Fraud is one of the most problematic issues that seniors face today, simply because seniors are often the main target of a lot of fraud schemes. Simply put, fraud occurs when something is presented in one manner but is delivered in another. It can be either an intentional or accidental, but the end result is the same. Something was presented in one way where it was acceptable to the person that would be on the receiving end of things, and that promise was not delivered upon. Fraud is a criminal act, and there are severe penalties for it.
It’s really easy to say that fraud will never happen to us or the people that we love. We’re far too smart to fall for tricks like that. But unfortunately, falling for fraud can be a lot easier than what we would expect. That can be especially true for seniors who are already at risk of cognitive difficulties because of dementia. Seniors are also more vulnerable because they are in a place where they have a greater need for assistance. There are many more chances for an elderly individual to be defrauded in one way or another than most other age groups will come across. Even the most careful of us can fall victim to this if we’re not always on our guard.
With that in mind, we want to do our best to help you provide a safe care environment for the people that you love. Here are three easy ways that you can be a bit more aware of fraudulent activities, and hopefully prevent them from occurring to the people that you love.
Know What’s Being Offered: When it comes to the care of a loved one, you want to have a detailed idea of what care is being given as part of their treatment plan, when that care is supposed to be provided, and who is going to do it. The more detailed the plan is, the easier it will be to hold people accountable for their actions. For example, if you know that a caregiver is supposed to administer a medication every day at 10 AM, then it is really easy to figure out if this is being done. If not, you will know who is not holding up their end of things.
Know Who is Providing Care: This goes beyond just knowing that a care service is helping your loved one. You also want to be assured that the individual employees are trained, responsible, and have a clean background. Some care services perform background checks on their employees before sending them into the field, some don’t. This is an easy way to prevent people who are in care for the wrong reasons to get near your family.
Check In Often: While fraud can be done intentionally, sometimes it happens accidentally or on a negligent basis. In these instances, it can often be prevented if you just check in on how things are working for your family on a regular basis. This can be as simple as talking with a supervisor at the assisted living facility your loved one is at whenever you go in to visit. Being a regular presence in your loved one’s care goes a long way toward holding people accountable for their actions.
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