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How to identify elder fraud scams — and help those you love

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In today’s world, money scams that prey on the elderly are prevalent.

Fraudsters often use telephones and email to conduct their scams, capitalizing on seniors’ trusting natures and unfamiliarity with technology. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has opened new opportunities for criminals, and some classic in-person scams still are being used regularly.

On its website, the FBI lists common elder fraud scams. Among them are the grandparent scam, in which criminals pose as a relative — usually a child or grandchild — claiming to have an urgent need for money, and the home repair scam, in which criminals appear in person and charge homeowners in advance for home improvement services that they never provide.

Other scams include the COVID-19 charity scam, in which criminals claim they are collecting donations for families hard-hit by job losses during the pandemic but are keeping the money for themselves. Here in Whatcom County, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center has warned of a COVID-19 scam in which fraudsters call the elderly under the guise of COVID-19 contact tracing and attempt to acquire private information.

Email scams sometimes take the form of blackmail, with fraudsters demanding payment in exchange for not releasing sensitive information they claim to have about you.

Here’s how you can help keep elderly loved ones from falling prey to scams:

  • Review common scams, especially those that target the elderly, and familiarize yourself with how they work. That will help you recognize when criminals might be using one of these methods to target a loved one. The list provided by the FBI is a good place to start. SeniorLiving.org has a great list of scams as well.
  • Educate your mom, dad or elderly loved one on the potential for scams. Make sure they know to contact someone if anything seems fishy. If they get a threatening email or receive a strange phone call, have them reach out to you or a trusted friend to discuss the issue. In addition, explain potential scams to help them identify what’s happening should a scam artist contact them.
  • Research scams online. Most scams have been used many times. An internet search with details of the scam — for example, with some of the specific language used in a threatening email — can help you determine whether this is a common scam attempt.
  • If your loved one is a victim of fraud, report the scam to the FBI or to your local police. Try to capture and share as many details as possible, including names, dates, methods of communication, descriptions of the fraud claims and — if money has been sent — how it was sent and to whom. Reporting scams can help protect not only your loved one but also any future victims the criminal might plan to target.

Fraud is a story as old as time, but with some research and foresight, we can learn to identify potential scams and help protect ourselves and others.

How technology can help loved ones with dementia

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As an aid for older people with dementia or cognitive decline, technology has been in use for decades. In fact, the first medical alert device — a pendant that could dial preprogrammed phone numbers when pressed — dates to the 1970s.

As technology has grown and expanded in the past half-century, its usefulness in helping people with dementia and their loved ones has grown as well.

Here are five ways modern technology can be used to help those with cognitive decline:

  • Because those with cognitive decline can be prone to wander and get lost, location trackers can be lifesavers. The Alzheimer’s Society website contains a wonderful resource for those looking for technology to keep tabs on the location of a loved one.
  • Video monitors can be placed strategically to let family members and caregivers know that people with dementia are able to take charge of important activities. A camera trained on the medication cabinet, for example, can send alerts when movement is detected, providing assurance that important medications are being taken. Similarly, a kitchen camera can provide evidence that loved ones are eating, and a door camera can send notices when someone enters or leaves the house.
  • It can be common among the elderly, and especially those with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, to need regular reminders of the time, day and their schedule. Talking clocks can provide aural and visual reminders of the time and can be programmed to remind the elderly when to take medications.
  • Digital games can help the elderly meet needs for socialization, communication and brain stimulation. ActTo Dementia, an international dementia research project, provides app recommendations on its website.
  • Picture frames that show slideshows of digital photos can be used to show friendly and familiar faces to the elderly, helping stave off loneliness and to keep the faces of loved ones at the fronts of their minds. Some of these frames also can be set to play familiar and meaningful music.

Of course, technology should be used as an aid, not as a replacement for a caregiver or another form of memory care. For their emotional and physical wellbeing, it’s important that elderly loved ones continue to receive personal care and attention. For assistance with at-home care in Whatcom County, from Bellingham to Blaine, please consider giving Take My Hand At-Home Care a call.

How to spot cognitive decline in a loved one

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Cognitive lapses are fairly common among older adults, with subjective cognitive decline affecting roughly one in nine people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s natural to be concerned that a loved one might experience dementia, Alzheimer’s or a similar brain decline in older age.

How can you tell whether cognitive decline might be happening to someone you know and love? Here are four things to look for:

Increasing forgetfulness. If you’ve noticed that your mom or dad tends to have increasing trouble remembering routine tasks, or if you’ve seen that more and more appointments are being missed, advancing cognitive decline may be a factor. You also might notice that your loved one is forgetting recent conversations or events. “Some cognitive decline can occur as adults age,” according to the CDC, “but frequently forgetting how to perform routine tasks, for example, is not a normal part of aging and can affect a person’s ability to live and function independently.”

Difficulty understanding directions. After a visit to the doctor, for example, your loved one might struggle to follow instructions about taking pills. Getting lost more easily can be a sign, too — like getting “turned around” more often in the grocery store.

Increases in impulsivity. Perhaps your loved one has been buying things online that he wouldn’t have in the past or is showing other signs of acting without thinking.

