DEA Sponsored Drug Take Back Day for 2011 Announced
More than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administrations National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Each day, approximately 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time according to the Partnership for a Drug Free America. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.
As you know, in an effort to address this problem, DEA, in conjunction with state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States, conducted the first ever National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, September 25, 2010. There were approximately 3,000 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the nation that participated in the event. All told, over 121 tons of pills were collected on this first National Take Back Day.
Due to the overwhelming success of the first event, DEA is planning a second National Prescription Drug Take Back Day which will take place on Saturday, April 30, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This will be a one-day collaborative effort with state and local law enforcement agencies to remove potentially dangerous controlled substances from our nation's homes. This national initiative will provide an opportunity for the public who missed the first event or who have subsequently accumulated pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medications to safely dispose of them.
We request your support and hope you will join us in this effort. Further information about the second National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, including a link to locate collection sites throughout the United States, will be posted on our website, DEAdiversion.usdoj.gov, in the near future.
Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Program – Role of the Aging Network in Assisting Older Mortgagees AoA has added a new page to www.aoa.gov that provides information about a new role for Aging Network professionals in working with HUD HECM reverse mortgage holders who may be delinquent with certain property cost payments. Beginning in January HECM mortgagees who are delinquent in property cost payments will receive a letter from their lender regarding payment of these costs. Many of these older mortgagees may turn to the Aging Network for assistance. This new web page is designed to assist Aging Network professionals in understanding the issue and how they may assist. Resources available on the web page include background information, summary information, and an FAQ that may be used with consumers. As new resources become available, the AoA HECM web page will be updated to include them. The new web page can be found under AoA Programs, Special Projects at http://aoa.gov/AoARoot/AoA_Programs/Special_Projects/index.aspx
Avoid an Accident: Car Safety Resources Getting behind the wheel of a car can be dangerous. Besides basic fender benders, serious and life threatening accidents happen daily. These accidents are often attributed to drivers falling asleep at the wheel, failing to check for pedestrians, and not bothering to buckle up. Bad weather, aggressive driving practices, and badly maintained vehicles also play a part. Drivers lack of awareness of product safety recalls, vehicle ratings, and crash reports are another part of the problem. Additional safety concerns are also related to age, both teenagers and older adults have a greater risk of getting into a serious accident. Although eliminating the risk of an accident is impossible, drivers have a responsibility to passengers, children they transport, and pedestrians to be fully knowledgeable on the rules of the road. - A Guide to Rollovers: Though rollover related crashes may be less rare than other types of car accidents they have the potential to be more deadly. The Foundation for Traffic Safety, answers frequently asked questions about rollovers and provides vehicle safety tips for drivers.
- Advice on Safety: Access smart advice related to driving safety, passenger safety, seat belts, airbags, and car safety ratings.
- Advocates' Safety Issues: Review facts and state driving laws related to seat belts, speeding, rollovers, impaired driving, and motorcycle helmets.
- Aggressive Driving Information: Aggressive driving and speeding are behind a significant portion of car accidents. The American College of Emergency Physicians offers this advice on understanding and staying safe from aggressive drivers.
- How's My Driving?: Advice designed to help older drivers maintain good driving habits as they age.
- Impact Teen Drivers: Tips, driving guides, reports, and facts break down the ins and outs of driving for teens and their parents.
- Impaired Driving Statistics: Provided by Students Against Destructive Decisions, these statistics reveal the rates of drinking and driving among youth. General traffic safety statistics are also included.
- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: This nonprofit, scientific organization rates vehicle on how well they protect occupants during crashes. Consumer brochures, statistics, and reports are also available.
- Just Drive!: This article discussed recent driving research and statistics.
- Mothers Against Drunk Driving: Visit this leading non-profit organization to access statistics on drunken driving, view publications, and get support for victims or survivors of drunk driving incidents.
- Network of Employers for Traffic Safety: Get the straight facts on sharing the road with pedestrians, bicycles, and motorcycles then take a driver fatigue quiz.
- Roadway Safety Tips: Learn important driving facts with ten safety tips that cover the major rules of the road from buckling up, to night driving, to pedestrian safety.
