"Over the past two years,
I have litigated one of the most challenging cases of my career. The allegations we brought
included elder abuse by neglect and financial elder abuse, and we
engaged Dr. Blum early in the case to help guide us through the issues. By following his
suggestions and obtaining his insight, we were able to focus on
critical issues and obtain the discovery we needed to establish our
claims. He also
helped us enormously by focusing us on foundational testimony needed
from other witnesses which made his ultimate expert testimony
overwhelmingly persuasive. Following
an 8 day trial, the San Diego Superior Court judge ruled in our favor
on all critical points, and he cited the testimony of Dr. Blum as being
key to his decision. I
would urge any practitioner with issues involving geriatric psychiatry
or elder abuse to engage Dr. Blum as soon as possible in the case. He is an outstanding
professional and a pleasure to work with in every way." - D.
Brian Reider, Esq., Best Best & Krieger, LLP, Ontario,
California
"(Dr.
Blum) is a unique professional. He has developed enormous expertise in
medicine, mental health, and law. His work frequently blends these
fields and allows multiple systems to operate effectively . . . He has
developed an innovative and useful model to identify cases of undue
influence. His "IDEAL" model is used across the country by
law enforcement and prosecutors when investigating and presenting
cases. The model guides the evidence collection of relevant kinds of
evidence in these complex and much misunderstood cases. This is an
evolving area of criminal and civil law and it is far better understood
thanks to Dr. Blum's work in the field. It is no exaggeration to say
that his work has led to the successful prosecution of persons who
otherwise would have taken countless amounts of money and other assets
from confused, deceived, and isolated victims . . . Elder abuse is an
evolving field. Dr. Blum is one of its leaders."
- Candace
Heisler, Esq., Former Assistant District Attorney, San
Francisco, California
"Dr. Blum
was the spokesman providing the catalyst that brought Pima County, The
City of Tucson, and surrounding municipalities, together in the
formation of the Pima County Elder Abuse Task Force. His ongoing
efforts to bring the nations experts to our community to provide
education and training have resulted in a Task Force that is the model
for others in the State and the Nation . . . Dr. Blum's groundbreaking
protocols for the assessment, investigation and prosecution of victims
of undue influence are invaluable for investigators and prosecutors, as
well as the social service sector, in the successful resolution of
approximately one thousand of these types of cases annually."
- John
Evans, Esq., Unit Chief Counsel – Criminal Division, Office of the
Attorney General, Tucson, Arizona
"I first
met Dr. Blum in the winter of 2004 as he served as a consultant and
expert witness in the case of Prosecutor v. Pavle Strugar . . .
Recognizing the historical importance of this situation and the fact
that the issue of competency was one of "first impression" for modern
tribunals, the Prosecutor's Office had to obtain internationally
recognized experts. Dr. Blum's name was put forth as a highly
recommended geriatric psychiatrist . . . Dr. Blum went to great lengths
to assist the Court in this matter . . . The eventual decision of the
Trial Court was precedent-setting serving to establish the standards
for competency and related hearings for the ICTY (“International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia”) and will likely be
followed by current and future Tribunals . . . It was a pleasure to
work with Dr. Blum. In addition to his obvious high intelligence and
professionalism, he is a warm, modest and highly caring
individual. He has the ability to explain complex issues so
that non-medical personnel can understand the matters . . . Dr. Blum's
work was of assistance not only to the Court and Prosecutor's Office
but to the greater course of international justice."
- Phillip
Weiner, Esq., Office of the Prosecutor, United Nations-ICTY, The Hague,
Netherlands
"Who can
forget your memorable presentation to elder abuse officials throughout
Oregon on Sept. 11 when you calmly brought all of our focus back to the
work at hand? . . . Your work is so important in bringing into focus
for people how non-startling events may be criminal. I feel so
fortunate to have had the pleasure of being in your session a few years
back.”
-
Joyce DeMonnin, MPH, Elder Safe Program, Hillsboro, Oregon
"This
is truly amazing stuff. I am blown away. It is tremendously helpful . .
. I am so fortunate to have access to you at this critical juncture . .
. I have sent your protocol on so that others may benefit. It
truly is a brilliant working tool.”
-
Lionel Lyon, Psy. D., Boston, Massachusetts
“Thank you
for your valuable information on mental capacity and undue influence .
. .you give us hope that we might make a difference in the future. As a
social worker doing APS intakes, I can use your information to ask
better questions.”
-
Jackie Parr, Social Worker, Adult Protective Services, State of
Washington
“I was
present at a conference held in Oregon in June of this year (2002). The
subject was elder financial abuse and you gave a presentation on Undue
Influence and Mental Incapacity. During that presentation you explained
your IDEAL concept for documenting undue influence and you made
reference to a set of forms that you had designed for this purpose. I
found your presentation very interesting and you opened my eyes to a
new way to provide evidence to our district attorney of a very
difficult concept for them to understand. I have begun to present my
cases using your formula and document examples of undue influence using
IDEAL as a template.”
- Colin
Haynes, Las Vegas Metro Police Dept., Abuse/Neglect Detail.
