By Nadine Kalinauskas | Daily Brew
As the details of Mickey Rooney's death will make headlines today —
he disinherited his eight surviving children and his estranged
wife just weeks before his death, leaving his meager $18,000 estate to his
stepson and caregiver Mark Rooney — so do claims that the Hollywood legend was a victim of elder abuse.
According
to the Associated
Press, Rooney said he lost most of his fortune because of elder abuse
and financial mismanagement by another of his stepsons, Christopher Aber.
He
cut his children out of his will because they were better off financially than he was.
Rooney's
lawyer, Michael Augustine, said that an agreement was in place for millions to be repaid
to the 93-year-old actor, but it was unlikely the estate will ever collect on
it.
[ Related: Five of Mickey Rooney's most memorable movie
roles ]
Almost
three years ago, Rooney appeared before a U.S. Senate committee that was considering
legislation that would crack down on elder abuse.
In
March of 2011, then-90-year-old Rooney told the Senate Special Committee on Aging that he had been
"stripped of the ability to make even the most basic decisions about my life"
and financially exploited by his stepson, Aber, and didn't seek help because he
was "overwhelmed" with fear, anger and disbelief.
"But
above all, when a man feels helpless, it's terrible," Rooney testified.
Engaging
in a war of he said/he said, Aber told the Daily Mail that his younger
brother, Mark, and his wife were the real abusers, not him.
"They were keeping him from access to a
phone, they kept him hostage," he claimed, making the horrific accusation that Rooney died of
choking on his own food with no one there "to pat him on the back."
News
outlets have reported only that Rooneydied of natural causes, including complications related to
diabetes. Read Aber's messy allegations here.
Elder
abuse has been making headlines in Canada this month.
Toronto
woman Norma Marshall, 94, was victimized by her housekeeper and her
family who systematically spent Marshall's life savings and sold her belongings
without her knowledge, confining Marshall to a small room in her own home.
A
delivery man for a local pharmacy determined something wasn't right when he
dropped off her medications and alerted authorities.
Seniors
are particularly susceptible to elder abuse and frauds, and regrettably, there
is a great reluctance to disclose these types of incidents. — Patricia Fleischmann, Toronto police vulnerable-persons coordinator
Matthews
claims he was tackled and restrained at a Vancouver Island hospital after he
tried to leave. He went to the hospital fearing signs of a heart attack or
stroke and was admitted, instead, to a psychiatric ward.
According
to a poll commissioned by Bayshore HealthCare earlier this year, one in five
Canadians visit their elderly loved ones just twice a year at most, citing
distance and busyness as reasons for staying away.
With
reports of elder abuse and neglect increasing across the nation, last month,
British Columbia became the first Canadian province to appoint a seniors' advocate. Isobel Mackenzie vows to
represent seniors, not the government, in her new role. (Photo courtesy
Reuters)