- Rules of the Road for Teen Drivers: Basic information parents can use to equip first time drivers with the knowledge to drive safely.
- Safe Driving Information: Keeping your vehicle in good working order is one of the most important aspects of staying safe on the road. Vehicle safety information from the government offers the latest data related to car tires, airbags, and rollovers.
- Safe Winter Driving Tips: Those who live in areas where snow or sleet are common need to prepare for driving in the snow. Tips provided explain how to deal with being stranded, how to drive near plows, and supplies to keep in the car.
- Safety on the Road: The National Safety Council educates drivers about defensive driving, distracted driving, and various other rules of the road through fact sheets, whitepapers, and study programs.
- Safety Tips - Highway Driving: Basic tips cover staying alert while on the road and sharing the highway with trucks.
- SeniorDrivers.Org: Senior drivers can access this resource for brochures, screening tests, surveys, tips, and education to improve driving ability.
- The Center for Auto Safety: Check lemon laws by state, access information packages on various vehicle models, and watch videos to learn more about auto quality and safety.
- Traffic Safety Tips: Quick traffic safety tips for riding on the school bus, dealing with a vehicle breaking down, and pulling over for law enforcement.
- Winter, Your Car, and You: The National Safety Council provides tips on how you and your vehicle can survive harsh winter conditions.
- World Road Safety Partnership: Safety programs cover the fundamentals of road rage, crash force, the necessity of wearing a seatbelt, slow driving dangers, and more.
- Association for Safe International Road Travel: A non-profit that promotes global road safety.
- Safe America Foundation: Offers a variety of programs to insure students are safe behind the wheel.
- Crash Prevention: A non-profit that strives to reduce the number of fatalities and crashes on U.S roads
SCAM ALERT: People posing as Department of Child Services workers soliciting donations by phone
Bottomline: Do not provide any financial or personal information as it may lead to identify theft
The Indiana Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division is warning Hoosiers that a person or group of people is posing as a representative of the Department of Child Services in order to fraudulently solicit charitable donations over the phone. Reports indicate the caller claims that someone in the home committed to a donation a month ago and this is a follow up call to confirm the donation. Some consumers have reported their caller i.d. display shows "Child Services" when the call is received. Government agencies or departments will never solicit charitable donations and these calls are a ploy to steal money, identities or both.
Deputy Attorney General Abigail Kuzma, Director of the Consumer Protection Division, offers these tips:
1. Don't be pressured into making a contribution. Ask the caller for written information on the charitable organization, including the charity's name, address, and telephone number. A legitimate charity should be willing to send you materials outlining the charity's purpose and how your donation will be used. You should check out the charity with some of the independent organizations that provide information on charities.
2. Watch out for charities with familiar sounding names. Some charitable organizations use names that are very similar to those of respected organizations. You should check with some of the independent organizations that provide information on charities to make sure you are donating to the correct charity.
3. Beware of callers who claim endorsement by the state. Under Indiana law, a person who solicits charitable contributions may not use the fact of registration as an endorsement by the State of Indiana.
4. Be suspicious if a caller thanks you for making a pledge that you didn't make. If you have any doubt about whether you made a pledge, check your records. Beware of invoices claiming you've made a pledge when you know you have not. Do not share your social security number, bank account number, medicare number or other personal information.
5. You can cancel a pledge prior to making a contribution. Under Indiana law, a contributor has the right to cancel a pledge for monetary contributions at any time prior to making the contribution.
"Government agencies, including DCS, can not and do not solicit donations ever. If you receive a call from someone saying otherwise, hang up. Scams disguised as charities are especially disheartening because not only do those making a donation lose, so do all the legitimate charities that could have put the money to good use benefiting our communities," Kuzma said. "It's important to ask questions and don’t feel pressured to give. Any legitimate non-profit is going to be happy to provide you with more information about their services and programs so you can make an informed decision about donating."
Victims of scams in Indiana are encouraged to submit a complaint to the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division online at www.IndianaConsumer.com or by calling 1-800-382-5516. To reduce the number of unwanted telemarketing calls, sign up for Indiana's Do Not Call list or confirm a number is on the list by visiting www.IndianaConsumer.com or by calling 1-888-834-9969.
