Have you ever wondered why senior citizens are often the main target of scams? A lot of people believe that this is because they are more vulnerable, and that they don’t have the same high level of cognitive functioning that younger people have. As a general rule, this is just not true. Yes, seniors are more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia, but this is not widespread enough to make targeting seniors that much more worthwhile for scammers. No, seniors are targeted because of the fact that the population of those over 50 years old in the United States control more than three-quarters of the wealth within this nation. In other words, seniors are targeted for scams because when the scams work, the people on the other end have a higher likelihood of making money.
No one deserves to fall for something like this. It is very unfortunate that some people do. As a concerned loved one, we encourage you to always be on the lookout to help the older family members in your life. Scams do not just occur online when a mysterious Nigerian prince sends an email, either. Scams can occur even more easily when the person that is pulling the scam is close to you and your family. This is why it is so important that any caregiver you bring into your home has the proper credentials. If the service that you are going through does not train their caregivers, and they do not insure and fully bond them, then the chances of something distressing like what’s described above go up.
No one deserves a care service that is not trusted 100%.
This is one of the first things that you should ask of the in-home care services that you are looking at when you begin your search. Most services offer an initial free consultation with family members so that you can both see whether or not your elderly family member and their company will be a good fit for each other. This is a great service, and one that you should definitely take advantage of. Even if the care service isn’t quite right, they might be able to point you in the right direction. One of the big questions that you should ask here is whether or not their employees have a thorough background check conducted. If they have, you can be assured that the person that will be coming into your home and caring for your mom or dad, surrounded by all of your belongings, does not have a criminal history. No, this doesn’t completely negate the risk of something bad happening, but it does help a lot.
Next, ask what the procedure is if something bad were to occur. No one wants to think about this, and certainly no respectable company would ever send someone to your home knowing that something might happen, but they should have a plan in place–just in case. They should have insurance policies in place to protect both themselves and their clientele. If they don’t, you may want to consider a different service.
Leave a Reply