Archive for category: Abuse

BALANCING FEAR WITH KINDNESS

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BALANCING FEAR WITH KINDNESSThere are many things to fear in our world today, the most recent being the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus around the world.  But, recent events in my neighborhood completely unrelated to coronavirus reminded me how just easily our fears and biases can cause us to overlook concern for the welfare of others.

I live in a community that is known for kindness and a history of taking care on one another.  Unfortunately, a few criminal events rooted in domestic violence over the span of several months had our very close-knit neighborhood on edge (and the neighborhood Facebook page on fire).  Every “stranger” in the environment became a suspect with unusual sightings reported (and commented on) in great detail.

With this as background, it is no surprise that when doorbells rang unexpectedly at 1:30 in the morning, people responded with fear.  Most people admitted to not opening the door to a stranger in the middle of the night.  The few people who did open the door reported that a menacing-looking middle-aged man dressed all in black said he had lost his phone and asked to come in to use a phone.   He was turned away from multiple houses who reported a fear for the safety of their family.

As it turns out, the man ringing the doorbell was the mentally challenged father of a family who had just moved into the neighborhood.  He had left the house without his cell phone, had gotten lost, and he was himself panicked and afraid.  Gratefully, his daughter found him and was able to return him safely home – but not with the help of our usually kind and generous neighborhood.  Part of the reason people responded as they did was because this man did not “look like” the typical person in need.

I like to believe that had he been a young child or an obviously senile older adult that we would have been more responsive as a community. But, it WAS the middle of the night, and I have still instructed my teenage daughter to NEVER open the door in the middle of the night to a stranger no matter what the circumstance.  So, as a family, we have also discussed that we should have called the non-emergency number for our local sheriff’s department to request a welfare check on the stranger.

We immediately jumped to the fear-based conclusion that the stranger was up to no good when, actually, he was a fellow human in need.  We overlooked the fact that there are options available to safely balance the concern for our own welfare with the responsibility to extend kindness to a stranger.  It never occurred to us to request a welfare check in this kind of a situation, but I have been assured by several local law enforcement agencies that they would have viewed this as an appropriate use of services and would have been happy to come out to ensure the well-being of everyone in our neighborhood as well as the stranger in our midst.

So, whatever your position on the necessity to stock up on toilet paper and bottled water in the face of the current coronavirus pandemic, I hope we all remember to stock up on an extra supply of human kindness.  I have no idea what unexpected needs might present themselves in the coming days, but I plan to do what I can to help my friends, my neighbors and strangers as we navigate this uncharted territory together.  After all, I didn’t stock up on extra toilet paper, and now the store shelves are empty.  So, I hope that one of my neighbors will come to my rescue if we have a toilet paper emergency at my house.  Be safe and be kind!

Written by: Darra Wray

Darra Wray is a Care Consultant and Certified Senior Advisor with My Care Companions in Boise, Idaho, a company she founded to streamline and simplify the administrative side of care.  You can learn more about My Care Companions and the My Data Diary+ family information management software tool at www.mycarecompanions.com.

 

4 Coronavirus Scams to Avoid

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4 Coronavirus Scams to Avoid

Scammers are quick to exploit emergencies to cheat people out of money, and the coronavirus pandemic unfortunately is no exception.

Follow and share these four tips to ensure you or an older adult you serve is not among their victims!

1. Beware fraudulent products claiming a cure

From special teas to essential oils to silver lozenges, numerous companies have been touting that their products have the ability to prevent or treat coronavirus. Recently, the Food & Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued warning letters to seven companies whose advertisements made these false claims.

Remember: There currently are no approved vaccines, drugs, or investigational products available to prevent or cure the virus. You can report suspected scams to the National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline at 866-720-5721.

2. Don’t give money to charities you don’t know

Whenever a crisis occurs, scammers will try to draw on individual goodwill to seek “donations” for a worthy cause. It’s very easy for anyone to set up an account on crowdsourcing platforms to request support from the public.

If you would like to contribute to efforts to support those affected by the coronavirus pandemic—such as older adults who are homebound and unable to access food or medication, or those who’ve lost employment and need financial relief—be sure to research a charity first. Sites like Charity Navigator, Guidestar, and the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance provide comprehensive, vetted reviews of top charities.