More resources
To research a particular charitable organization, visit these websites:
American Association of Fundraising Counsel
Association of Fundraising Professionals
Association of Small Foundations
BoardSource
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Council on Foundations
Independent sector
Indiana Grantmakers Alliance
National Center for Family Philanthropy
Philanthropy Roundtable
Preying on Seniors | Elderly vulnerable to abuse at home
By Deborah Yetter • dyetter@courier-journal.com
Most elderly people want nothing more than to live the rest of their lives in their homes. “They fear going into nursing homes worse than death itself,” said Sherry Huff Culp, an ombudsman for nursing home residents in the Lexington area.
Yet it is in their own homes that most cases of abuse, neglect or exploitation of the elderly occur, according to a study of calls to Kentucky's Adult Protective Services.
The study, led by University of Kentucky professor Pamela Teaster, found that 70 percent of reports to the state agency involved alleged mistreatment of adults 60 or older in their homes. Four percent involved elderly people who lived with a friend or relative.
By contrast, only about 10 percent of the reports involved alleged mistreatment of elderly residents in nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
Most of the state's residents over age 60 live in their own homes, according to state statistics. Kentucky has about 26,000 licensed nursing home beds, with 24-hour care, and 6,500 personal care beds for its roughly 800,000 residents 60 or older.
Harriette Friedlander, chief executive officer of ElderServe, a nonprofit agency that helps seniors in the Louisville area, said the elderly need to be more aware of what constitutes abuse and fraud and what to do about it. And others in the community must realize it's also their responsibility to recognize and report problems, Friedlander said. State law requires that anyone who suspects elder abuse report it to Adult Protective Services at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. People who suspect that a crime has been committed — such as theft or assault — also may call their local police or sheriff's department.
Jennifer Leibson, an assistant Jefferson County attorney who prosecutes adult abuse, said she believes it is drastically underreported. “It's so easy to negate signs of abuse in an older person,” she said. “We as a society need to stop that.”
Adult children present the greatest risk to an elderly person — they accounted for 37 percent of the suspected perpetrators in Teaster's study, released this year. Adding other family members, such as spouses, siblings or grandchildren, raised the percentage of suspects related to the victim to about 63 percent.
Nikki Henderson, an investigator with the Kentucky attorney general's office, said it's easier for elderly people to be victimized at home because they may become isolated. And if family members are the perpetrators, it's much more likely to go unreported. Some years ago, Henderson said, police investigated a case in St. Matthews involving the death of an elderly woman found lying in feces in her garbage-filled home.
The cause of death was a severe skin infection, said Brad Jeffrey, a former St. Matthews police officer who investigated the case.
Jeffrey said neighbors in the middle-class neighborhood didn't realize that the woman still lived in the home and that her adult son, her caretaker, had stopped taking her to her doctors' appointments. The son was charged with neglect but was found mentally incompetent to stand trial, Jeffrey said. “This lady didn't have to die,” Jeffrey said. “She just fell off the radar.”
Henderson said the case illustrates the need for friends and neighbors to stay involved — and not assume someone else is taking care of an elderly person. “We need to know where our neighbors are, and we need to check on them,” she said. “Neighbors can be really helpful in checking on the elderly.”
Advocates say better reporting of crimes against the elderly is essential to punish perpetrators and create a deterrent.
“If you know of anything, please call us,” Sgt. Jerry Thornsberry, head of the Louisville Metro Police Crimes Against Seniors Unit, recently told a group at a local senior residence. “With a crime, we need to get to it while it's going on. We can't do anything if we're not called.” UNSAFE AT HOME
Caregivers accused of defrauding couple Staff, including hired in-home caregivers, accounted for 30 percent of those suspected of mistreating the elderly, according to Teaster's study.
Such was the situation with Hans and Martha Rau of Jeffersontown, who turned to a personal care agency for assistance several years ago when their health problems worsened. Hans Rau, 84, has arthritis and Parkinson's disease, and his wife, 81, has arthritis and dementia.
