the assistance of my father before his death. It was of great importance to my uncle to establish and to maintain in his estate plan the care and support for my father’s needs as well as mine, and to have this continue through the duration of our lives. Not long after my father‘s death I hired an attorney for my uncle as well as a fiduciary company which this attorney recommended and closely worked with. My objective was for these professionals to assist me with my uncle’s care if needed. My uncle was suffering with advanced symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease which had been diagnosed at the University of Washington. What ensued is a horror story. Both my uncle and I fell victim to the pernicious predatory acts of these people which included and is not limited to: extreme financial exploitation that exceeded $1 million, violation of our religious civil liberties and human rights. Antisemitic discrimination! They took advantage of a position of power over my Uncle Ed; undue influence, isolation. Not only did they prey upon my uncle’s vulnerabilities, they preyed upon mine as well. My Uncle Ed and I were lost and trapped in an unearthly system of abuse, neglect, and power, which went on for years.

Ultimately, the attorney I hired for my uncle and the fiduciary company seized control over my uncle and his estate. I had acquired documents after my uncle died that shattered me to my core. This attorney had engaged the services of Evergreen Healthcare, and in a letter to the psychiatrist with their geriatric regional assessment team, he had outlined the legal test for testamentary capacity. He wanted my uncle to be an evaluated with respect to his capacity to execute and sign new trust documents. In contrast to the psychiatric evaluation which stated that my uncle failed to meet the test for testamentary capacity, this attorney disregarded the findings and pursued and executed the new trust documents. He had my uncle sign them! This attorney also orchestrated the sale of my uncle’s house, which was my grandparents’ home and had been in my family for well over 50 years! I was never informed that the sale of my family’s home was being considered, or for that matter of the actual sale and disposal of my uncle’s, father’s, and grandparents’ personal belongings. I have mourned the loss of many items such as photographs and Jewish literature. And, I particularly mourn the loss of my grandmother’s Sabbath candleholders, and my family’s Mezuzah. This was my family’s Jewish heritage! Toward the end of my uncle’s life they had withheld where they had placed him, and when it was finally disclosed to me where my uncle was residing, my Uncle Ed‘s legs had been amputated! I had not been consulted or informed of this until I witnessed the horror that was awaiting me upon a visit! I probably will never know what caused the injury to my uncle’s legs, but what I do know with absolute certainty is that he did not suffer from diabetes, and, that the amputation of his legs is what killed him! In the weeks that followed my uncle’s death I had received a call from a social worker with adult protective services who had been investigating the elder abuse my uncle had been suffering, and she stated: “They killed him.” My uncle had been placed in a nursing center which was part of Crista Ministries. This is a very large Christian compound. I was not allowed to move my uncle to the Caroline Kline Galland home which is part of the Jewish retirement community in Seattle. My Uncle Ed was an Orthodox Jewish man, and this is where he died-which corrupt systems in the State of Washington allowed. My Uncle Ed was not buried in his prayer shawl due to the sale of my family’s home and the disposal of items which had also included his prayer shawl! I was not allowed to worship and assemble with an Orthodox Rabbi to pray and receive comfort and blessings while my uncle was in hospice. We were deprived our religious freedom and human rights in the State of Washington. This was antisemitic discrimination! Religious freedom must apply to all, equally and consistently. The case has been over for sometime now, and the statute of limitations have passed. Unfortunately, these bad actors were never held accountable for their bad acts.

The first thought that comes to my mind is the word empathy. Elder abuse, neglect, and fraud has metastasized throughout all of the United States of America, and can afflict all sectors of society. The tragedy that both my Uncle Ed and I suffered, decimated both our lives, and cost my uncle his life. It certainly altered the course of my life. And to be perfectly frank, I continue to be severely affected by the trauma that I suffered; the amputation of my uncle’s legs, the antisemitic discrimination, the deprivation of religious freedom and human rights. And, due to the financial exploitation that both my uncle and I endured, I am now very close to exhausting all my resources. In early 2025 I am facing a very good possibility that I will lose my house and become homeless, which terrifies me, and this is something that I absolutely fear that I would not survive.

My hope for the future is for the feeling of terror that I experience every morning upon rising to cease and be no more. My hope for the future is to live the remaining days of my life with my sweet black Labrador Retriever, and, to be safe and comfortable once again. This is what my Uncle Ed would have wanted for me as well. My hope and hunger for the future is that predatory acts by people in positions of power and, their use of lawfare to further do harm to victims will be stopped and punished! My hope and hunger for the future is for more of humanity to come forward out of the shadows, to protect and value the rights of older and vulnerable adults. We must work together and treat this population ethically, and to help prevent elder abuse.

I continue to be determined to leave no stone unturned, and even on days when I don’t feel as though I have any strength or faith left, I pray that someone, somewhere, will hear my plea . . . I need my voice heard. I need my story heard and spoken. And, I need help. Thank you very much for this opportunity to be able to bring this personal and very important story to your attention.