In any given year, one in ten adults over age 60 are victims of elder abuse. Furthermore, statistics show that a total of 5 million seniors are abused annually. Elder abuse comes in many different forms. Emotional, physical, and financial elder abuse are all a sad reality of our world. However, there are many ways to lower your risk of elder abuse.
All forms of elder abuse are of the utmost importance to address. But financial elder abuse is the most common. It’s easier for abusers to scam and financially abuse vulnerable seniors. Consumer Reports describes this form of abuse in detail. Financial abuse occurs when a senior is being tricked, coerced, or bullied into giving out their money or assets. Sadly, only 1 in 44 financial elder abuse victims report the crime. Due to this, innocent seniors lose billions of hard earned dollars every year.
In our highly technological world, it can be hard to completely prevent all financial elder abuse. However, there are ways you can minimize your risk. The best thing you can do is to call or visit a senior regularly. Check in with the senior. If they seem more isolated or unavailable than usual, this may be a red flag. Also, many scammers connect with the senior over the phone. Therefore, blocking robocalls can be extremely helpful. You can even opt out of commercial mail solicitation.
Additionally, companies like Arizona Elder Care are specifically trained to assist in preventing elder abuse. Maybe you’re unable to help your loved one yourself. In this case, having trusted professionals overseeing can be a great option. Financial elder abuse abuse is a growing issue. Therefore, it is vital to protect seniors from these malicious scams. And remember, always report suspicious activity. You never know how many innocent people you will help in the process.