The couple were determined to remain in their home of 45 years and rejected the suggestion of their son, Tom, that they move close to him in Florida. “We didn't like Florida especially,” Hans Rau said. “We decided to stay here.” But over about 12 months, two caregivers were charged with defrauding and exploiting them. More than $30,000 in cash, jewelry and valuables were stolen, including gold wedding bands the couple had exchanged before their 1948 ceremony, according to court records.
Amie Hatler McCoy pleaded guilty to theft, exploiting an adult, forgery and fraudulent use of a credit card. She was sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to pay $1,079 in restitution, according to court records. Charges are pending against the other worker, Elizabeth K. Williams. She pleaded not guilty, and proceedings in her case have been delayed several times because of scheduling conflicts. Her trial is now scheduled for March. The Raus said they were devastated by the ordeal, and it caused them to abandon plans to remain in their home.
In November 2009, they sold their house and moved to the Forum at Brookside, a senior community in eastern Jefferson County. The decision was very painful for the couple, Hans Rau said. “You should feel safe in your own home,” he said in a statement filed in the court case of one of the two workers.
COPING WITH COURT
Agency helps seniors navigate legal process When elder abuse victims press charges, they may face obstacles. Delays in court cases and the complexities of the criminal justice system are especially difficult for the elderly, advocates say.
Officials at ElderServe, which offers free assistance for crime victims 60 or older, say problems include lengthy waits at the Jefferson County courthouse, frequent delays, and the difficulty of getting to and parking at the Judicial Center in downtown Louisville. A victim might wait outside the courtroom for hours for the case to be called, said Shannon Gadd, director of ElderServe's Senior Crime Victims Assistance Program. “The waiting times are out of control,” she said.
Transportation to the courthouse also is a problem for elderly people who don't drive or can't walk far from a parking garage, Gadd said. ElderServe will arrange transportation in those cases. Sometimes an ElderServe worker will pick up a client, wait with the person at the courthouse, explain the proceedings and take the person home afterward, she said. “We speak legalese and we speak victimese,” Gadd said.
ElderServe also assists the elderly in obtaining emergency protective orders against spouses or other family members who have hurt or threatened them, she said.
And it provides emergency services to crime victims, including temporary care in the home for someone who has been injured or help in finding a temporary place to stay if the home isn't safe. Gadd said the community's best hope of protecting the elderly is to allow them to live in peace and with dignity at home. “There's so much information that needs to be shared,” she said. “If we can get to someone before someone asks them for money, for a loan or to cash a check, if we can get to them before the money leaves their hands, that would change things so much.”
Reporter Deborah Yetter can be reached at (502) 582-4228.
Treasury to Phase Out Paper Checks by 2013
The Department of the Treasury recently announced it will phase out paper checks for Federal government benefits by March 1, 2013. This new rule will extend the safety and convenience of electronic payments to millions of Americans. People who do not have electronic payments for their federal benefits by that time will receive their funds via a pre-paid debit card. Called the Direct Express® Debit MasterCard® card, it is issued by Comerica Bank as the financial agent of the U.S. Treasury.
To learn more about the Federal government's switch to direct deposit or to change benefits to direct deposit, please visit http://www.GoDirect.org. Information about the federal government's "Go Direct" campaign is also available at 1-800-333-1795.
Prescription drug abuse is fastest-growing drug problem in country By MONIFA THOMAS
Staff Reporter/mjthomas@suntimes.com
David and Gail Katz thought their 25-year-old son Daniel had finally turned the corner on his addiction to prescription painkillers after a year and a half of sobriety.
Then, over a two-week period in 2007, Daniel’s drug use suddenly “spiraled out of control,” his parents said.
On June 15, 2007, Daniel, a well-liked former hockey player, died at his best friend’s house after overdosing on OxyContin and cocaine.
“We heard that he had told his girlfriend that he wanted to start again and turn his life around and that night, he overdosed,” Gail Katz said.
Some think it’s harmless
The Katzes think Daniel started abusing painkillers in college after experimenting with marijuana and alcohol in high school. Though they sought treatment for him several times, Daniel “just couldn’t stay sober,” Gail Katz said.
The Highland Park couple has since made a full-time job of educating teens and their parents about prescription drug abuse, the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States.