3. Hang up on impostor callers

Phony callers pretending to represent a government agency were one of the top-reported scams in 2019. Last year alone, more than 166,000 people complained to the FTC about fake Social Security calls, wherein victims lost a median $1,500 each.

As more Social Security offices temporarily close and the IRS offers leniency on tax filing, you can bet that scammers will take advantage of these to cold call older adults and convince them to release personal information or face discontinuation of benefits.

Get a call like this? Hang up! Note that government agencies rarely contact persons by phone unless you have ongoing business with them and they never make threats about arrest or legal action.

Report suspicious calls to the SSA Office of the Inspector General by calling 1-800-269-0271, and report instances of IRS-related fraud to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484.

4. Be wary of new investment opportunities

A biotech company you’ve never heard of is working hard on developing a vaccine for the coronavirus. If you buy company stock now, you’re sure to get a windfall when the markets go up, right?

If this sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has warned that fraudsters are using the current news to promote investments in their companies that promise dramatic returns based on so-called “research reports”. If you are looking to invest in a company, be sure to do your research and remember that investment scammers often exploit the latest crisis to make themselves rich.

Important update! As of March 30, NCOA has received word of two additional coronavirus-related scams making the rounds:

  1. Fraudsters have been contacting consumers to ask for their personal information, telling them it is needed before individuals can begin to receive the stimulus checks that many consumers will receive as a result of receny legislation. The FTC notes that the government will not call and ask for information, nor require you to submit any upfront payment to receive these checks, which will be mailed in the coming weeks.
  2. Social Security reports that some people who receive benefits are getting fraudulent letters claiming their benefits will be suspended due to COVID-19 related office closures. Social Security is not suspending any benefits and never requests people to pay a fee to receive their benefits.

Source: National Council on Aging

Fraud Prevention Checklist

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New technology & communication, while opening the door for many positive avenues of progress, also makes us more susceptible as targets for scammers.  These individuals reach out to as many people as possible under some guise until they find someone who falls for their tricks.  The range of tricks being used by such scammers is always growing and evolving.  While you cannot know the details of each one of them, you can get a sense of the general types of scams out there.

Today’s seniors came from a generation raised to accumulate savings, to trust others, and to feel ashamed if they make any mistakes that feel “foolish”.  Because of their advanced age, it may take awhile for seniors to remember the events associated with the fraud and, when they finally do, the memories are somewhat faded.

Additionally, because advanced age can cause increased reliance on caregivers, family, and friends, abuse and fraud can happen with those individuals as well, breaking trust and taking advantage of need.  The answer is absolutely not to resist asking for help, but to educate yourself so that you can recognize the signs of any problems and intervene appropriately.

Based on the National Council on Aging’s “Top 10 Scams Targeting Seniors,” we’ve assembled a checklist of steps you can take to prevent falling prey to fraud. Review this list with your loved ones, checking off items as you complete them and making notes for future steps.  It might be a good idea to print out this list and keep it by the phone/mail spot in the house.

On a personal note, this story hits very close to home: my husband’s grandmother was recently conned out of $9,000 when a caller from Vegas pretended to be her grandson – with whom she hadn’t spoken on the phone for awhile – and claimed to have run into some financial trouble, such that he now needed both a plane ticket back home as well as some money wired over.  This caller begged the grandmother “not to tell anyone” about what he was going through since it was so embarrassing. – MV

 Table of Contents

  1. “Hi Grandma, it’s me…” – The Grandparent Scam
  2. “I’d like to help you deal with your loss…” – Death scams
  3. “Let’s reassess your home” – Real estate scams
  4. “Hi, I’m a Medicare Representative…” – Medicare fraud
  5. “Affordable prescriptions available here…” – Drug scams
  6.  “With modern science, who needs wrinkles?” Fake anti-aging products
  7. “Update! Click here…” – Internet fraud (including email/phishing)
  8.  “I am a Nigerian prince…” – Financial schemes
  9. “You’ve won the lottery!” Contest scams
  10. “Hello there, we need your help!” – Bogus Telemarketers

1.  “Hi Grandma, it’s me…” – The Grandparent Scam

As described above, scammers will call seniors claiming to be a grandchild in distress, requesting assistance and also discretion – both easy to obtain from the loving grandparent eager to help.

