SAVE THE DATE!
The 2011 National Triad Conference will take place in Chicago, IL on October 3 – 5th, 2011.
This year’s mission: Law Enforcement & Aging: Building Safety Nets for Older Adults
Please join us in sharing new ways to educate and protect older adults in our communities, network, and discover the latest challenges, threats, scams, and abuse issues for older adults and what law enforcement can do about it. Look to www.nationaltriad.org for more information pertaining to the conference – registration; list of seminars; and housing information will follow shortly. We hope to see you there!
Risks vary for older drivers
Experts say age, ability are separate issues for motorists
By Ray Finger • rafinger@gannett.com •
As the population continues to age and the number of older drivers on the road increases, questions arise: How do you know when it's time to hang up the keys? And how do you start the discussion with an older family member?
Nationwide, 32 million drivers are 65 or older, representing about 15 percent of all licensed drivers. That number is projected to reach 57 million by 2030, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The increase may raise some eyebrows, considering several recent accidents in Chemung County involving older drivers: - A 78-year-old Golden Glow woman killed an 18-year-old skateboarder in August in a hit-and-run accident in Elmira.
- An 84-year-old Elmira man crashed through the main entrance to the Rite Aid store on Elmira's Southside in December.
- A 75-year-old Painted Post woman driving the wrong way on state Route 352 in Corning was killed in an accident that injured an Addison woman, also in December.
- A 65-year-old Elmira woman injured the West Elmira police chief when she struck his patrol car on Water Street earlier this month.
Motor vehicle crash deaths per capita begin to increase markedly starting at ages 70 to 74, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research group that is funded by the insurance industry. Per mile traveled, fatal crash rates increase starting at age 75 and increase notably after age 80, the institute says.
Still, people age 65 and older accounted for 15 percent of all traffic fatalities, the same percentage as the number of senior drivers, and 18 percent of all pedestrian fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's National Center for Statistics and Analysis in Washington, D.C.
And there is evidence that older drivers are getting better at regulating themselves -- or that loved ones are convincing them to give up the keys.
The rate of fatal crashes involving drivers 70 and older dropped 37 percent between 1997 and 2008, according to "Contrary to Expectations," a report the insurance institute released in June. For drivers over 80, the fatal crash rate declined 47 percent, and the rate of nonfatal accidents also dropped for older drivers.
"We've known for a long time that people adapt their driving to what makes them feel comfortable," said Nancy Thompson, a spokeswoman for AARP in Washington, D.C.
"They may stick to surface roads and not do interstates. They may stick to familiar routes. They may only drive at certain times of the day, when there's less congestion, or they may regulate their driving by weather," she said.
"Those are all different ways that people choose to regulate their own driving to adapt to their own comfort level."
'It's not about age'
Even so, younger members of families need to monitor the driving of their older family members as they would teenage drivers, Thompson said."It's not about age, it's about health. The issue is about ability, your health conditions and your ability to drive, not your age," she said. "While there are some things that come with age, they don't hit everybody at the same time, and some people never experience them. It's really about health," Thompson said. "A cataract is a health issue, but in a way, so are addictions."
For those on the lookout, there are a number of warning signs that range from minor to serious. These behaviors can include riding the brake, being easily distracted, incorrect signaling, hitting curbs, not noticing traffic signs, having trouble navigating turns, not anticipating potentially dangerous situations, delayed responses, moving into the wrong lane, confusion at exits, getting lost in familiar places and confusing the gas and brake pedals.
Start a conversation
It is important to talk about concerns with older drivers long before there is a crisis.
"We encourage people to start talking about the future early and often -- 'How do you want to live when you get older, Mom? What do you think?' Part of that conversation then becomes 'We need to figure out how you can get around if you have to hang up the keys, and what we would do about that,'" she said.
"We encourage people to start thinking about those things early and researching them early, so that when it does come time to talk about hanging up the keys, it doesn't become an either/or situation or a struggle of wills."
According to her attorney, the 78-year-old woman who killed the skateboarder in Elmira had no family to advise her not to drive. She has a history of low blood sugar that has impaired her driving. In the past decade, it has resulted in incidents that included property damage accidents, nearly hitting pedestrians after running a red light, driving her car through yards and bushes, and running over a road construction barrel.
She was sentenced to a year in prison for leaving the scene of an accident and her driver's license was revoked.
