Geriatric Care Managers can be just the answer for the aging family member or parent who wants to stay in his or her own home, but lives a distance from you and is becoming somewhat forgetful.
Seniors are becoming more of a target for scam artists and opportunists. Living at a distance from the person you love and want to protect is a worry for many families. We want to respect the dignity of our aging family members, but we don’t want them abused or harmed in any way. It can be a challenge to protect them without the elder being treated like a child.
My mother let someone in her home asking for a glass of water and her purse was stolen. Not too long after that she got a call from someone posing as her grandson and she wired cash to him. This is “Elder Abuse” to a very bright, able 88 year-old. And her daughter, me, is an expert in elder care issues – so scams can and will happen to the parents of us all if we are not diligent with our observation of those we love who are targets as they age.
Now my mother knows, she doesn’t send money to anyone, unless they talk with me and she doesn’t open the door for strangers. But, my mother doesn’t have a dementia. If your parent does, he or she is at even greater risk because the ability to remember to check in with you when strangers approach is not there.
One of the best ways to oversee from a distance is to employ a Professional Geriatric Care Manager to check in on a parent at least monthly and begin a relationship of trust so that the elder has a local person to call when the “deal” sounds too good to be true. Also, families at a distance should call often and ask about each day – what did they do and who did they see? When you hear about the stranger that befriends your aging family member, it is a time to bring in Adult Protective Services – but they won’t visit unless you have information that leads to an event of abuse. However, the Professional Geriatric Care Manager will make that visit and assess the newfound “friend”. Often these new friends disappear when they see someone is checking in.
Be safe, keep your senior family member safe – have checks and balances – because Financial Elder Abuse is on the rise.