[  ] Make a list of family contacts, and if you ever receive a distress call, make sure you’re able to confirm the distress through contact initiated by you.

[  ] Never give out your personal information.

[  ] Never wire money except through a bank wire transfer, which requires confirmation of identity from the recipient.
 
More information:

2.  “I’d like to help you deal with your loss…” – Death scams

There are many potential avenues for death scams, from claiming a fraudulent outstanding debt on behalf of the recently deceased through overcharging individuals for funeral costs.

[  ] Always ask for a written price list in advance of your visit.

[  ] Never consult with just one funeral home. Shop around to better understand the services and products offered.

[  ] Check your state laws on embalming, autopsy, and other issues concerning death.

[  ] Make sure you read through and understand all of the details of the contract, including cancelation and refund policies.  Do not hesitate to ask for more time to read through, to take the documents home and process.  If anyone tries to pressure you to sign right away, leave; you should never be forced to sign a document under pressure.

 More information:

3.  “Let’s reassess your home” – Real estate scams

Using fake letters from the local assessor’s office promising reassessment with potential reduction in annual tax burden for the homeowner, scammers will artificially alter the value of a home to then encourage the homeowner to take a reverse mortgage.

[  ] Always be wary of unsolicited phone calls or other contact.

[  ] Always ask for references on the person/group contacting you, and be sure to research them online using sources like Google, Yelp, etc.  Ask for help from a family member, friend, or even your local librarian.

[  ]  Never pay for any services in advance.

[  ]  Never sign any documents without reading and understanding them in their entirety, as well as running them past your most trustworthy contact.

More information:

4.  “Hi, I’m a Medicare Representative…” – Medicare fraud

A phone call from someone claiming to be a Medicare representative to a senior aged 65 or older is too often enough to obtain personal information, which can then be used to file false claims and extort money from the system.

[  ] Don’t give anyone your Medicare or Social Security number or card, outside of your doctor/authorized Medicare provider.

[  ] Keep track of your doctor’s appointments and check that your Medicare statements line up with the services you were provided.

[  ] Don’t bend to pressure to buy any products or services on the spot; always ask for literature and time to think it over, then research on your own, in your own time.

[  ] Be skeptical of medical products or services that are advertised as being cheaper than usually offered.  These are usually scammers seeking to prey on the financially responsible.

More information:

5.  “Affordable prescriptions available here…” – Drug scams

With prescription drugs adding to the long list of high medical costs, it’s no wonder that cheaper options would be tempting.  In addition to conning people out of money, such scams are dangerous because the ‘medicine’ being sold is often expired or some other substance altogether, posing risks to the patient who takes them.

[  ] Be skeptical of door-to-door salesmen, because solicitations at your home without a previous appointment are illegal.

[  ] Only buy medicine from reputable pharmacies.

[  ] Know your prescriptions: names, doses, and appearance (size, color, etc.).  This is useful not just for avoiding fraud, but also for confirming your pharmacy’s product as well as for any doctor or hospital visits you may encounter, where you will surely be asked to list the medicines (and dosages!) you’re takingn. 

More information:

6.  “With modern science, who needs wrinkles?” Fake anti-aging products

Similar to the prescription drug scams, these scams involve charging patients for procedures using unregulated, privately manufactured drugs that pose serious risks.

[  ] Be wary of anything that seems too good to be true, or that purports to act as a cure-all.

[  ] Research a product extensively before trying it, including checking with the BBB (Better Business Bureau) to find out if there have been any complaints against it.

[  ] Always check with your doctor before taking any sort of supplement.

More information:

7.  “Update! Click here…” – Internet fraud (including email/phishing)

Seniors are particularly at risk for such scams due to their reduced comfort with computers and the internet.  From fake anti-virus programs through phishing scams that harvest personal information through a request for updates.

[  ] Be careful about opening attachments (which often can contain viruses) as well as clicking links in emails (scammers can use letters/symbols that mimic actual letters/symbols to build a fake site that can lure you into entering your password details).

