Senior Citizen Scams – Educating Your Residents

As a leader in a Senior Living Community, you may be wondering how to educate your residents about senior citizen scams that may be targeted towards them. This blog post will give you information to educate your communities on how they are being targeted, some of the most common scams, and how you can protect them from being conned.

Scammers’ Favorite Victim – The Senior Citizen

They show up online, over the phone, in email and sometimes even in person; but scammers have a favorite victim. Senior citizens are considered to be an easy target by scam artists. According to the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2020, younger people report losing money to scammers (44% of adults 20 to 29), but older adults are targeted more and have higher losses ($1300 each, on average) compared to their younger counterparts ($324 each). Seniors are often targeted because they are more trusting and often have accumulated wealth.  There may also be some cognitive impairment factors that make them more vulnerable to scammers. Concerns like confusion, memory loss, dementia, or Alzheimer’s could cloud their financial decision-making abilities and make them easy targets.

How Are Senior Citizens Being Targeted?

Scammers have many tactics, and they are coming up with new ones every day. They often try to befriend seniors in order to find out what they have an interest in or feel passionate about so that they can pretend also to have that same passion.  They use this tactic to build trust with their targeted senior citizen. Or, on the other hand, scam artists may try to threaten or create panic in a senior citizen by telling them that they have to “act now” or there will be a serious consequence.

The April 2022 AARP Bulletin cover story “The Bad Guys – Who they are and How to Stop Them” details some of the latest scams – everything from fake Amazon employees to IRS imposters. Below are five of the most common scams that fraudsters are using to con senior citizens.

Five Most Common Senior Citizen Scams

1. Imposter Scams: Phone scammers are often demanding and authoritative.  They may be impersonating someone from the IRS or posing as a representative from a government agency.  These scammers usually explain that there is a problem to resolve or an issue that has been identified, and it needs to be resolved right away.  They are usually attempting to create panic in the victim telling them that things need to happen right now or else.
2. Grandparent Scam: Another common phone scam is the “Grandparent Scam.” With this one, the caller may ring late at night and say something like: “Hi Grandma/Grandpa, do you know who this is?” and the victim answers with their grandchild’s name.  At that point the scammer then pretends to be their grandchild and be in some situation where they need money immediately. They offer just enough info about the emergency that happened to make things seem plausible. It could be anything from a car accident to wrongful arrest. The “grandchild” may ask for an immediate wire transfer and may also add the anxious plea “please don’t tell Mom and Dad.’
3. Spoof Robocalls: It’s called “Spoofing.” Scammers mask phone numbers that show up in the caller-id display so that an incoming call looks like a familiar number to the victim. Spoofers often use the area code for the person they are calling so that the call may appear that it is coming from a neighbor or local company. There may be a recording or a live operator following a scam script attempting to get information from their potential victim. They often try to pressure or bully their victim.
4. Sweepstakes Fraud: In this case, a fraudster will call their intended victim and claim that they have won the lottery, a contest, or other prize.  The catch is that a fee has to be paid in order to collect the winnings.
5. Romance Scams: In this case, the victim may “meet” someone online or over the phone; after developing a relationship, the scammer will ask for money.

How Can Senior Communities Work to Protect Their Residents?

• Get the Word Out: Prevention and education are key. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a great resource. They offer free fraud prevention placemats, handouts, and activity sheets to help keep residents informed on different types of scams and how to avoid them.  The more residents know what to look for, the better they can protect themselves. Train all team members to look out for red flags.  Volunteers, housekeeping, and maintenance workers may be the first to notice warning signs.
• Screen Sales Presentations to Residents: Consider prohibiting sales events in your community or create a meticulous vetting process for these kinds of events.  While you want the community to feel welcome, some salespeople may pose a threat to residents.  Events described as “educational” or “workshop” should raise a red flag. The true goal may be to sell investment or financial products.
• Monitor Finances: One way to detect if a resident has fallen victim to financial abuse is by monitoring their account.  If they fall behind on payment to the assisted living community, this could be a result of financial abuse of the resident.  These warning signs must be investigated to protect the resident.
• Financial Caregivers: Residents in your facility may have someone who is handling their expenses for them.  It is important for you to have the proper documentation for this person on file. For example, request a copy of a power of attorney instrument, Social Security representative payee authorization, VA fiduciary appointment document, trust documents, or a guardianship court order. If someone tells you that they are a financial caregiver for a resident, ask for a copy of the documentation, or check your records to confirm that they have the legal authority to manage the resident’s money before you disclose any information to them.
• Elder Fraud Event: Consider hosting an event for residents and family members at your facility with a knowledgeable speaker from the local police department or Adult Protective Services office to explain elder fraud and scams that target seniors.

Staying Informed About the Newest Senior Citizen Scams

Scammers are always coming up with new schemes. Once a scam has become well-known, scammers may switch things up just a bit. For more information on scams that are used to target older adults, check out the Better Business Bureau article Top Tricks Used to Scam Older Adults or visit the Federal Trade Commission “scam alert” page to stay up to date on new scams.

If you enjoyed reading this post by Nina Weierman, read her other blog posts for us here.

Burnout in the Healthcare Industry – Recognizing It and Responding to It

Burnout: What Does It Look Like?

As soon as you wipe the sleep from your eyes on Monday morning, you feel it – the awful dread of the day ahead of you. Ugh.

You can barely find the energy to go through the motions of brushing your teeth and getting dressed.  Sipping on some coffee for motivation, you peek inside your work email, and there is already something that needs your immediate attention waiting in your inbox. When you do finally make it to your desk, you struggle to focus, and every co-worker seems to work your nerves more than anything else.

Does this sound familiar? You may very well be experiencing burnout.

