|
|
|
U.S. Alert
Three Senior Crimes Are on The Rise
Home Instead Senior Care Launches Senior Fraud Awareness Program to Empower Older Americans, Families and Caregivers with Information and Tools to Prevent These Scams. |
|
Rising incidents of scams targeting older adults present an enormous threat to seniors' security, both financially and emotionally. Senior fraud victims may suffer long-lasting trauma that often erodes their sense of trust and well-being, eldercare experts have noted.
Three crimes, in particular, are on the rise, experts say. They are identity theft, Medicaid/Medicare and medication fraud, and financial exploitation.
A recent MetLife study titled "The MetLife Study of Elder Financial Abuse" revealed that the annual financial loss by victims of elder financial abuse is estimated to be at least $2.9 billion, a 12 percent increase since 2008. Details of these crimes, from National Association of Triads Director Ed Hutchison, include:
1. Health care fraud including Medicare/Medicaid scams and medication theft. The major fraud tactic in this growing industry that frequently gets ignored is the misuse of a medical card. Scammers fabricate treatment and get paid for it. Another strategy involves finding a senior in need of medical supplies, calling him or her and saying, "Give us your Medicare card number and we can send your supplies through the mail." Or criminals can obtain treatments or medication by assuming an older adult's identity.
The World Privacy Forum revealed that a half million Americans have been victims of identity theft and health care fraud. The National White Collar Crimes Center puts the loss due to health care fraud at $100 billion or 10 percent of America's total health care expenditures.
What's more, many seniors take multiple prescription medications. Crimes of theft and fraud are being committed by those who break into a senior's home for the purpose of stealing those medications.
2. Identity theft. It's amazing the damage a scammer can do with the last four digits of a Social Security number. Those important four numbers can be combined with employment history and addresses to take out loans and lines of credit.
Scammers sometimes find Social Security numbers on the Internet, so that's why it's important to check your senior's credit often. By law, everyone gets one free credit check a year. Staggering requests among the three credit companies - Experian, Equifax and TransUnion - can allow consumers to check their credit every few months.
3. Financial exploitation. The financial exploitation of seniors comes in the form of a variety of cons. One of the most successful deceptions perpetrated recently on older adults is the grandparent scam. The fraudster calls the senior claiming to be a grandchild in need of money. The grandparent is instructed to wire money ASAP. "A senior in the community fell for this," said a Home Instead Senior CareŽ franchise owner recently. "Fortunately, Western Union was suspicious and held up the transaction, successfully averting the crime. This happened before the senior became a Home Instead Senior Care client, but she is still upset."
Older adults have a high likelihood of becoming the target of a scammer sooner or later, experts say. It might come in the form of a knock on the door, an offer to shingle the roof, a phone call from a friendly voice that guarantees big savings on medications, or an email that promises the biggest return ever on an investment.
Learn the three Financial Abuse Tactics (PDF 420k) that fraudsters use to deceive unsuspecting older adults. |
|
Senior Fraud Awareness Program
The Protect Seniors from Fraud program, developed with expert advice from senior-crime prevention organization the National Association of Triads, Inc., provides a number of free online resources, including a Senior Fraud Protection Kit with scam prevention tips, risk assessment tools, and advice on what to do if you or a loved one is scammed. Specific precautions found in these materials, which seniors and their families can implement to help avoid falling victim to con artists, include:
-- Shredding any documents useful to criminals, such as bank statements, credit card statements and offers, Registering on the national Do-Not-Call Registry and hanging-up on all solicitation calls, and
-- Being wary of individuals who have newly befriended you or a loved one, and make an effort to get to know them.
For more information go to www.ProtectSeniorsFromFraud.com |
|
The Alzheimer's Association is almost entirely privately funded. Awareness is our hope.
Join in the movement to end Alzheimer's disease!
The Worcester County Walk To End Alzheimer's is September 30,
2012 at Quinsigamond Community College. Be there at 10am!
TO DONATE or JOIN OUR TEAM for the WALK CLICK HERE
All team members will be provided a team -t-shirt for the day of The Walk!
If you have signed up to walk with our team, please email Wendy Nollman at wendy.nollman@homeinstead.com with your t-shirt size.
For more information about this and other senior issues related to health and well being please visit our website:
www.hearthside-homeinstead.com
Home Instead Senior Care:
Trusted Care for the Senior You Care For
|
|
|
|
|
|
August 2012
Accredited by
the Home Care Alliance of
Massachusetts |
We regularly post relevant information to help you and your senior loved ones navigate the
aging process.
Ask questions and comment about what you would like to read
|
|
What's the right thing
to do for Mom and Dad
as they get older?
Learn how to:
*Form an early and strong partnership with your parents and siblings
*Strategize on connecting with doctors and other care providers
*Navigate medical crisis
*Create a committed advocacy team
*Reach out with greater empathy and awarenes
*Face the end-of-life time with confidence and skill
"My Mother,
Your Mother"
by
Dr. Dennis McCullough
www.amazon.com
|
 Home Instead Senior Care is the preferred home care provider for Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Wellness programs. Call 1-888-377-4446 to find out about the discount we offer plan members.
Home Instead Senior Care serves the Greater Worcester County and MetroWest areas
|
 Our Home Instead Senior Care Office Locations:
386 W. Main Street, Suite 14
Northborough, MA 01532
508-393-8338
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
209 W. Central Street, Suite 216
Natick, MA 01760
|
|
Family Caregiver Support Webinar Series for Professionals
Home Instead has teamed up with the American Society on Aging to present a series of 12 FREE monthly web seminars that address pertinent caregiving issues. The webinar series feature a variety of topics that will help you help family caregivers navigate the many issues that will arise while caring for an older adult.
Each 1 hour webinar is 1 CEU credit.
Pre-registration is required to attend the live webinars but they are also available online for 60 days afterwards to take at your convenience.
Click Here to Sign up |
|
New!
Caregiver Support Group
Starting in September 2012,
Home Instead Senior Care will be running a caregiver support group for anyone who is caring for a loved one who has Alzheimer's disease or other dementias.
The support group will be limited to 6 people and will meet the second Monday evening of every month from 6pm - 8pm in the Training Room at our Northborough location.
Discussions will be facilitated and guided towards understanding individual situations and creating solutions to the many different needs of the group. It will be a place to share your feelings, hear from others in similar situations and get help solving mutual problems. Light refreshments will be served.
You must register to attend. To register please email Felicia Cardone at: 1-888-377-4446 Support Group Leader Felicia Cardone: Felicia Cardone is an Alzheimer's Association certified Support Group Leader who has unique personal experience with Alzheimer's and other dementias. As her mother's caregiver for over 13 years, Felicia experienced the disease through all of its phases. Felicia has been with Home Instead Senior Care since 2001 and is the CAREGiver Training and Retention Supervisor (among her many other responsibilities) for Home Instead Senior Care in the Northborough and Natick offices. |
|
