Seniors Site

The worldwide web indeed has given us a wider scope in life making it possible to access tons of information just by simple web manipulation called “web surfing”. Bear in mind that this fun activity need not exert too much effort since one will only need a computer and an internet access. It can be done anywhere, anytime. The best thing about the internet is that it caters to all, young and old. It can also get you to places and through it, we are able to accomplish tasks that are otherwise hard for us to do back then.

Some of the finest points the internet has been giving us are:
·    Being able to pay your bills and do bank transactions through online banking.
·    Connecting you to your loved-ones without ever worrying about communication bills and such.
·    Online games for stress-free afternoons.
·    Online shopping saves you time, energy and gas. You don’t need to go far to buy your essentials. Just find a reputable supermarket or grocery website and place your order there. Some even provide free delivery service for your convenience.

Like stated earlier, these are just some of the things the internet can give you. See how easy—and tempting—it can be for seniors to take advantage of these services? Unfortunately, unscrupulous people are quick to get wind of it all and sadly, they consider seniors to be their most vulnerable targets. This makes it doubly hard for senior surfers to move around freely and without worries.

Identity theft in general is when a thief assumes an identity, stolen from another person, hopefully not you, and uses it to his or her advantage. Scarily, it can happen even in our normal, living world but with the advent of the internet, identity theft is now easier and faster to do. Losing a wallet can turn your life around in just one day especially if they fell into wrong but expert hands. One account I heard, after discovering about her lost wallet, which she guessed went missing for about two days prior to the discovery, she quickly called her bank, credit cards and others. Much to her dismay, the thief already did some damage and more. There had been online purchases charged to her account—and they are not cheap, mind you. And because she failed to notify the bank beforehand, she is now making some negotiations with the credit card company for payment terms.

In the internet world however, there is a threat known as phishing. This too attempts to collect your personal information which you stored in your system. These are viruses which you inadvertently downloaded through sites, both reputable and not. Apparently, they record your keyboarding activities and send it to a remote site which will leave your information to their mercy. Hacking is yet another way to access your online accounts and it is usually done by someone you know. Even scams-disguised as emails can easily find their way into your inboxes waiting to be clicked. Nothing beats right information to prevent identity theft from harming you. Read about them and be aware of these unlawful activities.

The internet has become as necessary as food and shelter for mankind and this includes the boomer generation. Gone are the days when seniors were afraid of the advancement in technology. They are more daring and willing to learn now, more than ever.

The embracement of technology came as no surprise for many since the internet has been providing new and efficient ways in making our lives a little easier to live. Certainly if younger generation can make use of these conveniences, why not seniors?.. In reality, it is the younger ones who encourage seniors to use computers as they will benefit from it tremendously.

Without seniors even realizing it, they have been receiving a lot from the advancement in technology. Take for example the ever-evolving medical advancement which extends lives. Without them, an aging body harassed by everyday stress can never last that long. On the other hand, one of the most important benefits the internet can give you is bridging the gap between seniors and their loved-ones who are miles away from them now—a common setup for many families worldwide.

Seniors who have learned to use computers were able to connect with their loved-ones in many ways. In popular social networking sites such as Facebook, seniors are able to get to know their grandkids better through live feeds. This kind of interaction is never possible if they will only rely on telephone conversations and letters. Also, the internet proved to be more cost-effective than any other communication means. There are tools available over the internet which provide the ease of use for elderly users. Some can even be downloaded for free. Others come with the computer itself like onscreen keyboards, magnifier and narrator.

Aside from the communication side of it, the internet can also be utilized for other things such as paying bills or buying stuff online. This alone can be of big help for seniors especially for those with mobility problems. Almost all banks do online transactions making it easier and safer for seniors to manage their bank accounts. Basic online safety measures should be applied when dealing with personal information as such. Read more about online safety here.

Communication as well as range and scope of seniors are not the only ones improved by the internet. Even socializing and potentially meeting a partner can be achieved when you finally get used to using the internet. There are hundreds of online dating sites intended for seniors and they are a surefire way to meet other seniors who are looking for love.

This is probably the most horrible news one could ever receive but unfortunately, senior abuse is not at all uncommon and they really do happen—a lot. No matter where you choose to leave your senior, there will always be a chance of them getting abused without you knowing it. What’s most painful is that the trust that was once there is now broken. Not to mention the trauma your senior must have acquired during the whole ordeal. Indeed, an experience like this striking any family is something we all have to avoid at all cost.