[  ] If you haven’t reset your password and receive any emails about resetting your password, independently visit the site in question and check your account.  Change your password immediately; consider calling the site’s customer support line to report the incident and make sure there are no further security measures you can take.

[  ] Monitor your bank statements vigilantly for fraudulent charges. Often, scammers will start with a small charge, just to confirm that the account is active (and also so that it is less easily spotted).  Call your bank immediately if you see anything strange.

More information:

 8.  “I am a Nigerian prince…” – Financial schemes

Seniors might be tempted to invest their money if it means increasing the longevity of their savings, and so myriad scams exist to draw them in, promising yields on their investments.

[  ] Do not ever send money to someone you don’t know.

[  ] If you receive an email claiming to be from a Nigerian prince or some other comparable obvious scam, mark it as Spam.  Often, it will have some sort of “sob story” designed to get you to feel bad for the sender and want to help them in any way you can; do not fall for this.

[  ] If you receive a letter in the mail claiming to be a from a Nigerian prince (or something comparable), or requesting your banking information, take it to the FBI office nearest you or to the US Postal Inspection Service.

More information:

9.  “You’ve won the lottery!” Contest scams

An announcement of a sweepstakes win is here linked with a need to invest to ‘unlock’ the prize.  Victims quickly send the money and receive a check, which bounces several days later.

[  ] Sweepstakes are free; there should never be a ‘buy-in’, especially if it promises you increased odds at winning – that should be a clear red flag for potential scam activity.

[  ] Be particularly wary of contests that you did not enter but announce that you are a winner.

[  ] Always read the terms and conditions for any contest in which you participate or from which you receive correspondence, as they should lay out the rules, procedure for entry, and even the probability of winning.

 More information:

10. “Hello there, we need your help!” – Bogus Telemarketers

Because of their comfort in using the phone for transactions and communication, seniors are a prime target for fake telemarketers, who maximize on the opportunity to use voice-only means.  Some of the scams include raising money for fake charities and fake accidents.

[  ] Register your phone on the National Do Not Call Registry.

[  ]  If you are being rushed through a call or asked to give/confirm your account information – don’t.  You can even hang up in the middle of the call.  These telemarketers are just trying to get you to say ok so that they can later claim that you allowed them to charge you.

[  ]  Click on the resources below (under “More information”) to see the types of “lines” that are most commonly used by telemarketers.

 More information:

How to Get Rid of Junk Mail and Telemarketing Calls for Good

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As a child, I used to get so excited when I received something in the mail. Maybe it was because the only time I would get mail was either around my birthday or Christmas and it usually contained a check from my grandmother. Now, as an adult, my relationship with mail is quite the opposite. The only correspondence I receive is either bills or junk, neither of which I look forward to receiving.

While there is not much anyone can do to eliminate their bills, there are a few things you can do to get rid of junk mail. In fact, scams and spam seem to be on the rise via most methods of communication these days. Taking steps to declutter your mailbox and protect your phone number(s) can greatly minimize your frustration and reduce your vulnerability to fraud and identity theft.

How to Opt Out of Junk Mail

The first step toward eliminating a large portion of one’s junk mail is to participate in the DMAchoice program from the Data & Marketing Association (DMA). This program was created to give you control over what mail you receive and help the DMA’s more than 3,600 members avoid mailing to uninterested customers.

The categories of mail you may opt out of receiving include credit card offers, catalogs, magazine offers (such as subscription offers, newsletters, periodicals and other promotional mailings), donation requests, bank offers, retail promotions and more. You can choose to opt out of specific direct mail categories like the ones above or all of them. Once registered, the DMA forwards your preferences to the appropriate members.

To register, visit www.dmachoice.org and enter your information. There is a $2 fee to register online, but this registration lasts for 10 years. Caregivers also have the option to register on behalf of their care recipients to prevent them from receiving junk mail as well. Just visit the DMA website’s Do Not Contact for Caretakers page and follow the instructions. There is no cost for removing a vulnerable senior from the DMA’s databases.

