A 97-year-old woman with dementia has found that tens of thousands of dollars are missing from her bank account without her knowledge, so she reported it to her bank.

The bank has found that all her money was transfered to another person’s account – the woman’s power of attorney.

However, when the police asked the power of attorney about the money, the power of attorney said it was because the the woman wanted her to have the money and leave everything to her.

You might be confused about who is telling the truth, but this is a real case that happened in Ontario, Canada, back in 2020, and is a typical example of elder financial abuse.

What is Elder Financial Abuse?

According to the definition. Elder financial abuse means “any inappropriate behavior, with or without the informed consent of the older person, that results in monetary or personal gain for the abuser and/or monetary or personal loss for the older person.” which means elder financial abuse is the most common form of elder abuse.
Trust takes years to build, but destruction takes only seconds and can have a serious impact on a person’s health.
In the story above, the woman’s savings were misappropriated by someone she trusted and was destroyed both financially and emotionally. It sounds harsh, but unfortunately, that’s how most stories of financial abuse in older adults go.

Financial abuse can be categorized into the following three ways:

1. Stealing an elder’s valuables

2. Taking control of an elder’s power of attorney

3. Using the elder’s cash or credit cards without permission

Most of these cases are done by someone that the older person trusts, or someone who has always been with the senior – which means they could be family, friends, lawyers, or caregivers.

Today, we are going to talk about elder financial abuse that happens in long-term care homes, and what we could do about it as their family.

How to Recognize If Someone Is Experiencing Financial Abuse

• Your Loved One Suddenly Has a New Good Friend”

When family members are not around, older adults tend to seek companionship. Therefore, they become more vulnerable and passive when people with bad intentions approach them. It is important to be on the lookout for any new “friendships” that seniors may form. If your loved one begins to rely on this new “best friend” in many ways, even defending their relationship when you have doubts. It is not a good sign, as a good friendship will not keep this person out of their family.

• Reporting Missing Belongings

If your loved one starts to complain about losing or missing something, it could be that someone has taken them from him or her. Note that seniors with cognitive impairment such as dementia may accuse others of stealing from them as well, so it is better to observe for a period of time to see if it is true.

• Unusual Banking Activity

If you and your loved one have a joint account and see unusual activity. For example, a large bank withdrawal, or a large payment to an unfamiliar account. That’s when it’s time to pay attention! This would be a “deadly trap” where someone is pressuring or enticing your loved one to make a payment, or worse! Your loved one’s card is stolen or controlled by someone else. This would be a “dead giveaway” that someone is pressuring or enticing your loved one to pay, or worse, if your loved one’s card is stolen or controlled by someone else.

• Sudden Change Of Will Or Power Of Attorney

As in the story above. You already know that a financial power of attorney represents the financial and legal affairs of a client. Therefore, if it is transferred to someone other than a close friend or family member for no apparent reason. This would be a red flag that someone is trying to take advantage of you.
There are some other indicators. Such as signed documents that the senior does not understand, overdue bills and a decline in standard of living. Seniors may not notice these signs, so it is the family’s responsibility to watch their financial situation. There are many agencies and programs designed to combat financial exploitation, and you should get them involved as soon as any of these signs appear.

How To Report Elder Financial Abuse

• Financial Institutions

Remember what you do when you have suspicious activities going on in your bank account? For senior financial abuse, the bank and credit unions can help to investigate if there’s any misappropriation happening to the card holder as well. If the case is confirmed, the employees at the financial institution will report it as financial abuse immediately.

• Law Enforcement Agencies

It is always crucial to work with the police and investigate the abuse. Financial exploitation is a crime and you have right to report it and protect your loved one. Also, it will help to prevent more victims from falling into the trap of financial fraudsters.

• Long-Term Care Regulation Institutions And Senior Abuse Prevention Lines

There are many long-term care regulation institutions across North America. In Ontario, we have the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care that is in charge of this. The ombudsman will investigate and escalate the case for you. In addition, you can call the senior’s safety line, where staff will be on the line 24/7 for you, and it is toll free.