But how would you know? In rare occasions, a senior may report these cases themselves to proper authorities but again, this is not always the case. Usually by the time an abuse case concerning a senior reaches the police, it’s way too late. Reasons for not reporting vary widely from one senior to another, the most common of which are the inability of the senior to do things on his own and poor judgment to matters concerning their own welfare. Some of them admitted to authorities that they were either ashamed or too frightened to call for help even if they already did recognize danger. Most reported cases of senior abuse came from concerned neighbors and close friends who are quick to identify these warning signs.

Regular contact with your senior is the most effective way to prevent abuse from happening. If other people are aware that you have been checking regularly, they will think twice before doing something bad. It will also be for your senior’s best to check up on their affairs once in a while especially their finances which apparently is the most vulnerable—and very targetable—area of their life right now. Here are some of the most common warning signs that you should be looking for when you suspect senior abuse:

·    Discrepancies in their financial affairs and assets. Unscrupulous people will try to “milk it” as long as they stay undetected. They will apply tactics and other methods of persuasion just to get their hands on the senior’s money.
·    Signs of malnutrition. When you notice they are dropping weight like crazy then it’s time to intervene. When a person loses weight, there’s always something wrong with the picture, either he is not getting enough food to nourish his body or he is not receiving proper medical care while the body takes in all the blow.
·    Physical injuries or telltale signs of physical abuse. Take note of bruises, cuts, welts and broken bones. While it is normal to acquire these things when doing everyday chores, they should be explainable.
·    If your senior is living with someone who abuses them, your senior is bound to exhibit a different kind of attitude whenever that person is around. Also, signs of emotional withdrawal is noted when a senior is subjected to abuse.

When we were kids, we used to run to our grannies and grandpops for our problems especially if we’re in deep trouble with our parents. Our grandparents became our great ally, someone we can trust with our lives and won’t tell on us no matter what. In short, grandparents become their grandchildren’s greatest savior of all time.

Years forward and we found ourselves within their shoes. Now, it is our turn to save our grandkids from cruelty of the world and as much as possible, we protect them from harm. We cushion their fall, we condemn our kids if they’re not treating our grandkids right and threaten them to take the kids away if they won’t behave right. This is our duty—our job, as their grandparents; just like the ones preceding us.

This is a natural instinct deeply rooted among us. Call it animal instinct, if you want. For us, it is a natural response to human protecting their own and trust us, when you finally get here, you will understand but won’t be able to explain either.

This is exactly why seniors fall for this scam—the grandparent scam or emergency scam. Actually, this scam is the longest running among its contemporaries. Moreover, grandparent scam made comebacks from time to time and just recently, it struck again. The latest victim being a San Antonio woman named Barbara Thompson, robbed off of about $3,000 by someone pretending to be her grandchild.

By the way, grandparent scam has been included in the top 10 famous scams ever, along with others which usually target seniors. This, in fact, bothers government agencies committed to securing seniors’ lives. While some victims would rather keep the whole affair to themselves, police are now worried since this scam is frightfully gaining grounds all over US preying on seniors everyday.

Basically, here is how it works: a call is placed to a seniors’ home, preferably those who live alone or living with their senior spouse—miles away from their grandkids. This is to eliminate the possibility of confirmation if the situation is indeed true. With the help of slightly garbled phone connection, the con man/woman will then pretend to be your grandchild requesting money to be wired as soon as possible to get him out of trouble. The caller will request firm secrecy of the whole transaction being made especially from your kids who are supposed to be their parents. They will be very persistent and pressuring for quick action which usually throws you off from all stable decisions.

Police advises seniors to ask for personal details about the family if and when they receive such call. Once you find your caller to be vague and elusive, it is best to hang-up immediately and call a family member to confirm the details your caller gave you or better yet, call your grandchild directly. This way, you are assured that the one on the other end of the line is indeed your grandchild.

Some reports included that the cons supplied right family information such as name and current location of the grandchild in question. It seems they took one step higher than their usual “hit and miss” tactic and this certainly scares seniors more.

If the cons know, they must be following us right? Personal information is easily gathered from family blogs, web sites, social networking sites, and newspapers meaning, you should not send any valuable information over the internet, unless you are well prepared for its consequences. While it is okay to stay socially connected through social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, bear in mind that there are whole lot of scammers over the internet, waiting for their next victim. As always, take precautions in using the internet to prevent trouble from happening.

There’s no stopping summer! Probably, as early as now, your kids are planning a little family outing with you and your grandkids or perhaps, your partner is already preparing for a honeymoon getaway in some romantic island where nobody can disturb your escapades. Whether this is something planned or spur-of-the-moment breakout, you will have to get down to details at some point specifically how to cover expenses while traveling. Sure, seniors won’t run out of options paying for their tracks but it can get confusing at times.

There are many different payment methods available to seniors especially if you have a good credit standing. Not quite a problem for many seniors since they know how to handle their finances very well. Seniors just need to decide what suits them best since all options are faced with their own pros and cons.

Traveling is fun, especially if spent with loved-ones but they tend to be costly hence you prepare. Not having enough money to spend around means your vacation is compromised and will only leave you feeling unsatisfied which defeats the purpose of your vacation all together. To prevent this from happening, you must review your options carefully and plan ahead.

Bringing cash to trips is the most convenient since cash is very acceptable anywhere in the world. This will also come in handy with places where there are no ATMs and banks available for your convenience. But, we all know that cash poses a great security risk to travelers and it can sometimes put you in a life threatening situation. Also, if you lose your cash, it can never be replaced.

Credit cards are the next best thing from cash providing maximum security and convenience which your cash could not give. Credit cards can also be used to reserve hotels and rent cars, pay for your food, entrance and just about anything. You can also use these cards for cash advances for noncredit card situations. They are accepted by many merchants worldwide. Seemed perfect right? But like they say, nothing is perfect. Credit cards are the usual target of scammers and unscrupulous individuals who will try to steal your credit card information and use it at your expense. So you have to be extra careful when using these things and never let it out of your sight. Also, you need to notify your issuing bank before traveling to avoid suspension of credit card when you need it most. You also have to check expiry dates and clean up your credit standing first.

Seniors also have the option to avail debit cards, traveler’s check, and prepaid credit cards among others. These are much safer than those two noted above but they can be very restricting. Debit cards are safe since nobody wants to steal debit cards, unless they thought it was a credit card. You can also use them anywhere just like your regular credit card and you can control your travel spending since you assign a certain limit to the debit card. However, you need to notify your issuing bank before leaving and cash advances are not allowable. Traveler’s checks are secure enough but they are expensive while prepaid travel cards require activation which comes in high fees.

A combination of two options will provide you a much stronger safety net for your traveling expenses so if one of them failed, the other one should work. Just remember to be safe and secure all the time so you will have a great vacation with no money hassles.

It’s not like seniors want to but yes, they tend to be scammers’ target because of seniors’ trusting nature. Seniors were brought up by their generation to be trusting and polite. They were expected to act accordingly by their parents. Those were the days when doors were held open for strangers and honest answers were thrown to questions. Something this generation would not dream of teaching their kids for all the evilness of today’s society. But, like they say, it is really hard to uproot something that has been imbibed for years, taking from seniors’ stand point.

Scammers chase the last generation of Americans who were taught to trust one another since they are easy and can be bullied. The most popular route of these fraudulent acts are mails, whether snail mails or electronic mails and have different varieties to choose from such as Medicare, Social Security, investments and insurances scams. Crooked schemes like these play on seniors’ vulnerability and often take advantage of their physical and mental health, factors that are age-related and cannot be avoided.

Mails are not our outmost concern here, since scammers do knock on seniors’ doors and were often invited in. This often puts seniors to physical vulnerability even before they realize the consequences of their actions. Moreover, scammers are not always strangers, they can also be someone you trust for a long time and they come in different guises.

So why seniors? It is because more often than not, seniors prepared well for their retirement. They saved for rainy days and they have nest egg in case of emergency. They have assets to last them for 20 more years and still have plenty to go around. Polite seniors often have difficulties in hanging up or saying no to persistent callers, much less to unrelenting swindlers. These traits are well-known to scammers and they are on the usual hunt for susceptible individuals.

According to FBI, seniors are very attractive targets because they are less likely to report a fraud for varied reasons. Also, older citizens often make poor witnesses to scams and are usually poor in remembering dates, time and description of the scammer. It was also found out that, elderly victims usually denies the fact that they were indeed scammed.

Actually, we don’t have to be weary of every John Does we meet everyday, just remember the golden rule, never to give valuable information about yourself, not to anyone, not ever, under any circumstances. Remember that your private data are kept by appropriate offices and they don’t have to ask you for it if in case they need it. They can access it anytime they want to without asking for your permission so be careful with individuals posing as an agent for some offices requiring your personal information. Better yet, hang-up as soon as you smell rat. These unscrupulous people will not take offense anyway so don’t bother being polite.

However, if you doubt your own memory to remember important things and you need to share it with someone else, you just have to choose your candidates wisely to avoid unforeseen circumstances. A little file organizing goes a long way and will prove to be very useful for future reference. Take it to a safe place and tell someone you trust where to find it. You can also apply for a safe deposit box with banks for your files’ safekeeping. These boxes are not easily accessible by anyone else but you and in case someone else attempts to, he or she will be required to present a personal identification and an authorization letter from you. Safe enough to get you out of trouble.