Elder Financial Abuse and Electronic Financial Instruments: Present and Future Considerations for Financial Capacity Assessments

Separating neurocognitive mechanisms of maintenance and compensation to support financial ability in middle-aged and older adults: The role of language and the inferior frontal gyrus

This study investigated the role of brain regions involved in arithmetic processing in explaining individual differences in financial ability in 67 50-74-year-old cognitively normal adults. Structural integrity and resting-state functional connectivity measures were collected in the MRI scanner. Outside the scanner, participants performed financial ability and other cognitive tasks, and answered questionnaires to determine dementia risk, and financial risk and protective factors. Regions of interest involved in arithmetic processing were defined, focusing on language- and quantity-processing areas in temporo-frontal and parieto-frontal cortices, respectively. Our results showed that structural integrity and functional connectivity in brain regions associated with arithmetic retrieval were positively associated with financial ability, with language skill mediating left IFG structural integrity and financial ability. Connectivity patterns suggested that reliance on quantity mechanisms (i.e. calculation) was associated with poorer financial ability. Analyses revealed that reliance on these brain mechanisms did not depend on participants' age or risk of dementia and that protective factors such as household income or financial literacy supported the maintenance of connectivity related to financial abilities.

Factors associated with financial exploitation in older adults: A systematic review

OBJECTIVES

This systematic review aimed to identify and analyze factors associated with financial exploitation in older adults.

METHODS

A comprehensive search strategy was implemented in December 2023, across three major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus), along with Google Scholar as a search engine, without restrictions on publication year. Quality assessment was conducted using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) and CONSORT tool.

RESULTS

Among the initial 985 articles identified, 26 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The majority of studies were conducted in the USA and had a cross-sectional design. Key factors identified included cognitive function, depression and emotional health, physical health, social support and interpersonal relationships, living arrangements, race, and personality traits.

CONCLUSION

This review highlights the complex factors linked to financial exploitation in older adults, with cognitive function, depression, and social support as key predictors. However, inconsistencies in age, marital status, and substance use call for further research. Targeted interventions are essential to reduce the risk of exploitation.