Finances

New Apps Help Caregivers Protect Seniors from Financial Abuse Online

For a millennial who grew up speaking the language of the Internet, having watched it evolve from the roughly hewn websites of the nineties to the seductive, cinematic pages that we enjoy today, it’s very easy to recognize an email or website that feels “legitimate” or “normal.” But for older generations who didn’t grow up surfing the web, this might not be as intuitive, and could lead to harm. In particular, older adults with Alzheimer’s and dementia could be especially at risk for online financial abuse and email scams.

Can You Trust Your Aging Relative's Financial Planner?

Aging has transformed remarkably over the last few generations. It wasn’t very long ago that aging comfortably was a luxury reserved for the lucky few. A longer life often meant penury and misery, not to mention ill-health. Advances in medicine began to change that, as getting older no longer just meant sickness. More importantly, Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy sought to stamp out the scourge of our retirees living in poverty because they could no longer work, had no source of income, and their pensions were small or nonexistent. Social Security, Medicare, and other advancements meant that retiring and getting older was a new beginning—not an end.

Energy Saving Tips for Elderly Bay Area Residents to Lower Costs and Stay Warm

It has been, to say the least, a singularly weird winter here in the Bay Area. Unusually low temperatures, even inland, have combined with powerful and persistent winds to make for an altogether miserable start to the year. While it might seem odd to complain, considering the East Coast is digging themselves out of nearly three feet of snow, it is different out here because we aren’t used to it. Winter blues slide on a relative scale, especially when it comes to preparedness. Many of our houses aren’t ready for such weather, and so staying warm becomes a greater challenge. This is even more difficult for an aging loved one, who needs more care so as not to get too cold.

How To Prevent Elder Financial Abuse From Unexpected Places

The bar I used to take my father to was exceedingly Irish and unblinkingly multi-generational. There was no “young person” corner or anything like that—everyone mixed up, and 20-somethings listened to the stories of men 60 years their elder, swapped the same jokes, and told the same tall tales. That’s why no one questioned why Patsy, a Kerry man in his 80s, was always hanging out with two younger guys. They had done some work at his house, and he befriended them, and now they were nearly inseparable.They seemed like they were taking good care of him, helping him around, allowing him to come to the pub to hang out with his friends.