Hampton Bays caretaker charged in alleged abuse of elderly man

A Queens caretaker was charged after Southampton Town Police said an elderly Hampton Bays man was physically abused inside his home, a case that puts a harsh spotlight on the risks facing seniors who depend on live-in help.

Police said detectives arrested Michael Roopnarine, 63, of Queens, after responding to a physical abuse complaint at a Hampton Bays residence on Monday, May 11, at about 6 p.m. The victim was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment. Roopnarine, who was inside the home when officers arrived, was processed at police headquarters and held overnight for morning arraignment.

He was charged with two felony counts of endangering the welfare of a vulnerable, elderly, incompetent or disabled person in the second degree. Detectives said the investigation was continuing and asked anyone with information to call 631-702-2230 or 631-728-3400.

News 12 Long Island reported the initial complaint came in as a walk-in report of alleged physical abuse and that detectives found the two men together inside the Hampton Bays residence. That detail underscores the kind of hidden danger elder-advocates often warn about: when an older adult relies on one person for daily care, there may be few outsiders who can see what is happening behind closed doors.

The case also lands in a county where elder-abuse response is built into local public-safety and aging services. The Suffolk County Police Department says its Domestic Violence/Elder Abuse Bureau conducts confidential investigations involving elder abuse and serves as a liaison to courts, outside agencies and governmental entities. The Suffolk County Office for the Aging, the county’s designated Area Agency on Aging under the Older Americans Act, has administered programs for residents 60 and older for almost 50 years.

State data show the broader scale of the problem. The New York State Office for the Aging estimates that 300,000 older New Yorkers are victimized each year. Elder-abuse advocates say that abuse can include physical harm, neglect, emotional abuse and exploitation, and that warning signs are often easier to miss when a caregiver lives in the home and controls access to medication, meals, mobility and day-to-day safety.

For families in Suffolk County, the safest response is to treat unexplained injuries, sudden changes in a loved one’s routine or signs that a caregiver is isolating an older adult as urgent red flags. New York State’s elder-abuse helpline is 1-844-697-3505, and police in Southampton said the public should report any information that could help the investigation.