Deaths from unintentional drug overdoses in the United States have increased five-fold over the last two decades, claiming more lives than any other type of accidental injury except car accidents, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported earlier this year.
Largely driving the trend is rampant misuse of prescription drugs, particularly painkillers such as OxyContin (oxycodone), Vicodin (hydrocodone) and fentanyl.
Abuse of prescription painkillers was responsible for more overdose deaths in 2007 than heroin and cocaine combined, the CDC says.
Rates of treatment admissions for abuse of painkillers and other non-heroin opiates also rose 345 percent nationwide between 1998 and 2008, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
“Five years ago, 70 percent of the people we saw here were heroin addicts. Today, 70 percent of the people we see are prescription drug users,” said Jake Epperly, president of New Hope Recovery Center in Lincoln Park.
Prescription painkillers, known as opioids, are synthetic versions of opium used to relieve moderate to severe chronic pain.
But in excess quantities, these drugs can suppress a person’s ability to breathe. They’re especially dangerous when mixed with alcohol or other drugs.
Experts say too many people, especially teenagers, mistakenly think that prescription drugs are safer and less addictive than street drugs, even when used improperly.
“People think, ‘It comes from the doctor. Mom took it for a toothache or a broken bone. How bad can it be?’ ” said Sally Thoren, executive director of Gateway Foundation, which provides substance-abuse treatment at locations throughout the state.
The surge in prescription drug abuse followed a shift in doctors’ prescribing habits that began in the 1990s. Recognizing that they needed to do a better job of managing chronic pain than they had in the past, doctors started writing more prescriptions for pain drugs. Greater availability opened the door for more widespread abuse, said Kathleen Kane-Willis, director of Roosevelt University’s Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy.
“In the 80s and early 90s, there was so little pain medicine prescribed,” Kane-Willis said. “Now, the pendulum has kind of swung the other way.”
Docs prescribe more
Rather than denying pain medication to people who need it, Kane-Willis said more doctors need to have frank conversations with their patients about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.
Also contributing to the problem are rogue online pharmacies, operating mostly outside the United States, which provide medications to patients who have never seen or talked to a doctor.
Street gangs, too, have become increasingly involved in prescription drug diversion, according to the Chicago field division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Dan, a 30-year-old businessman from Chicago who asked that his full name not be used, has struggled with his addiction to Vicodin for the last eight years. He was first prescribed the drug after a motorcycle accident in 2002.
Before long, Dan, whose family has a history of substance abuse, was going from hospital to hospital, pretending to have shoulder pain, kidney stones and other ailments in order to score more painkillers. At one point, he took as many as 60 to 70 pills a day, often with alcohol.
Monitoring program
“It’s to the point where you can get pain medication as easily as you can get liquor,” he said. “All you have to do is say, ‘I’m experiencing pain,’ and automatically, they’re going to give you pain medication to control that. You can use that doctor for probably a month or two before they catch on.”
After several failed attempts to get clean on his own, a near-fatal overdose in August led Dan to seek help for his addiction at New Hope Recovery Center. Now, he’s cautiously optimistic that the worst is behind him.
“I can’t say I’m going to be clean for the rest of my life, but I can promise that when I lay my head down on my pillow tonight, I’ll be clean,” he said. “I’m taking it one day at a time.”
Since 2000, Illinois has had a prescription drug monitoring program that tracks prescriptions filled at retail pharmacies. But the onus is mostly on health care providers to check the database to see whether there’s a pattern of doctor-shopping with their patients.
How to dispose of drugs
Most people who abuse prescription drugs get them from a friend or family member. To dispose of unused or expired medications safely, don’t just throw them in the trash or the toilet, said Janet Engle, head of the department of pharmacy practice at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Instead, remove the medication from its original container, mix it with an undesirable substance like kitty litter or coffee grounds and then throw it out in a nondescript container that can be sealed.
Earlier this year, the DEA and Walgreens launched safe drug disposal programs. Disposemymeds.org is also a resource for finding drug take-back programs in your area.
David Katz said prescription drug abuse will continue to be a widespread problem until the public recognizes that misuse of these drugs can have fatal consequences, as it did for his son.