You are most certainly not alone in this feeling. American culture has become obsessed with the hustle.  Your “drive” and level of busyness has become a measure of status. In a recent paper in the journal of Consumer Research Silvia Bellezza, a professor of marketing at Columbia Business School, Georgetown’s Neeru Paharia and Harvard’s Anat Keinan, wrote about the distinction of an unusual status symbol: seeming busy. They assert that this status is “driven by the perceptions that a busy person possesses desired human capital characteristics (competence, ambition) and is scarce and in demand on the job market.”  Basically, our need to tell people how busy we are—in person or on social media—comes from the desire to show how needed we are and, therefore, how important we are.

When the most successful people are those thought to be working constantly, doing a million things, and always connected to their work, it’s nearly impossible not to feel we need to do the same in order to compete.  But at what cost? A recent Deloitte study showed that millennials are the most burned-out generation, with 84% saying they have experienced burnout at their current job vs. 77% of all professionals—and that doesn’t even take into consideration the additional stressors that the Covid-19 Pandemic have brought on workers.

Effects of the Pandemic – Talking About Burnout in the Healthcare Industry

According to a January 2022 article on Burnout and Stress in the American Psychological Association’s Monitor, author Ashley Abramson notes that “Some occupations are more vulnerable than others to the effects of burnout.”  Burnout and stress are at all-time highs across professions, and among already strained health care workers, the Covid-19 pandemic has made burnout exponentially worse. Societal pressures to be always busy and constantly working were certainly prevalent before the Covid-19 pandemic; and for those working on the front lines in nursing homes and healthcare facilities, the additional strain that came with the pandemic made things worse—and that’s putting it lightly.

According to a recent survey by Mental Health America, 76% of healthcare workers feel burnt out, while 52% have dealt with compassion fatigue resulting from stress from someone else’s pain. Many nursing home RNs, LPNs, and CNAs have been stressed to the limit and have become overwhelmed by the grief of losing residents. A study published in the January 2022 issue of The Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care “found that 16.6% of (nursing home) managers reported working overtime and approximately half reported moderate to high levels of emotional exhaustion and cynicism.”

Limited resources, longer shifts, disruptions to sleep and to work-life balance, and occupational hazards associated with exposure to COVID-19 have contributed to physical and mental fatigue, stress and anxiety, and of course burnout.

An NPR article published in February of 2022 notes that “the (nursing home) industry is suffering through a historic staffing shortage, further exacerbated by omicron. Workers have quit in record numbers since the pandemic started. And during the worst of omicron many frontline staff had to stay home because of breakthrough infections.”  It has been brutal, and it may be difficult for the industry to recover.

Where Do We go From Here?

Once you have recognized you are burned out, you have already taken a step in the right direction. Talk it out with a friend, or brainstorm on your own to try to figure out what needs to change.  Here are three ideas of things to try if you are feeling the effects of burnout:

• Disconnect

In a world of constant connectedness, it can be difficult to completely stop thinking about and doing work even after you may have left your physical office.  Do you find yourself stressing about work when you should be relaxing or enjoying your day off?  Consider turning off work email notifications or taking some time to list the things you will do tomorrow and remind yourself that you have done all you can do for today.

• Do Nothing

Practice just doing nothing.  It sounds silly, but with the importance our society puts on busyness these days, doing nothing can be almost difficult or uncomfortable.  Give yourself some dedicated quiet time where you can pause completely.

• Practice Self-Care

Consider trying a relaxing activity like yoga, meditation, or even something art-related like painting. Look for activities that promote mindfulness.  Physical activity reduces stress and takes your mind off of work. Anything that helps you clear your mind and regroup would be beneficial to try when you are dealing with being burned out.

How Can Healthcare Leaders Help Their Teams with Burnout?

Unchecked burnout can potentially harm your health, leading to things like type 2 diabetes or even heart disease. It’s important that employees and employers alike look at ways to combat burnout. Here are also a few ways employers can address burnout and fatigue in the workplace and try to protect their most precious asset—their people:

• Supervisor Behaviors

Mayo Clinic Proceedings published a study of over 40k healthcare employees in April of 2020. They found that when an employee’s immediate supervisor was a stronger leader, there was a decrease in the odds of that employee having burnout.  In other words, supervisor behaviors matter when it comes to burnout. Employers can help by ensuring departmental leaders have all the tools and training that they need to live up to their potential as supervisors.

• Discussing It

Sometimes when going through something difficult, sharing your personal experience with someone who has “been there” and understands can really help.  Just to get the weight off your chest by talking it out can really relieve some of the stress. Employers can help by having a safe space where employees can gather and talk—that could be a physical room or in an online platform like Slack.

• Recognition

Everyone wants to feel that what they are doing is important and appreciated.  Take recognition one step further and offer incentives that matter to your team.  Solicit feedback from your crew on what types of incentives they would appreciate. Try to think outside of the box and offer different and unique rewards.

• Mental Health Resources

Take a look at current programs or, if there isn’t one in place, propose a plan to develop an Employee Assistance Program or (EAP).  Train managers to recognize the signs of emotional distress in employees and use communication to reduce stigma and increase access to mental health resources.

• Life Outside of Work

Leaders can look for ways to support employees with their life outside of work.  Many employees balance work, family, another job, school, or all of the above. While other responsibilities should never interfere with what they are paid to do, leaders being mindful of the load that someone has to carry and showing consideration can help reduce feelings of weariness for that employee. Leaders should encourage work/life balance by setting a good example and making it a priority for their team.

Nina Weierman is a 20-year veteran of the hospitality industry, freelance writer and mother. She also writes about running, parenting and travel. Read the other blogs she has written for Ohio CEUs here.