Cancelling Pre-Approved Credit Offers

In the same way that DMAchoice works with member organizations to streamline marketing and promote consumer satisfaction, the OptOutPrescreen program works directly with the credit bureaus Experian, Equifax, TransUnion and Innovis to allow consumers to opt out of pre-approved and pre-screened credit and insurance offers.

To register for the program, visit OptOutPrescreen.com or call 888-567-8688. If you register online or by telephone, your registration is valid for five years. To opt out permanently, you will need to print, sign and mail back a permanent opt out election form. This form will be emailed to you when you register online or be mailed to you if you register by telephone.

Doing Away with Unsolicited Mail

In order to opt out of generic mail (the type that says “Dear Occupant” or “Current Resident”), you must directly contact the organization that sent you the solicitation. If you’d like to send a written request, provide your name and mailing address and state clearly that you wish to opt out from receiving future mail.

“Junk” Can Overwhelm Your Phone, Too

While junk mail is a nuisance that can literally pile up, unsolicited telephone calls can be equally as annoying but even more dangerous. Scammers will often call pretending to be from a legitimate organization in an attempt to get you to send them money or share your sensitive financial or identifying information.

One common scam is where the caller pretends to be from the IRS. He or she states that you owe money and if you do not pay within a certain timeframe you will be arrested. They use fear and intimidation to get the victim to do what they want.

But how can you tell which calls are legitimate and which are scams? It is often difficult to make that determination based on the call alone. One way to reduce, if not eliminate, legitimate solicitation calls is to register both your home and cell phone numbers on the Federal Trade Commission’s national Do Not Call Registry. Once you have registered, solicitors are prohibited from contacting you.

However, this does not apply to organizations with which you currently conduct business (known as established business relationships or “ERBs”) or tax-exempt organizations. You will still receive calls from entities you have given permission to contact you, like your bank, charities soliciting donations and—everyone’s favorite—political calls.

To register for this free service, call 1-888-382-1222 from the telephone number you wish to register. You can also register online at www.donotcall.gov. Keep in mind that this registration does not expire, so there is no need to ever re-register.

Telemarketers have 31 days from your registration date to remove your information from their call list and cease contact. If you receive a call after this 31-day period, notify the caller that you are on the national Do Not Call Registry and ask to be removed from their contact list. If they continue to call you, then you can report them online at the FTC’s complaint website. By law, organizations that are not tax exempt must remove a consumer’s contact information from their call list upon request.

This will not eliminate all calls, but it will greatly reduce the number of legitimate, unsolicited calls. You should be wary of whatever calls continue to come in from unknown sources. Here are a few indications that you’re talking to a scammer on the phone:

  • Caller is asking you to provide sensitive information
  • Caller is threatening or bullying you
  • Caller demands money, especially in the form of a money order
  • Caller refuses to remove your information from their call list
  • Caller claims to be from the IRS or another “official source” and demands money or sensitive information
  • Caller threatens your arrest if you do not comply
 Also, don’t be fooled by what appears on your caller ID. Caller ID can easily be manipulated using free online tools. This process is called “spoofing.” I could call you and have the caller ID read “IRS” or “police station.” It really is just that simple.

Read: Fake Caller ID: Don’t Fall for Spoofing Scams

If you are in doubt when you receive an unsolicited telephone call, simply hang up the phone. If you get a call from someone claiming to be from your bank or credit card company, hang up and call the official telephone number printed on your bank statement or the number printed on the back of your credit card. If they claim to be from the IRS, you can visit the IRS website (www.irs.gov), and call them at the telephone number listed there. You get the idea. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Tackling Unwanted Text Messages

If you receive spam-type text messages on your cell phone, you can typically report it to your carrier by forwarding the text message to 7726. This works for AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint and Bell customers. They will then add this to their identified spam messages list and attempt to block the sending number. This process is similar to identifying an unsolicited email as spam or junk mail. Once you have labeled it as such, your email provider will block future emails from that sender from getting into your inbox.

The same handling rules for spam emails apply for text messages as well. Don’t reply to the sender, click on any links in the messages or provide any personal information. Legitimate businesses will not ask for your account or login information via text. The next safest thing after reporting the message to your carrier is to delete it immediately.