“Nobody wants to think this could happen to them, but it can,” Katz said.
For a listing of local substance abuse treatment facilities, visit http://dasis3.samhsa.gov.
South Shore Elder Services: An Ally to Seniors South Shore Elder Services offers many crucial programs not only for seniors, but for their caregivers as well.
By Ellen McCurdy | Email the author | As Executive Director Ed Flynn puts it, "The primary role of South Shore Elder Services is to help elders maintain their independence and to stay at home for as long as possible, or in the community."
Headquartered in Braintree at 159 Bay State Drive, South Shore Elder Services (SSES) is the local Area Agency on Aging as established by the Older Americans Act of 1965. It serves the communities of Braintree, Quincy, Milton, Randolph, Holbrook, Weymouth, Hingham, Hull, Cohasset, Scituate, and Norwell.
SSES provides many important services for the elder population, made possible through federal funding and corporate donations. Individuals are encouraged to make tax-deductible donations as well.
According to Diane Sargent, Director of Corporate Relations, SSES also provides useful information and resources to caregivers, who are encouraged to contact them to learn more about options for elder relatives. For qualified applicants, a care manager will consult with the families and develop a workable plan for services that range from adult day care to homemaker visits.
"Meals on Wheels" is a very familiar SSES program. Volunteers with a valid Massachusetts driver's license are always needed to deliver nutritious meals to homebound individuals who cannot safely prepare their own. More than 1,200 hot meals go out each day Monday through Friday.
The "Money Management" program assists elders with budgeting money, paying bills and balancing checkbooks to ensure that routine financial obligations are met on schedule. This is an AARP-based program with training and ongoing support provided to volunteers who are asked to make a one-year commitment.
Many seniors live alone and would benefit from a bit of conversation. The "Friendly Visitor" program alleviates this need. Volunteers commit to making weekly visits for at least six months.
How You Can Help
Anyone wishing to volunteer for these South Shore Elder Services programs should contact Volunteer Coordinator Jody Hodgdon at 781-848-3910 ext 430.
South Shore Elder Services is also concerned with the rights of nursing home patients. The "Ombudsman" program trains volunteers to visit residents on a weekly basis, advocate for them, and educate them on their rights. Full training and support are provided to volunteers who should contact Patti White 781-848-3910 ext 323 to learn more.
All volunteers must undergo a CORI criminal background check to ensure the safety of the elders whom the organization serves.
For more information on elder care, visit the SSES web site and click on the Links page.
FEMA Encourages Seniors And People With Special Needs To Prepare For Winter Release Number: 1943-001
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The onset of winter-like weather requires a resetting of the preparedness refresh button for millions of elderly Americans and those with physical, medical, sensory or cognitive disabilities. Extreme cold and harsh winter storms can dramatically increase the daily hardships and day to day survival challenges for this population.
With temperatures dropping and snowflakes beginning to fall, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says that now is the time to take a few easy steps to prepare for emergencies.
FEMA officials urge seniors and people with disabilities to: - Make prior arrangements with your physician or check with your oxygen supplier about emergency plans for those on respirators or other electric powered medical equipment.
- Plan now to have electrical backup for medical equipment.
- Develop a back-up communications plan in case land lines are disrupted by having a charged cell phone or a pager.
- Maintain a two-week supply of medications, both prescription and non-prescription.
- Have copies of your medical records, prescriptions and medical needs readily available.
- Plan now to have accessible transportation in case of evacuation.
- Have contact lenses, extra eyeglasses and batteries for hearing aids ready to go.
- Include your service animals and pets in your plans.
- Think ahead about neighborhood shelters that can accommodate the needs of seniors and the disabled.
FEMA also recommends that people with special needs develop and stay in touch with a nearby network of assistance before winter storms or record cold move in. It’s important for neighbors, relatives, care attendants, friends and coworkers to be part of your care and communications circle. Never depend on one person alone.
Severe winter weather including snow, subfreezing temperatures, strong winds, ice or even heavy rain requires planning ahead.
FEMA recommends an emergency supply kit that includes: - A battery or hand crank powered radio, extra flashlights and batteries, and at minimum a week’s supply of food and water.