Know the options
Sometimes, people are unwilling to give up their driving privileges because they don't know how they will get around without their car.
Options in Chemung County include RSVP's RIDE program for eligible county residents 55 years of age and older who need transportation to medical and dental appointments and other health-related destinations.
Additionally, Chemung County Transit offers a curbside pick-up service through its Route Deviation/Demand Response Service Program for those living within three-quarters of a mile of a bus route. While the fare for route deviation is normally double the fixed-route fare, those 60 years of age or older can ride for half the regular fare.
The Chemung County Department of Aging and Long Term Care gets a limited amount of federal funding under the Older Americans Act that subsidizes limited rides for medical purposes if the person meets certain low-income eligibility requirements and is not part of another program such as Medicaid, Director Sam David said.
However, people are encouraged to seek other alternatives because that transportation program is a last resort and a safety net for people who fall through the cracks, he said.
Seeking solutions
During a recent transportation summit in Elmira, Chemung County transit system riders, agencies whose clients rely on the system and transportation experts explored what can be done to make the transit system more responsive to all riders, said Jim Arey, senior transportation planner for the Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council.
"As a result of the summit, one of our goals was to establish a rider advisory council. Certainly, seniors would be represented on that," he said. "They would be a way for us not only to provide information in terms of what's available but also get feedback from them in terms of what's the need."
The advisory council is in the process of being formed, and people who expressed an interest in being a part of it are being contacted, Arey said. The first meeting is expected to be held in February.
The transit system works with Chemung County's department of aging so that some buses specifically stop at senior high-rise apartments and complexes within transit routes, David said.
"If a new building goes up, especially in the city, that's got a concentration of older folks, they'll make sure the route goes past there so people can get picked up and taken to-and-fro from there," he said.
Pilot project in Ithaca
America is a car-dependent society, and for those who live in a rural area, there often are not many alternatives to get around, Thompson said.
"That's why it becomes very important to have a plan in place for the time when you can no longer drive," she said. "It's very important for communities to take into account that their population is aging and will be staying on the roads because there are so few alternatives."In Ithaca, agencies are partnering with the national nonprofit organization ITNAmerica, which stands for Independent Transportation Network, to develop an alternative transportation program for seniors with help from Tompkins County residents. The research and development project is expected to last up to 18 months.
The program that is used in larger metropolitan areas includes a volunteer network to give seniors rides whenever they need them. Volunteers use their own cars and are reimbursed for mileage. Seniors can pay for these trips by trading in their car for credit worth the amount of the car. Whatever they don't use goes into their estate.
Know your limits
For most Chemung County residents, though, driving is a way of life. Trudy Barnard, 76, of Elmira, is one of those drivers.
Many years ago, she said she felt unsafe driving at night because she wasn't used to it.
"Then I had a job where I had to drive evenings when it was dark. I realized if you don't use it, you lose it, so I went back to driving (at night). I had to," she said.
"I had to go to work or come from work. So the need was there, and now I notice I'm doing just as well at night."
Barnard said she doesn't mind driving on the highway up to Rochester to visit her child or for appointments with her doctors. "I would limit myself if I would have to, but so far, so good."
Passwords to Head Off the Hackers
New rules for an old problem: how to create a strong password
by: Sid Kirchheimer | from: AARP Bulletin |
Using their own ingenuity and automated programs that target thousands of computers simultaneously, hackers can quickly crack many simple passwords and break into online accounts. And once they sign in as you, they may change the password, locking you out of your own account.
One study finds that a successful hacking attack occurs about every 39 seconds. But in just a few seconds of your own, there are some ways you can strengthen your password for better online security.
12 is the new 8
As cyber crooks hone their skills, the traditional recommendation that passwords contain at least eight characters has changed. Passwords should now be at least 12 characters, say researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute. In their tests, they learned that eight-character passwords can be cracked in about two hours, but adding just four additional keystrokes to a password could raise that to a theoretical 17,000 years.
Small tweaks, big results
Longer passwords are a good first step, but even more important is making each character count. And yet one recent survey found that half of 2,500 surveyed computer users never employ symbols such as &, >, # or @ in their passwords. Worse, many still only use lowercase letters or just add numbers at the end of words, such as the foolish and easily hacked "password123."
In one study, a British researcher noted that bolstering an all lowercase eight-character password with a few well-placed symbols, numbers and a combination of upper- and lowercase letters would take commercial hacking software about 200 years to crack.