How To Prevent Financial Abuse As Their Family

Prevention is better than a cure. It is always good to prevent senior financial exploitation before it is too late. There are some ways to help you with it, which include:

• Signing Up For Services That Track Their Account

You can use tracking tools such as EverSafe to track missing deposits, unexplained withdrawals, or abrupt changes in spending patterns that take place in your loved one’s account. Or, you can have a joint account with your loved one and see the activity.

• Setting Up a Trusted Contact For the Account

If there is abnormal activity going on in the account and the bank is unable to reach the one who holds the account. Then, the bank will report it to the account’s trusted contact. The trusted contact may be given access to the account’s details as a view only user. However, he or she will be unable to make any transactions on account holder’s behalf.

• Staying In Touch With Your Loved One

Nothing is better than maintaining a close relationship with your loved one. In fact, more senior financial abuse cases happen to the ones who are chronically lonely. After all, if your loved ones can’t reach you when they need, they can only trust the people that approach them

• Geting To Know Their Caregivers

No matter if it is in-home care or long-term care, it is important for the family to know the caregiver of their loved one. In one of our previous blog posts, we talked about how screening caregivers is crucial in the hiring process (Top 10 Questions To Ask When Hiring A Home Care Agency). Screening and observing do not stop after you hire the caregiver. Do this by using the CareStory profile service, which will allow you to track caregiver activities during care. 

References:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/power-of-attorney-seniors-elder-abuse-senior-financial-crime-1.5476820

https://www.nursinghomeabusecenter.com/elder-abuse/types/financial-abuse/

https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2021/prevent-elder-financial-exploitation.html

https://www.rbcwealthmanagement.com/en-ca/insights/financial-elder-abuse-five-common-signs-

The question of whether to send our ageing parents to a long-term care home or not is a question that has been distressing Amy and her sister for months. As their father’s primary caregiver, Amy finds it getting harder and harder to keep up with the speed of his aging.

“I really do think we should send dad to a long-term care home,” says Amy. “They have better equipment and professionals to deal with any situations that may occur.”

“Well, sending him to a novel environment could only exacerbate his symptoms,” replied Amy’s sister. “And he clearly said he’ll never leave the house. If you are feeling overwhelmed, we can hire a caregiver for him.”  

“It’s not about me feeling tired and overwhelmed,” sighed Amy. “It’s about him getting a better quality of care.” “Frankly speaking, you don’t really know his situation. After all, it has been me taking care of him all this time.”

Another unpleasant conversation ends, just like usual.

Keeping ageing parents at home may cause distress for many families, but sending them to a long-term care home isn’t a panacea to every problem, either – there are pros and cons you need to take into account to make the best solution for you and your family.

Today, we are going to talk about the good and the not-so-good in each option. Hope it helps to make your decision easier.

Let’s get started.

What’s Good About Aging In Place?

1. Familiarity

First and foremost, familiarity is the main reason why seniors want to age at home. Familiarity of the home environment provides security for senior. Living in a familiar surrounding can ensure happiness and comfortability, which is greatly beneficial for seniors’ well-being.

2. Remaining Independent

Although some seniors need companionship and helpers with their daily activities, they still care about their independence. Ageing at home makes seniors think they are still capable of taking care of themselves, which will further help them to acquire the ability to live independently; a virtuous circle for healthy seniors.

3. More Control Of Life

Who doesn’t love freedom? Ageing in place allows seniors to have more control of choosing the lifestyle they want. For example, instead of following the routine and diet that other people have set for them, they can have their own flexible schedule and preferences when it comes to food. This, again, maintains independence for seniors.

4. Closer amily Bonds

Whether family members are living with the senior or not, it is more helpful in maintaining good family relationships if your loved one stays at home. Family members can visit the senior whenever they want and can spend more time doing fun things together. Home is always home, no matter how far you travel – it is always a place for you to reunite.