- Adequate clothing and blankets for warmth.
- First Aid Supplies.
Finally, it’s important to understand the terms of declining weather and pending winter storms. - A winter weather advisory means that cold, ice and snow are expected.
- A winter storm watch means severe weather such as heavy snow or ice is possible in the next day or two.
- A winter storm warning means that severe winter conditions have begun or will begin very soon.
Remember that planning ahead, assembling an emergency supply kit, staying informed and keeping those in your circle informed about you are the best ways to stay safe through the uncertain days of winter
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Seniors ripping off their peers is becoming 'the new retirement plan'
by Jason Zweig and Mary Pilon
A grim category of crime is on the rise: senior-on-senior financial fraud.
According to regulators and prosecutors, there has been a significant increase recently in the number of cases in which older investors have been taken advantage of by elderly scam artists.
"That's a definite new trend," says Denise Voigt Crawford, the Texas securities commissioner. "We're seeing more cases of older people ripping off other older people. Someone joked that seniors ripping off their peers is becoming 'the new retirement plan.'"
In Texas, John F. Langford, 76 years old, is expected to go on trial in Amarillo next year on charges that he fraudulently sold about $6 million in promissory notes and what he called "private annuities" to a circle of his fellow senior citizens. "We dispute all the state's allegations," says Mr. Langford's attorney, Tim Pirtle.
In Louisiana, meanwhile, Judith Zabalaoui, 73, pleaded guilty in February 2009 to five counts of mail fraud and is now serving an eight-year prison sentence after persuading at least 35 clients, many of them elderly, to invest in two nonexistent companies that promised "safe" returns of 13% to 26%. She had clients sign a power of attorney, giving her access to their funds — and spent more than $3 million of their money on her own expenses, including clothing and vacations, according to court documents.
Anthony Joseph, Ms. Zabalaoui's attorney, didn't respond to requests for comment.
Many financial planners who got into the business during the bull market of the early 1980s are senior citizens themselves now. With their own wealth ravaged by the bear market of the past decade, many of these people can no longer afford to retire. That, say regulators, may be prompting some older financial advisers to engage in riskier and less ethical behavior.
Elderly investors are natural targets in part because they may be more susceptible to fraud. A 2008 study by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology found that older adults are significantly worse than younger people at detecting whether someone who may have stolen money is telling the truth.
What's more, according to research by Harvard University economist David Laibson and his colleagues, the typical person's ability to make astute financial decisions peaks at about age 53, then wanes with each passing year; another study found that investing ability takes a steep drop after age 70.
Brian Knutson, a neuroscientist at Stanford University, has monitored the brain activity of dozens of older investors. "When they encounter a risk," says Prof. Knutson, "they will be more likely than younger people to focus on the upside of that risk." That can lead older investors to play down the downside.
According to Mara Mather, a psychologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, older adults also seek less data than younger people do when making complex decisions — and will go out of their way to avoid negative information or confrontations. This "high avoidance," Prof. Mather says, can lead older investors to get sucked further into a scam, throwing good money after bad.
Some older financial advisers use their age as a selling point, telling clients they understand the challenges that older investors face. In many instances, say prosecutors, unscrupulous advisers also tout their professional designations, or credentials, as further evidence of their expertise.
Professional credentials have exploded in popularity among financial advisers in recent years. Some credentials are difficult to obtain, but many of the newer ones can be gotten easily — often with minimal study and just a few hundred dollars.
The Wall Street Journal has identified more than 200 credentials available to financial-services professionals, including at least six with the word "senior" in their name: certified senior adviser; certified senior consultant; certified senior specialist; certified senior financial planner; chartered senior financial planner; and chartered adviser for senior living.
Mr. Langford, the Texas adviser, marketed himself by telling prospective clients that he was a certified senior adviser and even showing them the number on his membership certificate, says Ludie Stone, 89, who invested $211,000. "That gave me confidence," she says. The Society of Certified Senior Advisors permanently revoked Mr. Langford's designation in October 2008 after receiving a complaint, a spokesman says.
Some advisers find that credentials are so effective in winning new clients that they don't even need to keep the designation current.