While you may not be able to block all potential frauds and scams, these tools will help you to eliminate most legitimate solicitors, making it easier for you to identify the remnants as fraudsters and scammers. At that point, you can simply toss the mail, hang up the telephone or delete the text.

Source: AgingCare.com by Carrie Kerskie

Taking AIM at Elder Mistreatment

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Taking AIM at Elder MistreatmentMr. P is a 78-year-old man with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. His son was observed in the pharmacy yelling at him as his Dad kept repeating the same question. The pharmacist called Adult Protective Services (APS), and they discovered that Mr. P lives with his son, daughter-in-law and two small grand-children in a two-bedroom apartment. During the interview, it became clear that the family needed the combined incomes to stay in the apartment. The son and daughter-in-law explained that they are overwhelmed with caregiving needs and admitted that sometimes they yell or “get a little physical” with him.

“It’s So Complicated!”

Though elder abuse (mistreatment) can take many forms, it is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “an intentional act or failure to act by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult.”

Mistreatment can play out as physical, sexual, emotional or psychological abuse, as well as financial abuse and neglect. Often, older adults are the victims of more than one form of mistreatment, and many cases are not clear-cut, either in determining whether abuse has occurred or in deciding what steps to take once possible abuse is discovered. Many cases involve complicated medical, social, emotional and financial issues that intersect and interact, making it difficult to shape an appropriate response.

The Abuse Intervention Model (AIM)

The AIM model, which can help in situations like Mr. P’s, is a useful tool for identifying multidimensional, modifiable risk factors for elder mistreatment. AIM is a practical framework that allows for targeted and practical individualized intervention to successfully prevent, stop and mitigate elder mistreatment. Mistreatment is multidimensional, made up of complex relationships between risk factors in three broad domains (see Figure 1, above). These domains include the older adult (potential or known victim of mistreatment), the “trusted other” (potential or known perpetrator of mistreatment) and the context in which the mistreatment occurs. One goal of the AIM model is to identify modifiable risk and protective factors in individual cases, thus enabling a practical plan to be developed and implemented.

How Older Adults Are at Risk for Abuse

Many physical or emotional conditions or financial circumstances older adults face increase their susceptibility to mistreatment. Dependence upon another for care or being perceived as difficult to care for are examples of personal characteristics associated with mistreatment.

Functional issues like impaired physical abilities or diminished cognitive abilities can make activities of daily living more difficult for older adults. Physical and-or cognitive limitations can also lead to dependency upon a trusted other for management of finances, transportation, meal preparation, shopping and medication management.

Illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease may cause impairment in executive function, which makes a person an easier tar-get for exploitation. A diminishing ability for self-control can contribute to challenging behaviors, making caregiving more difficult. An elder’s emotional distress and mental illness can lead to emotional dependence—a situation that caregivers and others may resent or exploit.

Caregiving and the “Trusted Other”

Trusted others include family members, neighbors, friends and paid caregivers. Dependence upon the older adult, especially financial dependence, may compel the trusted other to remain in an unwanted relationship. Emotional dependence can lead to conflicted relationships and foster resentment in a caregiver. Mood, substance or personality disorders can compromise caregiver reliability. If a caregiver feels overwhelmed, he or she may be hostile or abusive. Physical impairment and limited mobility also can reduce the caregiver’s ability to provide appropriate care.

The context in which the older adult and trusted other interact can moderate or intensify the risk for elder mistreatment. Social isolation that separates either the older adult or caregiver from supports and resources can exacerbate the risk. Often, the relationship of the vulnerable older adult and the trusted other predates the caregiving phase. The quality of the relationship prior to the caregiving relation-ship can alter the risk for mistreatment. A good relationship can be a protective factor, while a poor quality relationship can increase the risk for mistreatment.

Culture also can influence the perception of elder mistreatment. In some cultures, illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease, are considered shameful or embarrassing and may lead to an older adult’s isolation.

Managing Mistreatment Risk

Some risk factors for elder mistreatment are modifiable and some are not. The AIM model can give professionals like medical providers, social workers, APS and law enforcement a framework to assess and identify risk factors for elder mistreatment from the perspectives of the vulnerable adult, the trusted other and the context in which they interact. Once the model is applied to an in- case (such as Mr. P’s), professionals can identify risk factors that can be mitigated and protective factors that can be bolstered.

