Seldom a week goes by without coverage by the media, locally and/or nationally, of a new scam being run, all too often victimizing trusting our elderly senior citizens. It may originate in Nigeria or in a nearby city or neighborhood. These senior scams may surface via a letter, an e-mail, or a telephone call. The FBI estimates that con artists are bilking the elderly out of billions of dollars a year. The elderly population is often targeted because they are too trusting, a reflection of their upbringing. It is difficult for them to hang up or close a door on someone.

The American Association of Retired Persons, AARP, estimates that anyone over 60 is on at least one “sucker” list, and a woman over 75 is guaranteed to be on such a list. These women are often widows who are lonely, home during the afternoon, and therefore available and willing to take calls from phony telemarketers. This is unfortunately a huge growth industry in our country, women being primary targets.

The prevalence of scams on the elderly has necessitated the formation of organizations such as Senior Sleuths. Seniors are vulnerable for a variety of reasons. Most have monthly money from Social Security in addition to pensions and possibly proceeds from the death of a spouse. Con artists pay close attention to the obituaries to find new widows. These individuals may be easy prey for phony investment schemes because they are afraid they may outlive their savings and become a burden on their families. Plans to invest their money with large profits guaranteed are enticing. Once entrapped in these schemes, escaping from them often looks impossible.

Prevalent senior swindles include lottery scams, internet get-rich-quick schemes and bogus charitable solicitations often run by telemarketers offering phony prizes or cash awards. These telemarketers are savvy enough to call people out of their own state because prosecution is more difficult. It is hard to prosecute these crimes because the elderly victims often die or become incapacitated and cannot testify if a case makes it to trial.

These insidious scams on the elderly is not only theft of finances but theft of dignity. Organizations like AARP Elderwatch, a group based in Colorado, coordinates services for elderly victims of scammers. Legislation in the form of the Elder Justice Act was introduced on March 29, 2007 in both the Senate and House. It will take the concerted efforts of legislation, organizations and individuals to stop or at the very least decrease the scamming of the elderly.

Gerri Tyber, Operations Manager

Barton Home Care

When I would call my aunt, who was in the early stages of dementia, to see how she was, she would frequently tell me that she was writing checks to pay her bills. I wondered how she could have many bills; she rarely went shopping any more and I never saw any evidence of substantial new purchases in her home.

Once while visiting, I noticed a large stack of what she thought were bills, but in actuality were solicitations from just about every organization known to man. She was contributing to all of these organizations guilty of scamming the elderly. She thought that she had to pay them—they were financial obligations and her upbringing taught her to take care of any such obligations. Sadly, several months had passed before I became aware of this predicament. In the interim, she had given away a large sum of money, much more than her financial status allowed. She was exploited on a local level by companies preying on seniors and  scamming elderly people. She was considerably overcharged for routine household maintenance that she occasionally needed and for the upkeep of her small yard. One can only wonder how many people took advantage of her.

In retrospect, there were lifestyle changes that I should have questioned. I should have asked to see her bank statements, but I didn’t want to intrude on her privacy. I noticed she had become more withdrawn and rarely left her home, but I attributed this to the dementia, which undoubtedly played a role, but may not have been the sole factor. My aunt was always fiercely independent, and by withdrawing from people she didn’t have to answer any questions about her finances or anything else or to possibly show her vulnerability or inability to handle routine things.

NCEA, National Center on Elder Abuse, is a nonprofit organization that investigates cases of scamming the elderly and estimates over 5 million cases of elder financial exploitation occur yearly, most of them going unreported by seniors. They are either unaware that they are being exploited or too embarrassed to acknowledge it.

Before dementia took over my aunt’s life, pride kept her from admitting that she needed help. Our checklist may help you decide whether an elder in your family needs in-home elder care services.

Gerri Tyber

Operations Manager, Barton Home Care

The most sensible and economical safety tools we can provide to our senior loved ones are medical alert systems or a personal emergency response systems (PERS). These systems are commonly made up of small, lightweight medical alert buttons an individual can wear either on a pendant or wristband to summon immediate assistance day or night.

Have you heard on the radio the commercials for OnSTAR? This is a jazzy new technology that GM is providing in many of its high end automobiles. In the event of a vehicle breakdown or any type of emergency–with simply the touch of a button–the driver can contact a live OnSTAR operator who can call authorities and send the appropriate help.

The function of the medical alert systems is exactly the same except it works in a person’s home. If a senior has a fall or other injury, or is ill and unable to use the telephone, with just the push of a button a live operator will be on-line within 60–90 seconds to offer assistance. The most significant and obvious benefit of this technology is the potential of saving a life, or preventing tremendous personal suffering. But in addition these systems provide the senior with a welcome sense of protection and safety in their homes. Also the family members experience greater peace of mind knowing that Mom or Dad can get needed help quickly if an accident occurs.

Of course the safest solution for seniors living independently is to have a family member or professional in home companion care provider present with them to ensure their safety, but often this is simply not possible 24 hrs a day. For those occasions when our senior family members may be alone at home–a medical alert system is an affordable and intelligent next best step.

Bob Parks
GOLD EAGLE SYSTEMS
http://www.goldeaglesystems.com/
303-770-2227
b.parks@goldeaglesystems.com