Elder Fraud, Scams, and Grams

Hi All!

We hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day. Locally, some of us were busy cleaning up from Saturday night’s storms.

Today we want to bring some topics to your attention that are important. Some are tips and some is information for your own knowledge. So keep reading… this a fully loaded post!

Knowledge is Power

We are always looking for ways to help others protect themselves. Did you know the Federal Trade Commission has a daily blog that you can subscribe to receive daily in your email? At https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected you can sign up for nine different blogs and newsletters. Taking a few minutes each day to read even one of these can help keep you up to date on the latest scams.

For instance, seniors are being targeted by phone to commit to purchasing a Life Alert (or other similar service). The caller will state that their product is being shipped because a family member of theirs had ordered the product. The caller will try to obtain more information, including payment or financial information. This is a scam and an easily believable one. This is only one of the many types of scams happening.

 

June 15^th is World Elder Abuse Day

The National Center on Elder Abuse has put together a list of 11 Things that Anyone Can Do to Prevent Elder Abuse.

1. Learn the signs of elder abuse and neglect.
2. Call or visit an elderly loved one and ask how he or she is doing.
3. Provide a respite break for a caregiver.
4. Ask you bank manager to train tellers on how to detect elder financial abuse.
5. Ask your doctor to ask you and all other senior patients about possible family violence in their lives.
6. Contact your local Adult Protective Services or Long-Term Care Ombudsman to learn how to support their work helping at-risk elders and adults with disabilities.
7. Organize a “Respect Your Elders” essay or poster contest in your child’s school.
8. Ask your religious congregation’s leader to give a talk about elder abuse at a service or to put a message about elder abuse in the bulletin.
9. Volunteer to be a friendly visitor to a nursing home resident or to a home bound senior in your neighborhood.
10. Send a letter to your local paper, radio or TV station suggesting that they cover World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15^th) or Grandparents Day in September.
11. Dedicate your bikeathon/marathon/other event to elder mistreatment awareness and prevention.

Bringing awareness to an issue is the first step to finding a solution. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, approximately 1 in 10 Americans aged 60+ have experienced some form of elder abuse. Some estimates range as high as 5 million elders who are abused each year. One study estimated that only 1 in 14 cases of abuse are reported to authorities.

 

All in all don’t let Grams get scammed. Our bet is that the Nigerian Prince (or any prince) has plenty of his own money! 

 

Morning Glory Home Care, a top provider of elder care in Edwardsville, IL and the surrounding areas, is always available to help with a wide variety of home care needs. Contact us any time at 618-667- 8400 for a free in-home meeting to learn more about our professional home care services for seniors,