Did you know that those over the age of 65 hold a third of the country’s wealth? Couple this fact with the knowledge that around the age of 65 we normally begin to see a decrease in visual perception, reaction time, cognitive functions, and physical ability – and it’s not hard to see why our beloved aging family members are often specifically targeted by thieves and scammer. In fact, it’s estimated that our elderly population is scammed out of $2.6 billion every year! Sarasota, Florida, with its abundance of wealthy seniors, is no exception to these atrocious demonstration of exploitation. With this knowledge, elder abuse prevention deserves to be a top priority among senior home care providers.
Locally owned and operated on Siesta Key, Care Providers at Home is keenly aware of and deeply troubled by the exploitation of senior citizens in Sarasota County. According to Florida Department of Health officials, there are over 1,000 cases of elderly exploitation in Sarasota County every year. Officials point to a particularly trusting nature and a “nest egg” of retirement money as leading contributor that make our senior citizens easy targets. Many cases include exploitation by lawn service crews, theft by cleaning services, scams by door to door salesmen, and more.
The good news is that this type of exploitation is largely preventable, and our Elder Abuse Prevention Program trains our care providers to be on the lookout for abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Lisa Voigt of the Department of Children and Families says the most important thing is “just be present. A lot of times [family members] think that their loved ones are capable of taking care of everything. They don’t want to think they’re having problems, because it means that my mom’s getting older, or whatever.” But accepting the situation and being there, Voigt reiterates, is “the biggest thing.”
We all know, however, that in reality many families can’t be there to protect their elderly loved one. Due to any number of reasons, adults are relocated and are no longer locally situated with their elderly parents. It’s OK – a home companion can be there to support your loved one when you can’t. The mere presence of a younger adult often deters scammers and disqualifies your loved one as a potential target.
But a word of caution, believe it or not, in many cases of elderly exploitation, it is the home companion him or herself who commits the theft. Free-lance care providers often have little to no qualifications, and do not undergo appropriate background checks and character evaluation. At Care Providers at Home we won’t stand for this and elderly exploitation is absolutely inexcusable in our eyes! Every care providers we hire is required to pass a level 2 security background check. Our care providers are also bonded and insured for your security and protection. Moreover, we go above and beyond the minimum industry standards – we require that each of our care providers take our Caregivers Quality Assurance® assessment which helps us identify individuals with the potential to put your loved one at risk. This care provider pre-employment assessment tool examines attitude, personalities and behavioral characteristics to screen applicants out before an incident can occur.
In addition, after we’ve screened out potentially risky caregivers, we provide our chosen few with valuable, additional training on how to identify and prevent elderly abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
Care Providers at Home is licensed by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and holds its staff and care providers to the highest quality standards possible. AHCA License Number 233157. Owner and Administrator Jim Grimes is a licensed RN and a Mandatory-Reporter of Elderly A.N.E. and we take elderly abuse prevention very seriously.
For more information on Elderly Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation (ANE) or to report a case, please visit the State of Florida Department of Elder Affairs website via following link:
http://elderaffairs.state.fl.us/doea/abuse_prevention.php
Call us today to speak with our staff RN and to schedule your free, no obligation in home consultation! We’ll help you find the home care solution that’s best for you and your loved ones! (941) 685-3838