However, There Are Drawbacks

1. Physical Safety

Without question, the home environment can’t provide enough safety measures for seniors, especially those with mobility issues. Remodeling a home for seniors to live takes time and effort, but in not doing so, seniors may experience a deterioration of their symptoms in a very short time. We have all heard about the tragedies of seniors falling down and not getting help in time, leading to agonizing consequences for both the senior and the family.

2. Nutrition

Some seniors with mobility or cognitive issues may be unable to prepare meals, or go grocery shopping, which may lead to malnutrition. Hiring a caregiver or even someone to cook may help with this. 

3. Increased Responsibility For Families

Just like Amy, seniors who live at home will certainly increase the workload of their families. Especially when the children have their own career or family to focus on, squeezing time from their hectic life to take care of their ageing parents may not be beneficial for both parties. In this case, hiring a caregiver may relieve the burden a lot.

4. Isolation

Many grown up children choose not to live with parents, and when they live too far, senior isolation may occur. We have previously published a post on “Senior Isolation” and explained how detrimental it could be to the senior’s quality of life. So, check it out and see how to decrease the harm if you are not able to be around your loved one enough.

Now, let’s talk about seniors living in a long-term care home.

What’s Good About Living In A Long-Term Care Home?

1. Staffed With Professionals To Meet Different mMedical Needs

There are not just personal care workers in long-term care homes. In fact, some long-term care homes provide various professionals that focus on different conditions, and even emergency situations. Plus, the care they provide is around the clock, which is something barely achievable for in-home care.

2. Seniors Have Social Connections With Staff & Other Residents

Maintaining a social circle is specifically important for seniors. Long-term care homes create multiple opportunities for seniors to actively engage in social interactions. These opportunities include various clubs, social events, performance and volunteer opportunities. Participating in these activities can give seniors a sense of purpose, prevent loneliness and improve their social skills, which in turn benefits the seniors’ relationships with their families.

3. Suitable For Seniors With Cognitive & Mobility Impairment

Long-term care communities are designed for seniors with different types of challenges. Most have alert systems and different accessible equipment. All long-term care homes need to follow the government’s design manuals to ensure their residents to age safely.

4. Relieves Burden On Senior’s Families

If the senior requires a lot of care, sending him or her to a long-term care home greatly alleviates some burden for families. It’s not only about decreasing care duties, but also about relieving financial obligations. Hiring a full time caregiver, in most cases, is more expensive than living in a long-term care home.

There Are Drawbacks, Too.

1. Seniors May Need Time For Transition

Although there’s “home” in “long-term care home”, it’s hard for strange places to feel like “home” immediately once moving there. It usually takes quite a period of time for seniors to adapt to their new life in long-term care communities, and such a transition could result in many negative psychological and physical responses. See our blog post on “Tackling Fear And Anxiety During The Transition Into Long-Term Care” to see the details. 

2. Loss Of Dependency Make Seniors Feel “Old”

Yes, your loved one is old according to his or her age, but no one wants to “feel old” and “live old”. Living in a long-term care community may make the seniors feel that they have lost independence and privacy. This would make them feel “old” and “vulnerable”, which is not good for both the seniors and the staff. Seniors may behave strangely in the way that they feel about themselves.

3. More Preparation Is Required On Choosing The Right Long-erm Care Home

In our provious blog post on “How to Select a Long-Term Care Home”, (CTA)we discussed how it takes a lot of time and effort to choose a “good” home for your loved one. If you haven’t read it yet and are considering whether or not to send  your family to a long-term care home, check it out now and don’t forget to download the free checklist!

4. Not Easy For Family Members To Visit

Long-term care homes aren’t like shopping malls – you need to make appointments to visit most of the time, especially during a pandemic. Some long-term care homes may even cancel visitation depending on the circumstances. In that, the family members may feel rejected and distant from their loved ones.