The certified financial planner designation, for example, is among the industry's most stringent and respected. It requires a bachelor's degree, 15 credit hours of college-level courses in certain subjects, 10 hours of exams over two days, adherence to an ethical code and 30 hours of continuing education every two years in order to qualify for biannual renewal.
Yet Ms. Zabalaoui, the Louisiana adviser, marketed herself as a CFP, say clients, even though her credential lapsed in 2000. Among the burned investors were Rex and Jackie Hall, an Albany, La., couple ages 58 and 60, respectively, who lost $24,000. Mr. Hall says his wife met Ms. Zabalaoui at a seminar and was impressed. "When you see the letters [CFP] after her name," Mr. Hall says, "you assume she has an enhanced position."
It is important for older investors to run financial decisions past a younger relative or someone who can resist the emotional pull of the situation, says Prof. Knutson. In some states, such as Alabama, "sentinels" trained by securities regulators seek to attend any free lunch or dinner seminars hosted by financial advisers. If the sentinels see anything awry, they report it to state or federal investigators.
At the very least, older investors should never attend such events unless they are accompanied by a trusted younger friend or family member. And younger relatives should periodically ask their older family members whether they have been pitched any products or services by financial advisers, say regulators and consumer advocates.
The husband-and-wife team of Thomas and Susan Cooper, ages 69 and 67, respectively, have hosted several such seminars over the years. Securities regulators in Illinois allege that the couple improperly sold annuities to 15 elderly clients. Last week, testimony concluded in administrative hearings through which the state is seeking to revoke the investment-adviser registrations of the Coopers and their firm.
The Coopers, according to the state's investigation, generated more than $400,000 in commissions in the first half of 2008 by persuading clients to buy fixed indexed annuities. According to the state's investigation, the Coopers' clients incurred more than $125,000 in early-surrender charges when they exchanged out of existing insurance products.
"The state's allegations are completely unfounded, and its numbers are inaccurate and not proven," says the Coopers' attorney, Thomas Kelty. "The state failed miserably to prove any of its allegations." A decision is expected in the case early next year.
Mrs. Cooper is a CFP. George Keller, a 69-year-old retired factory worker, says the professional credential raised his comfort level. "Oh my goodness, yes, I was impressed by that," recalls Mr. Keller of their first meeting, an informational seminar the Coopers hosted over dinner at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kankakee in 2006.
"Her husband, Tom, stood up before we ate and gave a very solid, God-honoring prayer," Mr. Keller says. According to Mr. Keller, the Coopers had asked several of their existing clients to attend the dinner. "Some were friends of ours," he recalls.
"We felt that because [the Coopers] were close to our age, they would understand and would have dealt with a lot of the problems that we face at our age: health setbacks and that sort of thing," he says. "Isn't that supposed to be a plus — to get somebody who understands your problems?"
According to Mr. Keller and state investigators, the Coopers prematurely switched him out of an insurance policy and into a fixed indexed annuity. That allegedly earned the Coopers a commission of $3,519 while costing Mr. Keller roughly $27,000 in insurance death benefits and a surrender penalty of more than $1,100.
Mr. Keller says he realized something had gone wrong when he noticed that his insurance death benefit had dropped to less than $5,000. Even so, Mr. Keller says he "felt bad about pushing this" with investigators.
As with many senior-on-senior fraud cases, a sense of loyalty kept the alleged victims from complaining even after losses were sustained. Illinois investigators say they had to subpoena many of the alleged victims to gather information from them. Mr. Kelty, the Coopers' attorney, says that during testimony in the hearing, "to a person, they testified that they were satisfied, fully informed and have no complaints whatsoever against the Coopers."
"We were feeling guilty," recalls Mr. Keller about raising his complaint in the first place. "We thought we'd somehow started it." Identity Theft Victimization Data Released
"Victims of Identity Theft, 2008" (NCJ 231680, 20 pp.) presents findings from the 2008 Identity Theft Supplement (ITS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The NCVS/ITS used interviews from a nationally representative sample of about 56,500 U.S. household residents to collect the first BJS data on individual victims of identity theft. (BJS) | |
