The seniors we love have worked hard all of their lives to provide for their families and hopefully store away a little nest egg for their retirement years. And while we’d like to picture older adults fully enjoying the security and satisfaction of their hard-earned savings – maybe finally having the opportunity to travel and check off some of the dreams on their bucket lists, for example – the reality is that many seniors fall prey to the craftiness of financial abusers: nearly 40% of all seniors over any given 5-year period, in fact.
While criminal fraud is near the top of the list in senior financial abuse, a close second is from a surprising source: senior caregivers, the very people entrusted with providing care and protection. And we’re all familiar with those unwanted telemarketing and mail solicitors, who, sadly, are often able to coax finances from seniors who struggle with cognitive impairment, memory loss, or simply loneliness.
Surprisingly, however, seniors who are most at risk of financial fraud and abuse share the following characteristics:
- Extremely friendly, confident and outgoing
- Well educated, particularly in financial matters
- Younger
- Living in urban areas
- Cautious with their finances
Sadly, we live in a world where all seniors are at risk for financial abuse, but Nightingale Homecare is here to help! The following tips can help your senior loved ones stay safe from financial fraud and abuse:
- Register with the National Do-Not-Call Registry
- Keep an eye on bank statements for any unusual charges
- Consider a prepaid debit card to limit spending
Perhaps the best piece of advice we can offer is to partner with a professional in-home care agency, like Nightingale Homecare, which screens and runs background checks on all of their caregivers. In fact, we make it a point to hire only those caregivers with whom we would trust our own beloved family members. So you can rest assured that with our home care services, your senior loved one is safe and secure from financial or any other type of abuse.
To learn more about protecting your senior loved ones and helping them to thrive and enjoy life to the fullest, call us at 602-504-1555 to schedule a free in-home assessment. Whether it’s something as simple as light housekeeping, meal preparation, and companionship, or as complex as chronic disease management and other doctor-ordered care, we’re on hand with skilled, compassionate, and trustworthy home care services, tailored to each individual’s unique needs, supervised by a registered nurse, and updated ongoing as needs change. We look forward to improving quality of life for the seniors you love!
