Some ways seniors are vulnerable to one of the 7 deadly sins: GREED

Elder abuse is a crime and here’s how easy it can be for seniors to be victims:

a) Seniors are more likely to have easily accessible savings and valuable personal assets like jewelry, stocks, bonds, credit cards than younger people. They may mistake would-be perpetrators as being concerned for the senior’s welfare when nothing could be further than the truth.

b) Many Seniors live alone, are socially isolated or don’t have anyone to go to with questions, concerns or to seek advice from.  They are often more trusting of corporations, customer service, telemarketers, etc simply because they seek some social interaction and remember that many companies used to give outstanding service. Seniors may lack the ability to recognize that the world that was safe and trustworthy is not the world of today’s greed.

c) Seniors may live alone or spend a great deal of time alone or are just plain lonely and welcome the opportunity to talk with someone when they knock on the door or call on the phone or contact them on the Internet.  Remember, seniors are at great risk simply because they are at home during the day. Also, seeking social interaction, they may stay on the phone longer perhaps making conversation by asking the same question over and over. This could be construed by a customer service rep or an unscrupulous corporation as a a senior being cognitively diminished.

d) The elderly usually tend to be more polite than younger generations and find it difficult to close the door in someone’s face or hang up on a person making a pitch to them on the phone. Also, laws, regulations and the way we do business today is so radically different from the way seniors knew, the elderly may not be able to discern that they are being told different stories from several customer service reps and rather blame their own failing memories. Let’s face it, today’s “fine print” is confusing and difficult to understand if your 35 years old never mind 75 years old.

e) Older generations may not be aware of or know how to utilize the Internet and other resources to check up on people’s background, businesses standing in the community and questionable investment opportunities.

f) Seniors are just as susceptible to “get rich quick” else as anyone else in difficult times when money is tight, behaviors like this increase or because an elderly person is slowly having finances dwindle via increasing costs of medical care, prescriptions, food, utilities, services, etc.

g) Many seniors depend on others for assistance with some of their daily activities.  This makes them especially vulnerable to strangers coming to their house and offering to help them in other words many have access to exploiting a senior citizen simply because as we age cognitively we all diminish in our ability to understand to one degree or another.

h) Many older adults may not use a computer or are unaware of how to use the Internet and other resources to check up on people, businesses and questionable investment opportunities.  They are less likely to report corporations to federal agencies like the FCC or to state attorney generals making them especially susceptible to groups, individuals or corporate entities motivated by profit margins rather than the cost to a senior. I am remembering an 83 year old black lady who came forward stating in South Carolina she was going to be denied her right to vote because the state mandated picture ID which, of course, was a “poll tax” kind of thing masked as avoidance of voter fraud. The U.S. Department of Justice got involved in that hoax and media has reported widely on the subject.

i) Because so many seniors need aides and helpers, many parts of their lives are vulnerable. Because of mail away prescriptions, aides can help themselves to controlled substances. Because home helpers may write a check for an elderly with a shaky hand, they may tear out a blank check in the middle of the book or the last check in the book. Also, where are the extra check books? Are they kept secure?

j) With the price of gold and silver being at an all time high, senior citizens property may get “lost” when others in their home help themselves.

k) With more than one doctor treating a senior, medications that are contraindicated yet taken at the same time because the elderly can’t remember which doctor gave them what and may take medications together than may be risky health wise but also reduce cognitive skills.

There’s more but for now BOOMERS need to know that declining cognitive skills, corporate greed, joblessness, health insurance companies, drug coverage, cost of living increases, the potential of the elimination of purchasing required prescription meds outside this county, etc all complicate seniors staying safe and being able live their life without running across a social ill that will shorten their life.

As Americans, we are guaranteed “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” however now that the mantra is greed, so remember, you are expendable. Use caution, ask for help, keep notes, dates, times, names and write to us and we will expose anyone who tried to take advantage of you. Please be truthful in what you write as YOU, not this blog, will be responsible for what you say.

Elder Advocate-Boomer Watchdog has an attorney and he’s reading everything prior to it being printed. A disclaimer will follow shortly. The reason? GREED…the mantra of America these days!

“Greed, envy, sloth, pride and gluttony: these are not vices anymore. No, these are marketing tools. Lust is our way of life. Envy is just a nudge towards another sale. Even in our relationships we consume each other, each of us looking for what we can get out of the other. Our appetites are often satisfied at the expense of those around us. In a dog-eat-dog world we lose part of our humanity.”
― Jon Foreman

Here's an interesting graphic demonstrating how much elder abuse and elder exploitation affects us: