Seniors Site

Almost everything you need can now be found online. And not only that, you can go window shopping to your heart’s content without getting monitored by those pesky salesladies who just won’t leave your side until you go out of that door! Online window shopping is much less complicated but more informative than ever, the only downside however is that you cannot touch and feel the merchandise—not even smell a thing! Practicality speaking, I am ALL out for online window shopping BUT not really into online shopping. Maybe one or two purchases when needed but never on websites of suspicious nature—and me saying suspicious means about ¾ of them all!
I try to set limits when I’m off online shopping. For example, when I am interested with a product but a first time buyer on that site, I usually choose a product that is easy enough on my pocket and won’t leave me too disappointed if the purchase doesn’t push through for some reason. Aside from that, I observe certain guidelines to Stay Safe When Paying Online. Buying a car online may be a little off for me but deals offered online are really good and can save you a lot of money, not to mention time and energy. Here are some tips to guide you when looking or buying a car online:
·    Research is a must. Seniors must remember, buying a car involves serious money and this is not something you just forget and leave a nasty feedback on someone else’s site after. This could mean your one or two year’s worth of saved money, so you better do some legwork to ensure you get your money’s worth. I tell you, there are just about 20 reputable sites you can transact with out of thousands so you really need to be careful when picking one.
·    As much as possible, stay local. There are many listing sites out there, browse if you need to but as much as possible, try to stay within your area. Not only it is more convenient for you and the dealer but also, you save a lot of money shipping the car. Furthermore, you can visit and test-drive the car anytime you want to.
·    Find a physical, stable ground. You know that is the problem when dealing online, one cannot be certain when and where truth ends and lies materialize. Before you let go of your money, make sure you already have with you everything you need such as the dealer’s info, where you can find him in case a problem arises, etc.
·    Even if you are too overwhelmed with the magic online shopping obviously has, you still need to do the things you usually do when buying a car. That is, checking on the car’s docs and papers, making sure they really exist and no problem will arise after the sale.
·    Take an extra precaution when joining auction sites. Sometimes, these sites post your contact info for scammers to take advantage of.  While these sites meant no harm to you, scammers have gone preying on gullible bidders!

There have been left and right lay-offs and job termination these days. Unfortunately, seniors are no stranger in this situation as survey would show if there’s one group who gets the first blow of axe, it would be the seniors’ group. There are many reasons why companies would rather see their seniors go than take advantage of their expertise, one of them is the higher fees the company has to pay when keeping one.
Add to that the fact that sometimes, no matter how hard a senior would try, it seems impossible to keep up with the times. Offices are now applying high-tech ways to better their services, save money and do without menial jobs—or employees who do these menial jobs, for that matter. Computers are now equipped with bookkeeping capabilities which eliminate the need to hire a whole bookkeeping department. You can even run a virtual office without having to hire people and get them in your office everyday. Due to these factors, more and more seniors are losing jobs every single day. For seniors who rely largely on their jobs as their means to live, it’s a disaster indeed.
Let’s be honest, being a senior with no job is no laughing matter. Everyone needs a job, with or without a nest egg. While the least desperate ones can still make a wise decision on how to make the most out of their current situation, the same cannot be expected especially for those who still have mouths to feed and bills to pay.
Take Ben for an example. He is 60+ in age and recently got terminated. At the age of 40, he started building his nest egg and now, it has grown nicely—adequate enough to provide for him and his wife Laura. Problem is, Laura was diagnosed with breast cancer and is expected to undergo necessary treatments for it. To top it all off, his daughter, decidedly left her two minor children in Ben’s home to sort her life after a marital storm. Now, Ben, somewhat bothered with the unexpected job termination at the age of 60, turns to job hunting, an activity that is not too safe nowadays.
Be it a job found over the internet, classified ads and even those on TV, can be a scam and it can cost you a lot of money if you are not too careful. Remember, con artists prey on the desperate, so no matter how desperate you are in getting a job, you still need to keep your head clear and intact at all times. Think twice when offered a job which requires you to pay upfront fees of some sort. Also, never go for promises which seem to be too good to be true. Always do your research when applying for work or dealing with someone. It saves you time and effort knowing what you are about to plunge into.

It seems like now people are given a lot of options but lack in much needed education. Yes, we’ve heard their marketing pitches, usually from people who would earn something in return if they’re able to get us on the bandwagon. What these people fail—or intentionally fail—to tell us is the downside of using these plastic cards. However, they tend to exaggerate its “greatness”, sometimes bordering to lies, which sadly, giving us ideas of exactly the wrong things.
Due to poor money management most people practice, and the encouragement credit cards bring to these people, debit cards came along. For a while, it seems to be the safest option since you don’t risk falling into debts. Almost instantly, it gained popularity similar to that of credit cards. Unfortunately, many have realized later that it also has it own pros and cons that a user must consider before getting one. It may even cost you way more than a credit card fiasco could ever bring you.
Personally,–and although I never really had a problem with money management—I think the safest way to spend money is using cash. All the time. My lifelong motto being, if I don’t have that kind of cash in hand, I don’t buy it, not even think about it. So far, it works for me and was able to age gracefully and debt-free. Something I find rare among my generation which is quite saddening for me. Don’t get me wrong, I have had my fair share of credit and debit cards and they all worked great for me. It’s just I often find myself using them just for the rewards or benefits they bring, particularly for my credit score.
Just recently, I have met a new addition to the plastic cards family, it’s called the charge card. I must admit, I don’t have much to go on when it comes to charge cards as I am still trying to get to know it. What I did understand is, charge cards are something like debit card-slash-credit card. It has the benefits of a credit card but at the same time, the control of a debit card. In my honest opinion, it goes a little something like this:  If you are making small payments for your daily living expenses, you reach for a debit card, like issuing a check. The amount you used a debit card for will automatically come out of your savings account in which the debit card is aligned. The danger of this is, you must ALWAYS be mindful of your saving account balance as you can be charged with overdraft fees. Like a check book, you need to balance it everytime you use it. On the other hand, you use charge cards if you need to pay for something that exceeds your daily spending allowance but certainly won’t cause you trouble come monthly due date. As of my understanding, a charge card is supposedly paid in full every month. Use your credit card only when in absolute necessity and you’re certain this purchase cannot be paid in full in a month. Security wise, I find credit cards as the most secure by far but like what I’ve said, I still need to get to know charge cards more.

I’ve been in the internet for such a long time that I sometimes find myself applying internet lingo to my everyday life and yes, conversations—much to the dismay of my senior friends. I won’t dare blame them, it’s really hard to keep up with how the internet speaks unless you personally experienced them. Ever encountered these words: lol, lmao and ikr? Completely, insanely incomprehensible! But for your aging mind’s information, these words stand for “laughing out loud:, “laughing my ass off” and “I know right?”. See? Simple words made difficult!
So let’s add the word “phishing” to that. I stumbled upon a very informative article in the internet this morning and like me, the author has had phishing attacks so I can totally relate to what he is saying. I decided to post his link to my social networking sites i.e Twitter and Facebook so that my friends would be forewarned of these new ways to phish. Silly me, I did not bother to check if the wordings are age-appropriate to most of my friends and I even got comments like: “What phishing?” and “What on earth?!”
Due to this, I quickly realized that not all of my senior friends are not too acquainted with most internet terms despite the fact that they use it regularly. Some may have an idea, while others just don’t care. Problem is, these are the things we really need to know when we use the internet so I took the liberty to “translate” for the senior readers what phishing is all about and how nasty it can get!
Phishing is a scam primarily made to steal your valuable information. Usually, it steals your login info and then uses it to hack your account. When you say hack, it is an unauthorized use of your account wherein the supposedly “hacker” takes full control of your account. The hacker, or the person behind it can now send mails, post images and just do whatever it is you can do with that account. In mild cases, it just uses your account to widen the phishing attack, however, your personal information is now made vulnerable, and not to mention, accessible.
I, myself, once fell for a phishing scam. This, I think, was the first batch of its kind using social networking sites. A friend mailed me a link to a video with me on it. I believed, at that time, that it really came from her since I never encountered phishing attack in a social networking site before—all I knew is that it only confines itself to emails. I clicked and was led to a log-in page which looked like the real thing. I thought it was only an error so I just faithfully typed in my details. The next day, I found out that my account sent comments and messages to my network without me knowing it. Basically, that’s how phishing works although they so often change platforms. Last I heard, they attacked Twitter and many users fell for it—seniors included.

If there’s one group of people who gets classified in two contradicting characteristics, it must be the seniors’ group. Why? It is because we’re believed to be wise due to the countless life experiences we were able to gather through the years and yet, midlifers—particularly our kids–see us as gullible human beings. How on earth can a person be wise and gullible at the same time? Well apparently, or so others believe, seniors can be both.
I say, getting manipulated is not at all age-related, nor a phenomena that occurs only during the so-called golden age. Anyone can fall into someone else’s manipulative scheme if they are not too careful or they tend to easily trust what other people say. Aside from that, let’s consider the fact that most con artists pick on seniors as their prey just because these seniors are either too lonely and in obvious need of a companion or they have an amazing amount of money stashed somewhere—in some cases, both.
Sadly, there are other forms of manipulation which are not intended to snatch your pot of gold but rob your self respect. You may or may not recognize it at once but most of the time, you feel bad and really frustrated since it sort of “locked” you in a situation less desired. Manipulation occurs when someone have it their way and never bothering about you. It can be a boss who refuses to hear your opinions, instead, adamantly insists on doing things to his liking, or it can be a friend who always calls during ungodly hours just to have a chat with you, mostly to tell you her latest adventures.
What seniors should know is that, master manipulators actually size up their potential prey prior to moving in for the kill. In other words, they try to gauge the opposite person if they can be manipulated or not. With that said, you should be conscious enough of your actions and try to create an impression that you are not the type they are looking for. Here are the usual warning flags that you should avoid:
·    Being passive. You just let everything pass you by, even if they are annoying. You don’t acknowledge your true feelings just because you hate confrontations and are afraid that someone might get hurt.
·    Allowing others to control your life. You just go with the flow. You let someone else move you to places. You never decide for yourself.
·    Afraid of your own opinions. You get all nervous just by the thought of opening your mouth and having your say on important issues.
·    Fickle-minded. When you jump from one decision to another and then back again even without strong and apparent reason, it expresses your inability to make strong judgment.
·    Approval seeker. One strong sign of insecurity.
·    Not valuing one’s self. If you love yourself, you know that there are some people who are just not worth your time and effort.

Even if this post is titled as such, it doesn’t mean that seniors are manipulative people. On the contrary, they are most vulnerable in the hands of predators who are always on the look out for the perfect prey—unfortunately, they see the senior group as one of the easiest to manipulate since most seniors are very trusting in nature.

Generally speaking—and sadly enough—manipulation exists everywhere! A senior can find them prevalent in workplace and even in your own home, with your own defenses down, it may be present. It can be just about any other person, no matter the extent or degree of relationship. These people take advantage of the “first encounters” as these usually are void of any defensive feelings.

Whether seniors like it or not, the world is not a perfect place. It has its own faults. We, on the other hand, would like to believe that it is indeed perfect as it would be much easier to live in it if it were. Meanwhile, manipulation happens for one reason: for selfish satisfaction—and some people are really good at this, you wouldn’t even know you’re being manipulated. Manipulative people share certain characteristics. These are their common denominator, a way to spot them. If you spot these ahead of time, you’ll be able to extract yourself from the situation and be forewarned with any future dealings with this person hence saving you from falling for their scams and schemes.

CHARACTERISTIC 1:  Compliments, compliments, compliments. What better way to make someone move to desired direction than showering them with compliments, unwarranted and otherwise? This is especially true for seniors who longed to be appreciated but their loved-ones failed to do so.

CHARACTERISTIC 2:  Guilt-tripper. An experienced manipulator will know your weaknesses. If you’re the kind of person who would not want to be blamed for anything hence always doing your share of work then a guilt-tripper is your worst kind of manipulator. He’ll make you do things just because you have to, not because you like what you are doing.

CHARACTERISTIC 3:  Nagger. This person will pester you until you give in just to shut them up. It’s quite hard to say “no” to these people without hurting their feelings but once you gave in, they’ll pester you again tomorrow so its better to clear rules now and ask questions later.

CHARACTERISTIC 4:  A bully. Bullying is an art perfected in grade school. Through the years, expect a bully to continually hone their craft and get what they want from people. They may be tough but you, as your own person, deserve to do whatever you want and not get orders from someone else. Besides, it’s about time they do their own work.

It’s not easy to spot an abused senior. These cruel acts certainly don’t happen outside of home; it always occurs during private moments, when seniors are left alone with their abusers. I’ve come across several cases in which their loved-ones, the ones who truly care for them, are the last ones to know and often times, it’s a little too late for them to intervene as the damage has already been done.

One of the known factors which triggers such hatred and anger toward frail and defenseless seniors is frustration. When a person is blinded by frustrating tasks and seemingly endless chores, it’s really easy to divert fury to a senior who are incapable of defending himself, much less tell others of what the abuser did. Seniors seldom tell, they usually just take it all in, believing they really are a nuisance and the abuser has all the right in the world to do such inhuman acts when in truth, it’s their abusers who deserve to be punished and jailed!

What’s more amusing is that an abuser knows no color, intention or relation, contrary to popular notion that only hired help abuses seniors. They can be someone whom the seniors trust dearly, a relative, a partner, and even their own family. They just manifest without a warning. Also, they come in many forms. Do take note that an abuse has been made if there are verbal and physical attacks made to the senior in question. Also, the term also applies if someone is trying to transfer senior’s assets to their names, either by manipulation, threats or falsification of documents.

In general, taking advantage of a senior’s poor and helpless situation is automatically called or defined as an abuse. There are different types of elderly abuse:

•    Physical abuse. Easiest to spot. There will be, at the very least, bruises.
•    Emotional abuse. If an action causes a senior some emotional discomforts and the abuser is certainly benefiting from the situation, it’s automatically an abuse. It’s either yelling, threatening, hateful words, and blaming or the other way around such as ignoring a senior, even if he is in dire need.
•    Sexual abuse. Yes, it happens.
•    Fraud and scams to financially benefit from seniors.  Aside from the traditional transferring of funds, some cases were reported to be committed by health care providers themselves. Since seniors and their families trust and respect these people, it’s easy to get money from them for unnecessary services and referrals.

Most of the reported cases were from concerned neighbors, people who are quick to notice that something is not right. It’s very unlikely for seniors to report themselves in cases like these, it means, if we ignore silent pleas from them, the abuse will just go on and on. If you’re in doubt about a situation, or you refuse to acknowledge your suspicion, it’s best to talk separately to both the senior and caregiver to find out more about their situation. Sometimes, all they need is your help.

It’s been a while since I last posted about seniors falling to fraudulent schemes. It’s a given fact that seniors are the usual targets of scams and personally, I take offense on that. I only take refuge in the fact that maybe these unscrupulous people who are after a senior believe we have money hidden somewhere and not because we are gullible human beings—easy enough to handle.

I still believe that in order to protect a senior from scams, we need to educate ourselves from scammers’ usual activities. Keeping up with current events by merely watching news and reading papers can definitely warn us thus preparing us if and when the situation hits us. If you are fairly active with the internet i.e if you check your emails daily and connect with your loved-ones using social networking sites, it pays big time to check new and inventive ways these scammers use. The internet community has always been helpful in alerting us when there’s a new, fast-spreading scam within the circle. For one, Facebook management gives out updates and reports regularly, so when they do, make sure you read it.

One of the hardest to handle is unsolicited phone calls. Telemarketers are trained to be persistent, bordering to annoying. Also, before they call your home, they already did their homework, knowing every minute detail they can scrape about your character. What makes it scarier is that this kind of calls is never random, in fact they are targeted, making you exposed and vulnerable. The best way to handle this situation is to simply hang-up. No need to fret over being rude, just remember that this person who is calling you has no right to come snooping on you. Think of it as simply returning the favor. Being nice to them is simply encouraging them to call back—and that, they will certainly oblige.

Another easy way for scammers to invade your life is through mails. My advice is to not bother opening mails you don’t expect to be coming your way, no matter how tempting the envelope may be. Throw them straight to the thrash can where they truly belong. Personally, I’m amazed how my mails seem to grow right along with my age! Also, be doubly aware of credit card charges and bank balances. If this task is getting harder to accomplish each day, get someone to do it for you. Just make sure this person can be held liable and can be sued if there’s a discrepancy in records.

I also find it annoying to have someone knocking on my door and persisting to come and check something. First off, I don’t like strangers coming in my home, ever, and you should do too. Second, I don’t like someone telling me there’s something wrong with my house especially when I don’t see anything wrong with it, again, you should do too. If you need to get your home repaired, you come to them, not the other way around, no matter how convenient the arrangement seemed to be.

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.