Changes in hygiene, appetite or organization. Becoming increasingly messy at home or disorganized in how tasks are conducted can be another symptom. Decreased hygiene and reduced appetite also can be warning signs.

It’s important to remember that signs of cognitive impairment may be mistaken for other issues, as experts at Emory University have detailed. Some medications, for example, may cause side effects like drowsiness or mental slowness. Hearing issues can make it harder for people to follow along in a conversation, and arthritis or other pains can cause problems with concentration.

If you see any of these signs in an elderly loved one, reach out to Dementia Support Northwest here in Whatcom County for a memory screening to get a better handle on what might be the issue.

And if you do find that a loved one needs ongoing assistance, hiring an at-home caregiver can be one way to assist loved ones who might need increasing levels of support. Caregivers can devote as little or as much time as is needed to ensure the proper amount of attention and support for loved ones in Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale and the rest of Whatcom County.

How to practice thankfulness — and how it can improve your life

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Giving thanks can make you happier and healthier.

In a world that seems crazier by the day, how can you ensure your brain and body remain in good shape? Research shows that one way to do this is by practicing gratitude.

According to Harvard Health, the act of being thankful “helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

The more we spend time thanking others, thinking positive thoughts and compiling our own lists of things to be thankful for, the less we spend time experiencing aches and pains and visiting the doctor. Grateful people also might have better sleep and healthier hearts, according to the University of California, Berkeley.

The upshot of all the research is that if you’re interested in improving your health, being more thankful is a great way to go. So, how can you practice gratitude here in Whatcom County? Here are five simple ways:

  1. Keep a gratitude journal. Each day, write down something you’re thankful for. Some days, it might be just a word, and other days it might be several paragraphs or more. Think back on things that have happened recently and recall why you are thankful for them — maybe a stranger holding open a door for you, a package that arrived earlier than expected, a kind greeting from the pharmacist at the drugstore, etc. The point is to find things to be thankful for and write them down.
  2. Write and send thank-you notes. A thank-you note is a personal connection that can improve two lives — yours and that of the person receiving your note. Perhaps you could send a thank-you card to your doctor or leave a note thanking the driver in the space next to yours for not dinging your car when you parked a little crooked.
  3. Pray or meditate. If you’re religious, be sure to work gratitude into your daily prayers. Mindfulness meditation, too, can be a refreshing way to incorporate thankfulness into your routines.
  4. Create visual reminders of the things you’re thankful for. One of the biggest reasons we’re not more thankful is that we simply forget to be. Creating visual reminders — a sticky note on the mirror, perhaps, or a visual cue on the dining room table — can help us enter a state of thankfulness as we go about our day.
  5. Simply say “thank you.” Whenever you have the opportunity, say “thank you” to those around you. At the store, on the phone, while driving (a friendly hand wave will suffice!), in a conversation with your at-home assistant.

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude can work wonders in your life. Let’s get started!

Does your elderly loved one need a healthcare advocate?

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As COVID-19 lockdowns and mask-wearing requirements continue here in Whatcom County, an increasing trend we are seeing is that the elderly are having difficulty at medical appointments.

With masks being a requirement, it is difficult for many people to correctly understand what doctors and nurses are telling them. Many elderly people do not hear well and are unable to read their providers’ facial expressions or lips from behind their masks. For many older adults, this is extremely isolating — and even scary. Not only do they feel unable to communicate about important life-related needs, but they often can’t even acquire a good understanding of what they are supposed to do (how to take medications, when to return for a follow-up appointment, how to process potentially life-changing health information, etc.).

For those reasons, it is prudent to ask whether older loved ones need a healthcare advocate to accompany them to medical appointments in Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden and throughout Whatcom County.

Not only can assistants help with basic tasks like setting appointments, driving and picking up prescriptions, but they also can help digest important information from healthcare providers at appointments and can help explain how and when to take medications.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when so much is confusing and far beyond ordinary, having a kind, calming person to assist with tasks related to healthcare can be an enormous relief.

Some seniors avoid going to the doctor because they feel like they don’t understand what they are being told or they are scared of the outcome, even though not every visit leads to bad news. There may be important prevention information to learn or wellness tweaks to make that can help extend their lives. Having a healthcare advocate at their side can make all the difference.

Related: How to visit loved ones
during the COVID-19 pandemic

Plus, in addition to health-related support, an advocate also can help with such responsibilities as ensuring that bills are paid, transporting people to and from appointments, shopping for groceries in Bellingham, cooking meals and liaising with important Whatcom County community services.

If you think your mom, dad or other loved one could benefit from having a healthcare advocate at an upcoming medical appointment, please give Take My Hand At-Home Care a call. We would be happy to discuss your needs and opportunities.

Surgery coming? How to plan your recovery

If you have the luxury of knowing that a surgery is coming — maybe you’re having a planned hip replacement, for example — it is important that you help ensure a successful recovery by planning ahead. Many people choose to recover at home after surgery. That can be a wonderful option for recovery, provided that your house is ready and that you have adequate post-op care. Here are some areas … [Read More...]

ABOUT US

Sue Sorensen became involved with Whatcom County eldercare and aging-in-place services in 2009. She launched Take My Hand At-Home Care in January 2012 … Read More...

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Phone: 360-543-5777
Fax: 360-255-7564
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