Help for Seniors
I am inspired to write this month's newsletter after my weekend at the AADMM conference in Phoenix, Arizona. It was a great group of professionals that I met there, who all have different goals to help their clients with many of the daily tasks that we all struggle to keep up with. I am a fairly new member of AADMM (The American Association of Daily Money Managers), although these are services I have been offering to my clients for several years.
What I want to talk about today is our growing senior population. Did you know that 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day? This is a very large group in our country right now, and they are at a disadvantage because many of them are not comfortable using technology. Also 1 in 3 seniors dies with some sort of dementia, so many of our seniors will need more help as they get older. If you have a Senior Citizen in your life, please read on for some details on how we can help.
Getting Help:
If you are caring for a loved one or friend, there are a few different ways you can help. You can do this yourself or by hiring a professional to work with them. There are Senior Care Advisors, Daily Money Managers, and Professional Organizers that specialize in working with seniors. Also Senior Move Managers, and many different types of home care professionals.
First, identify what type of help is needed.
- Daily Money Manager – Financial help to pay bills, balance checkbooks, open mail, etc…
- Professional Organizer – Organizing for their home or downsizing.
- Senior Move Manager – Help for downsizing and moving to a new residence.
- Home Health Care – For professional health care services in the home.
- Home Care – Services available from personal assistance to companionship.
- Meal Programs – Providing home delivered meals or meals in near-by centers.
- Transportation Services – Help getting around town.
- Elder Law – Lawyers that specialize in issues that affect our Senior Citizens.
Most States have a program for Elder Care. In California it is the CA Department of Aging. This is a great place to look for resources that you might need.
https://www.aging.ca.gov
They also run a phone help line to find information on services in your area: 800-510-2020.
Here is another resource:
http://www.eldercaredirectory.org/state-resources.htm
AARP also has some good resources available for its members.
As I start to look into specific resources to share with you I realize that the amount of information out there is overwhelming. I cannot possibly list it all, so here are the steps I recommend you take:
1. After you have identified what the need is, figure out what your (or their) budget is. This will determine if you are able to hire private help, or if you want to investigate State services.
2. Make sure the help is legitimate. Check references and be sure you are not putting your loved one into the hands of someone who is going to scam him or her. Conduct an interview with anyone who will be caring for your loved one, and get at least 3 references that you follow up on.
3. Always stay in contact with anyone you have helping. You will need have your loved one give permission to any helpers to discus anything with you.
Protect Your Loved One:
How can you be sure that your loved one isn't taken advantage of? 1 out of 5 Americans over 65 has been the victim of a financial scam. And unfortunately a majority of elder abuse is committed by their own family members. This must stop!
Talk to your loved ones about the following:
- How to identify a spam email.
- Do not ever give money or information over the phone.
- Never give money to someone who comes to their door.
- Remind them that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
- Let them know they can check with you before purchasing something.
Also, make sure a trusted advisor has “read-only” access to their finances to monitor expenses. This advisor can watch for fraud and identity theft, as well as monitor spending if needed.
Please let me know if you have any questions. |
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Combat elder abuse!
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Cari's Product Favorites
EverSafe
EverSafe is a service that is new to me, but it has been highly recommended. This is a personal detection and alert system that is specifically designed to combat financial abuse of older adults. It alerts you and your advisor to suspicious activity, and also allows the advisor (family or professional) to monitor the Senior’s transactions in a read-only fashion to reduce the possibility of abuse. This ranges from $7.99 / month up to $22.99 / month depending on number of accounts and if you include Identity theft monitoring or not.
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About Cari:
Cari is a Financial and Home Office Organizer and a Personal Photo Organizer in the NE Areas of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. As a Financial Organizer, Cari also provides Daily Money Manager services.
Do you have digital photos that need organizing? Ask about our remote digital photo organizing services.
Cari also offers maintenance services to help you keep your home office in shape, and your papers up to date. Weekly, monthly or even quarterly sessions will help keep your paper life and bills under control.
You can find more information about Cari and her services on her website: Cari's Custom Organizing. |
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