Senior Safety Archives - Golden Heart Clermont

4 Things You Can Do To Protect A Senior From Online Scams

Posted on September 29, 2022August 10, 2023 by Craig Bass

Elder Care in Webster FL

Seniors are often the targets of online scammers. Every year seniors lose more than $500 million in scams. If your senior loved one is aging at home and spends time online socializing or surfing the Web you should be worried about scammers targeting them. Use these tips to help protect your senior parent from being the victim of an online scam:

Enlist the Help of Elder Care

Elder care for seniors helps seniors stay safe at home, including keeping them safe from scams. And elder care provider can be there with your senior parent to keep track of what they’re doing online, ask questions about any people that they are talking to, and caution them not to send money online for things that seem fishy. Elder care helps protects seniors from all kinds of dangerous things including scams.

Check Your Senior Parent’s Social Media Accounts

It’s a good idea to have the password for your senior parent’s social media accounts. That way you can monitor who they are talking to and make sure that they are not being scammed. Romance scams where scammers pose as seniors who are lonely and looking for love are very common on social media. Scammers will ask the seniors that talk to them to send money, usually directly through the social media site or through a payment app, so that it can’t be tracked. Your senior parent could think they are loaning money to a potential romantic partner or a friend and end up losing thousands of dollars.

Get Added To Their Financial Accounts

Another way that you can help protect your parent is to get added to their credit cards and bank accounts as a co-signor. That way you can talk to the bank about the account, approve or deny large payments, and make other decisions about the money in the accounts. If your senior loved one is scammed it’s important that you’re on the account so that you can talk to the bank fraud investigations team. If you’re not on the account they won’t be able to talk with you unless you have a financial POA for your senior parent.

Talk To Your Senior Parent About Common Online Scams

You should also talk to your senior parent bout the most common types of online scams. Write them down and tape them next to your senior loved one’s computer so that they have a constant reminder of things that are scams. Some of the scams that you should discuss with your senior parent include:

Romance/dating scams
Travel and prize scams
“Your grandchild needs help” scams
“You owe money to the government” scams

You can get a more comprehensive list of the current scams targeting the elderly from the National Council on Aging. They keep track of the most current scams that people are using to con seniors out of their money. Don’t let your senior parent lose their retirement savings because of an online scam.

Sources:
https://www.ncoa.org/older-adults/money/management/avoiding-scams
https://aginginplace.org/internet-scams-affecting-elderly/
https://ovc.ojp.gov/program/stop-elder-fraud/providing-help-restoring-hope

If you or an aging loved one is considering elder care in Webster, FL, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Clermont today. 1-888-423-4046.

Keeping Seniors With Limited Mobility Safe In An Emergency

Posted on August 10, 2022August 10, 2023 by Craig Bass

Senior Home Care in Ferndale FL

If your senior loved one uses a walker, a cane or a wheelchair, getting them to safety in an emergency like a fire, flood, or power failure could take some planning. Senior home care is something that can really help your parent in an emergency, so if you have been thinking about this service, now is the time to do that. That way if an emergency weather event occurs your senior parent won’t be alone when disaster strikes.

Seniors who have limited mobility have even greater challenges than other seniors when it comes to evacuating a home quickly. These tips from disaster experts and senior home care providers should help you prepare your senior loved one to evacuate their home:

Don’t Wait To Evacuate

If there is a storm coming or some other disaster on the way and emergency officials have recommended that people evacuate then your senior parent should leave their home as soon as possible. Waiting until the last minute is not safe. It’s better for your senior parent and their senior home care provider to get out and get to safety before there is an imminent threat like rising flood waters.

Stash Additional Mobility Aids At A Family Or Friend’s House

If your senior loved one does need to evacuate quickly they may lose their walker or cane in the process of leaving. Or, if they are in a wheelchair they may need to leave the chair behind if there are flood waters rising or a fire. It’s a good idea to get a second walker or cane or keep a simple emergency wheelchair at a neighbor or friend’s house and at your house. That way if your senior loved one can’t get to your house they can get a backup mobility aid at a neighbor’s house. Or, if they need to get out of the neighborhood they can get a backup at your home.

Keep A Bag Packed And Ready To Go With Essentials

All seniors should have a bag packed with supplies in case they need to leave their homes in a hurry. The bag should contain things like extra clothes, incontinence supplies, extra medications, and any important papers that they might need. It’s also smart to have an extra cell phone charger cord and a battery operated phone charger.

Keep An Evacuation Mat With The Emergency Supplies

Evacuation mats can be used by senior home care to help your senior loved one get out of the home in a hurry if necessary. If your senior loved one relies on a wheelchair or has mobility limitations safety experts recommend that you keep an evacuation mat with the emergency supplies in your senior loved one’s home. That way if there is a dangerous situation and your senior loved one needs to be moved out of the house quickly you or emergency personnel or a home care provider can make sure that your senior parent is able to get out of the house safely.

If you or an aging loved one is considering senior home care in Ferndale, FL, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Clermont today. 1-888-423-4046.

Talk About Fall Prevention During National Safety Month

Posted on June 10, 2022August 10, 2023 by Craig Bass

Home Care in Webster FL

June is National Safety Month, an annual observance designed to raise awareness to safety no matter where you are. Throughout the month, National Safety Month focuses on issues like slip and falls and injury prevention. These are important factors as your mom ages at home.

What aspects of fall prevention should you be discussing this month? If your mom lives alone, it’s important to look at her safety at home and determine what steps to take to heighten her safety.

Check Her Home and Lifestyle For Factors That Increase the Risk of a Fall

Look over your mom’s home for flooring issues that increase the fall risk. Scatter rugs on hardwood or tile flooring can cause a slip and fall accident. A slippery shower floor can lead to a fall, especially if there are no grab bars for support.

Kitchen floors are often tile, laminate, wood, or linoleum. If they get wet from a food spill or water, they’re slippery. Protective kitchen mats in front of the sink and stove can help prevent a fall.

Throughout the year, someone needs to be maintaining your mom’s outdoor stairs and patio areas. Wet leaves, lawn clippings, snow, and ice all increase the risk of a fall. If she is unable to take care of these areas on her own, hire someone to ensure her yard and outdoor patio areas are clear of materials that can cause her to slip.

If your mom takes daily prescriptions, what are the side effects? Dizziness, lightheadedness, and drowsiness are three concerning side effects when it comes to an increased fall risk. If your mom’s medications can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, that also increases the risk. Because of these possible dangers, having home care with your senior while taking medications can greatly increase their safety.

How bright is your mom’s home lighting? LED bulbs are energy-efficient and provide bright lighting. Older CFL bulbs may take a while to warm up and produce bright lighting. In that time, your mom could trip on an object she doesn’t see on the floor.

Some areas are less likely to be brightly lit. The bottom of her stairs, especially in the basement, outdoor walkway, or garage may not have lights that illuminate the bottom steps. Adding lights to ensure all steps are illuminated helps your mom avoid a fall.

Home Care Can Help

It may be time to arrange home care services. Your mom doesn’t have to be alone all day. She can have caregivers help her with tasks that increase her risk of a fall.

Has your mom fallen trying to walk down to the laundry room on her own? Has she fallen in the shower? Do her medications make her feel lightheaded? With any of this, it’s time to address the benefits of home care services.

Instead of your mom being at risk when she lives alone, she can have home care aides available to help your mom with the riskier daily activities like laundry, housework, and showers. Call a home care agency to get started.

Source
https://www.nsc.org/community-safety/safety-topics/older-adult-falls

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Webster, FL, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Clermont today. 1-888-423-4046.

Tag: Senior Safety