The Mills Brothers standard comes true - unfortunately

In 1944 The Mills Brothers had a hit with, “You Always Hurt the One You Love.” Written by Allan Roberts and Doris Fisher, the standard has been covered by everyone from Connie Francis, to one of today's major heartthrobs, Ryan Gosling.

It turns out that the sentiment of that song is true. Mickey Rooney knows it first hand.

While the Mills Brothers were singing, Mickey Rooney was acting. As a top movie star of the WWII era, Mickey was known for his work as Andy Hardy in a series of films, as well as in critically acclaimed movies like, “Boys Town.”

Ultimately celebrities are more or less the same as everyone else, however. A fact that Rooney came to find was all too real in his elder years. At 90 years of age the Hollywood institution found himself testifying in front of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. It seems that like so many elderly men and women who had worked hard and saved for their golden years, Mickey Rooney was victimized financially by a relative whom he had trusted.

Rooney didn't name the relative in his testimony. He made it clear that his money was taken, however. His financial affairs were kept from him, and his funds were misused. Mickey Rooney, a man who had once been on top of the world as a celebrated star of the silver screen, was now feeling the painful reality that can occur when we find ourselves being vulnerable to the whims of others. The hurt is deeper when we know that the people causing us harm a members of our own family.

Life presents us with risk, but it presents us with controls for those risks, too. It's important that we have an understanding of our finances and our options throughout our lives. As we move into our elder years, it is increasingly critical that we make arrangements for our care and comfort that we can count on.

The Government Accountability Office issued a report recently that claimed as many as 14 percent of non-institutionalized older adults had experienced some form of elder abuse in 2009. That statistic is alarming today, and of great concern for tomorrow, considering that the population of older American's is expected to grow substantially over the coming years.