It seems that Mr. P has experienced emotional mistreatment, and possibly physical mistreatment. His risk factors include cognitive impairment, accompanied by behavior change, dependence on his son for housing and dependence on the family for assistance with daily living activities. Knowing the course of the disease, we can predict that Mr. P’s cognition will become further diminished with time, which correspondingly increases his dependence and elevates his risk for mistreatment.

The trusted others (Mr. P’s son and daughter-in-law) are financially dependent on Mr. P’s income and admit to feeling overwhelmed and stressed by care-giving. The family lives in a cramped apartment with two very young children whose needs are many and may compete with Mr. P’s caregiving needs. Though we don’t know the relationship history of Mr. P and his son, we do know their relationship is currently strained. Additionally, there is evidence that Mr. P’s son has the propensity to be verbally and physically aggressive with his father.

AIM in Action

Though Mr. P’s cognition cannot be substantially improved or reversed over the course of his disease, the AIM model could be used to analyze and improve the situation, as follows:

•  Mr. P’s son and daughter-in-law attended their local no-cost Alzheimer’s Association Savvy Caregiver course. This helped them to understand that Mr. P’s repetitive and bothersome be-haviors were not purposeful, but rather a part of his illness. The family learned strategies to lessen frustration and reduce conflict.

•  A social work referral was made through their area agency on aging. The social worker helped the family receive In-Home Supportive Services (a government-subsidized benefit) several days a week to help with some of the caregiving responsibilities.

•  The family doctor referred the son and daughter-in-law to several sessions of low-cost counseling in which they learned stress-reduction techniques to use when feeling particularly upset.

•  Mr. P’s geriatrician discovered that Mr. P was feeling nauseated and light-headed much of the time, which was exacerbating his agitated behavior. By dis-continuing one medication and reducing another medication’s dosage, he became calmer and more content.

This combination of interventions had a significant impact on decreasing the stress of the family’s situation, and the abusive behavior was drastically reduced.

Source: ASA – American Society on Aging

Abuse and Neglect

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Abuse and neglect of a senior or vulnerable adult happens much more often than most of us have any idea.  Approximately 9.5% of the US population over the age of 65 experiences some type of abuse, neglect and/or exploitation. We like to think that it won’t happen in our families.  Unfortunately, it can and very well may.Abuse and Neglect Women

Females are abused more frequently than males, and the older the individual is, the more likely they are to be abused.   The vast majority of abusers are family members (approximately 90%); most abusers are adult children, spouses, or partners. Family members who abuse drugs or alcohol, who have a mental/emotional illness, and those who feel burdened by their caregiving responsibilities abuse at higher rates than those who do not.

Abuse comes in many forms, neglect being the most frequent, followed by physical abuse, financial exploitation, and emotional abuse.  Neglect is the refusal to provide an elderly person with life necessities such as food, water, clothing, shelter, personal hygiene, medicine, comfort, and personal safety.  Physical abuse is a physical force that causes or is likely to cause injury, pain or impairment to an elder. Financial abuse or exploitation is the illegal or improper use of an elder’s funds, property or assets.

The elder is often reluctant to acknowledge or report abuse themselves because of fear of retaliation, fear of abandonment, lack of physical and/or cognitive ability to report, or because they don’t want to get the abuser, often a family member, in trouble.

We must be willing to stand up to protect our elders.  If you have concerns, or suspect abuse, do your part – talk to someone, call Adult Protective Services (APS).  APS provides services in each state to insure the safety and well-being of elders and adults with disabilities who are in danger of being mistreated or neglected, are unable to take care of themselves or protect themselves from harm, and have no one to assist them. A staff member will make contact with the elder to assess their current risk factors.  With the help of the elder, the APS worker will develop a plan to assist them. Those who have the capability to understand their circumstances have the right to refuse services, regardless of the level of risk. If you suspect abuse, call 208-334-3833.

Written by: Dee Childers, Life Changes Elder Care Consulting, LLC