New York City, New York Dec 9, 2021 (Issuewire.com) - In a frightening and compelling, true story, corruption, deception, manipulation and exploitation collide in Paradise Costs: A Victim's Daughter Fights Back against Elder Abuse. It’s the heart-wrenching, horror story of an infirm, 80-year-old man with Alzheimer's who was taken from his family, stripped of his assets and exploited despite the pleas of his next of kin. His daughter, author of this book, Irene A. Masiello offers his startling forensic toxicology report demonstrating the presence of illegal drugs present in his hair as shocking proof that something illegal was transpiring. “My father was bedridden and on a stomach tube,” she stated, “the family had no access to him, how did this happen?”
What makes the narrative more compelling now than it was when the book was first released and then recently obligated the author to update it in spring 2021? Masiello stated, “Many international humanitarian and health organizations are reporting issues across the planet that are horrendous due to COVID-19 numbers and its death toll. AARP Magazine’s ‘Health’ section cover story in April 2021 reported, 95 Percent of Americans Killed by COVID-19 Were 50 or Older.
She continued, “Brace yourselves, that’s an ugly harbinger given The Lancet’s numbers and time frame. Teenagers of today will be victims by 2050 unless there is significant intervention done to improve laws and protect the elderly now. Where’s the legislation? The Elder Justice Act my book supported in 2007 was passed but fell short.”
The Lancet, the oldest and most prestigious medical journal in the world stated in 2017, elder abuse and exploitation will be “growing to 330-million victims by 2050” with “[t]he findings of [their] study strengthen[ing] the case for global action….”
Elder abuse is now recognized as a human rights and public health issue by the United Nations, the World Health Organization, National Institutes of Health, the American Civil Liberties Union, etc. Furthermore, the abuse and exploitation of seniors and #olderadults are now understood to be systemic issues and present in many organizations including governments and their agencies, as well as public and private institutions and corporations across the world.
For the author of this book, her father, a hearing-impaired, honorably discharged, World War II veteran retired from the New York City Transit Authority, his story started innocently enough. Like scores of seniors and #olderadults seeking a lower cost of living and warmer weather, Irene’s parents relocated to a small town in Colleton County, South Carolina called Walterboro to realize his life-long dream of utopian living.
Masiello says, her father’s blissful life was shattered and ravaged by the death of his wife and by several illnesses including diabetes, deafness, Alzheimer's and depression.
“Walterboro and Colleton County” Irene states, “is no stranger to corruption, gang rape, a nationally covered jewelry heist as well as peepholes in the walls at a major hotel chain with staff watching guests having sex. CNN reported on a national story only recently saying “no one wants to talk.” I do and I allege my dad may have been a victim of a conspiracy that succeeded given his suspicious forensic report that resulted from a lock of his hair. I want to exhume my dad’s body and get to the bottom of this but there is no cooperation from the local authorities.”
Her book tells the bone-chilling story of the last years of her dad’s life when he was "grandpa-napped" from his family by neighbors and "friends." Masiello says all she has left of her father is a frightening forensic report and a mystery: how did a bedridden, hospitalized 80-year old man taking all sustenance via a stomach tube land up with illegal drugs in his hair? Mario ingested everything via a surgically inserted stomach tube after he had a stroke in February 2001 that only his caregivers handled. No family member was allowed unsupervised visits with Mr. Masiello.
Irene Masiello states, “I’m often asked why blood work done while my father was hospitalized did not turn up the high potent Ecstasy and a cocaine metabolite found in my dad’s hair by a forensic toxicologist, the Director of the Toxicology at Ohio State’s Medical School. Apparently, hospitals are not routinely screening senior citizens for illegal drugs. Maybe in view of the recent statistics, they should be?”
Learning of this monumental uptick spelled out by international organizations just recently, Masiello, though drained, exhausted and disabled from this grueling and tragic journey and the loss of her younger brother to Vietnam vowed make others aware of the risks of an impending cataclysmic world holocaust.
She pointed out, “COVID-19’s deadly ramifications are well known now however facts are still debated. It’s as though people fiddle while Rome burns and remain in denial, have distaste for bad news and bury their heads in the sand. We’ve seen what’s happened to those hoping to escape catastrophic events by not getting vaccinated, not wanting to socially distance or wear a mask or even believe in science.”
Masiello continued, “My book was quickly reworked to get facts, danger signals, red flags, definitions, and imperative information into the hands of those who need it now. We have spoken with physicians and attorneys and made #ParadiseCosts2022 a handbook on what #olderadults need to know to navigate the evolving medical and legal changes in the various systems. We’ve spoken to a practicing East Coast cardiologist about telehealth, for example. The physician advised us on how to easily improve results in this technology which may not be intrinsically well suited for all seniors. Paradise Costs contains the doctor’s professional recommendations.”
She continued, “#ParadiseCosts2022 lists more than 60+ red flags behaviors in victims and perpetrators, legalities, medical jargon, how to navigate systems that can be challenging like medical insurance, etc. It’s imperative to be aware, informed, and proactive to protect yourself and your parents while keeping in mind this is a dynamic situation. It’s unlikely to get easier unless you take action. We need to empower ourselves and be our own advocates until governments take the threats more seriously and they take legislative action. Paradise Costs is more than a story, it’s an interactive a workbook and instructions are included. Meanwhile, please get your vaccinations and booster, wear a mask, socially distance and wash your hands. Please also choose responsible media and do your legal homework like writing a Will, naming a healthcare proxy, etc.
Masiello stated, “My brother and myself are not observers, we’re participants and we care. He ran into a burning plane in Vietnam at 19-years old and rescued five crewmembers and he received high military honors. At the age of only 35, he got an early grave from service-related illness. That grave doesn’t belong to our family, strangers still own it and, perhaps, for a damn good reason, I suspect. My father is buried in it, too. An exhumation of my dad could prove very bad news for interlopers given the forensics. The actual forensic report is contained in the book and on the website (www.ParadiseCosts.com).”
Paradise Costs-A Victim’s Daughter Fights Back against Elder Abuse also contains an afterword written by the author of “Suicide-by-Cop,” the internationally known forensic and geriatric psychiatrist, Bennett Blum, MD. In 40+ pages of simplified, easy to understand definitions and explanations of medical jargon and psychiatric information, etc., Dr. Blum educates readers re: what may be the first sign that elder abuse may be taking place. It may be an imposed “isolation” of an aging family member away from friends and family members via less accessibility for visits, calls or outings.
Also, Dr. Blum’s afterword is a primer regarding normal aging vs. impaired cognition, types of dementia pointing out 20% of the dementias are treatable, what is cognitive decline, what about wandering, the stages of Alzheimer’s, diminished capacity, does your senior need a doctor, lawyer or both, descriptions and details of his well known IDEAL© and PARADISE2© acronyms, worksheets for maintaining records for establishing evidence, and, much more.
Irene Masiello urges readers of #ParadiseCosts2022 to write their political representatives; readers can do that from preformatted letters inside her book. By using a digital camera, readers can photograph and upload letters to officials' email addresses and be heard. She also reminds all that elder abuse and exploitation are crimes; call 911 and Adult Protective Services.
©December 8, 2021-all rights reserved, Irene A. Masiello, Paradise Costs-A Victim’s Daughter Fights Back against Elder Abuse, 2006-2021 www.paradisecosts.com
Paradise Costs-A Victim’s Daughter Fights Back against Elder Abuse is now available on Amazon
Media Contact
Irene Masiello ParadiseCosts@cs.com 718-776-5644 87-50 204th St NYC, NY 11423 http://www.paradisecosts.com