Steps like these serve to blunt the hackers' software, which works by trying various versions of words in an English dictionary and even combinations of them.
— David Selman/Alamy
Easier recall of 'hard' passwords
Of course, the more complicated a password, the harder it is for you to remember it — explaining why you may often quickly change the cryptic passwords initially assigned when you open a new online account. After all, who can remember "iH3k&tR#rS-c"?
You can — by taking some new advice: Choose a sentence, phrase or song that you can easily remember, and add a few keystroke tweaks. The above 12-character password, for example, is a hacker-resistant version of "I have 3 kids and they are really super-cool" (which is true for me, but hackers, take note: I'm not using it as a password).
Your favorite song? "When I'm feeling blue/All I have to do/Is take a look at you" becomes "WiFbAiH2DiTaLaU," with each word's initial letter alternating between lower case and capital. Then "A Groovy Kind of Love" becomes a stronger password.
And while you shouldn't use birthdays or anniversaries as a password — those dates may be available in online public records and used by hackers who specifically target you — those easy-to-remember dates can be tweaked for better protection. If you must rely on your June 10 wedding, for instance, consider including lesser-known info — such as the initials of your maid of honor (Susan Jones) and honeymoon destination (Miami), à la "sj@0610#miaFL."
Of course, this level of complexity may not be for everyone. But give it a try — if you create (and remember) passwords like these, you'll have nearly uncrackable security.
Other old-standby ways to bolster password security: - Say no when browsers offer to save your password. Website browsers such as Firefox and Internet Explorer let users save passwords so that they don't have to enter them each time they go to a site, but widely used password-stealing "Trojan" programs know where to look for and how to steal that information. Plus, a saved password can translate to easier hacking if your computer gets stolen.
- Use different passwords for different accounts. And change them every 90 days or so. Only about one in five computers users employs multiple passwords on different accounts, and many fail to ever change them.
- Check your password. Whenever you choose a new one, gauge its strength at websites such as Microsoft's Password Checker.
Sid Kirchheimer is the author of Scam-Proof Your Life, published by AARP Books/Sterling.
Local agencies worry about impact of budget cuts on elderly
By Annette Fuller
Elder-care providers, already struggling to meet high demand for their services, carefully will watch the congressional debates on President Barack Obama's proposed $3.7 trillion budget, which includes cuts for Medicaid, Medicare and other programs to help seniors.
"There is always a concern about cuts," said Dottie Lyvers, director of the Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments' Area Agency on Aging. "There's a feeling in the air that looming cuts are everywhere."
Many cuts on the state and federal levels affect older adults, she said, adding that some proposed cuts in Medicaid could affect whether seniors can grow older in their own homes.
"In the next couple of months, the debate will be more intense," said Richard Gottlieb, president and chief executive officer of Senior Services of Winston-Salem. "Our challenge as a nonprofit is surviving with tight federal, state and local budgets. Thankfully, we receive many donations and private dollars, but we can't exist exclusively on private dollars."
With the recent economic downturn and tight governmental budgets, "people are looking to any avenue to get some help," said Sam Matthews, executive director of The Shepherd's Center of Winston-Salem, a nonprofit that focuses on helping seniors. "Whatever shape or fashion the budget cuts take on a state and federal level, I'm sure that's going to mean a significant increase in demand for our services."
The budget sets in motion lowering Medicaid payments to health-care providers by $28.8 billion over the next 10 years. It does postpone for two years a painful reality for the medical community: the scheduled 25 percent cut in the Medicare physician payment formula.
The cuts in Medicaid are serious problems for North Carolina, said Bob Seligson, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the N.C. Medical Society.
Medicaid typically helps the elderly, mothers and children — the state's most vulnerable residents, he said.
"They may eventually have trouble finding a doctor to treat them basically at a loss," he said.
Primary-care physicians are having a tough time keeping the doors open and keeping up with the overhead and ongoing cuts in federal medical programs, he said.
Gottlieb said he hopes the dollars for home- and community-based care will not be cut because they are the most cost-effective.
"We need to spend on services that will save money in the long run," Gottlieb said, referring to programs such as home health care, nutrition services and adult day health services.
If funds are curtailed massively, the country will see more domestic violence and elder abuse, Matthews said.
"Sometimes people don't realize just how sensitive their (seniors') living situations are," Matthews said.
