"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.