At the End:

There are many factors you need to consider when deciding on whether to send your loved one to a long-term care home or let them stay at home. It’s important to communicate with your loved one and respect their feelings. So, instead of deciding “for” your loved one, try deciding “with” them. Respect and empathy are always important traits of happy senior living.

References:

https://www.innovativehomecare.com/home-care-vs-nursing-home/

https://environmental-conscience.com/nursing-homes-pros-cons/

https://www.caringseniorservice.com/blog/home-care-vs-nursing-home

“Just one more week, your mom would be good to go.” Says the doctor.

Jane’s mom just finished her pacemaker implantation surgery, and it went perfectly well. Now, it’s time for home.

Excited yet overwhelmed, Jane feels like she’s not ready for her mom’s to come back home – she knows there are so many things to do to welcome her, and she’s feeling lost.

We feel you.

Helping your loved one recover from surgeries requires patience, organization, and well-thought-out planning. Here are some helpful tips for seniors recovering from surgery at home.

Things You Should Do to Help Your Loved One Recover from Surgery at Home

1.     Talk to the medical team

If you don’t trust yourself, trust the professionals. The very first step you should take is to speak with the medical staff who’s caring for your loved one.

To ensure that your loved one’s recovery from the surgery is as successful as possible, ask them the following questions and take notes; these questions will help you through the whole process of caring.

• How long will the recovery take?

• What medication and supplement will we need?

• How to help him or her get better faster?

• Physical and nutrition plans?

• What behaviours should be done/avoided during the recovery?

2.     Stock up items that your loved one would need

This step will be done after you consult the medical professionals. Once your shopping list is done, it’s time to head to pharmacies and grocery stores to stock up all the items. What drugs does your loved one need? the foods that your loved one will eat? Are there any things she or he needs to help with the recovery? It is good to prepare the stuff ahead of time.

3.     Create a safe environment for them

Senior’s at-home recovery always requires additional preparation than younger people. Other than purchasing things like compression socks or elevation pillow according to their needs, you can make the home environment safer and more comfortable by installing grab bars and nightlights, while removing unnecessary staff that might cause falls or slips. Put phone, lamp, and other frequently used items accessible around your loved one’s bed – a little makes a huge difference, your family will appreciate all these details.

4.     Plan their diet

it should be cleared when your loved one is about to leave the hospital. Follow the nutritionist’ advice, or search for a diet that is complementary to their recovery. Also, don’t forget to encourage your loved one to eat and drink. Some patients lose appetites after a surgery, but you should ensure they gain enough nutrients to expedite the recovery.

5.     Observe and help

Recovery is usually a long and frustrating process, and the patients may not notice the change to their physical and medical conditions themselves. So they will need your efforts to detect if there’s any change during the healing process, and offer help when they need it.

6.     Be attentive to their emotions

There are so many uncertainties during the recovery process! So it is normal that your loved one becomes more sensitive than usual. As their family, you should be careful about what you say or act. Also, you can take them to some recreation activities or provide them some entertainment. See our blog on “How to Accompany a Senior” to find the details.

We are always kids no matter how old we grow, playing fun games would excite your senior family, too. 

7.     Accompany them to follow-up appointment

Some seniors are able to go to the follow-up appointments themselves. But it is still helpful if someone would accompany them to finish this task. It will not only allow you to know how to take care of your family better, but also give you a sense of participation. By doing so, you are basically telling them that: “you are not alone, I’m always here for you.”

8.     Ask for help when you need it

Taking care of a patient can be stressful, so if you feel that it is getting hard for you to keep up all the work, don’t be afraid to reach for help.

You can hire an in-home caregiver to come home regularly, and help your loved one with dressing, bathing and housekeeping. It will be a life saver for you if you are a busy person.

Hiring a caregiver does take some work to do, too. Don’t panic, CareStory has prepared you 10 questions to ask on the way of looking for a home care agency.

References:

https://www.homecareassistancedesmoines.com/how-to-help-aging-adults-at-home-following-surgery/

https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/insurance/long-term-care.html