The pressure forces The Shepherd's Center and Senior Services, among others, to increase its push for volunteers.
"We think the faith community will respond, some financially, some with volunteers," Matthews said.
Gottlieb said the more than 2,000 volunteers with Senior Services help keep its costs low.
The Shepherd's Center has several programs that assist seniors, from helping with minor home repairs, to transportation, to respite care so that caregivers can get a break from helping an elderly loved one.
"We can help alleviate some of the load on governmental programs," he said. "We complement the services that are offered."
But the push is always on, as the numbers of older adults living below the poverty line is growing, Matthews said.
"We have to be extremely careful not to lower the safety net too low, or create holes in the safety net," Matthews said. "This will lead to hopelessness and destitution. There's got to be a way to do it to maintain the dignity and survivability of older people living on the edge."
afuller@wsjournal.com
(336) 727-7389
Winston-Salem Journal © Copyright 2011 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. A Media General company.
The National Sheriffs’ Association in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U. S. Department of Justice is pleased to announce that they are accepting nominations for the 8th Annual National Neighborhood Watch Awards of Excellence to be presented during the General Section of the 2011 National Sheriffs’ Association Conference in St. Louis, MO.
All law enforcement agencies, Neighborhood Watch groups, organizations, and/or programs that have made an exceptional contribution to the Neighborhood Watch program in their communities are encouraged to submit nominations to the National Sheriffs’ Association by March 31, 2011.
For complete information on eligibility, criteria, and nomination forms please visit
http://www.usaonwatch.org/about/awards.aspx
Local Triad group helps seniors protect themselves
The threats to senior citizens are everywhere – from investment scams to abuse by caregivers or family members and from identity theft to “grandchildren” scams. Add the fact that this generation was raised to trust in their fellow man and honor their obligations and you get a particularly vulnerable population.
By: Wendy Johnson, Pine Journal
The threats to senior citizens are everywhere – from investment scams to abuse by caregivers or family members and from identity theft to “grandchildren” scams. Add the fact that this generation was raised to trust in their fellow man and honor their obligations and you get a particularly vulnerable population.
In an effort to diffuse the fear and uncertainty associated with growing old in today’s challenging world, a new local partnership known as Triad has been formed between Carlton County law enforcement, older adults and the community at large. The name reflects the three-part nature of the organization and is not meant to be an acronym, though many who are associated with it also claim the name stands for “The Right Information and Direction.”
Triad is a national program designed to help reduce criminal victimization of the elderly and operates on the principle that the goal can best be met through a cooperative effort.
“When the idea was first brought up,” said Deb Lindamood, program director of Volunteer Services of Carlton County, “we turned to our senior volunteers to kind of help build the local program. It took off from there, and we continue to lend support to it. So far, it’s been a great marriage partnership.”
A kick-off event was hosted by Atkins-Northland Funeral Home last fall and attended by some 100 people. Since that time the group has held three meetings in various locations around the county, appointed a board of directors and elected officers. Attendance at the meetings has varied depending on location and has averaged some 15-25 people.
“You don’t have to be a senior to attend,” explained Sheriff Kelly Lake, who has been instrumental in helping to organize the group and conducting the monthly meetings. “We encourage anyone to attend who is in interested in educating, protecting or being involved with seniors.”
Triad groups often sponsor crime prevention programs for older adults that highlight personal safety tips; neighborhood watches; elder abuse prevention; recognition, reporting and knowledge of current frauds and schemes.
“By combatting the vulnerability of older persons at a community level,” said Lake, “we hope to reduce the fear associated with these various scams and threats and improve their quality of life.”
Newly elected secretary of the Carlton County Triad group is Mary Oja of Cromwell, who also serves as president of the Council on Aging.
“We strongly felt that we needed to get something going here on behalf of our seniors,” said Oja of the group’s formation. She said meetings thus far have already yielded valuable information by speakers such as Shelly Lough of the State Bank of Finlayson, who talked about financial scams, bogus charities and false solicitations; social worker Dave Hall who talked about vulnerable adults, the resources available to them and the importance of being aware of the needs of your neighbors; and fraud investigator and former Moose Lake officer Austin Berg, who discussed various scams going around the area as well as abuse or opportunistic schemes by resident grandchildren or other family members.
Pat Cain of Wright, who was recently elected to co-chair the Triad group along with her husband Larry, said their reason for getting involved is both personal and philanthropic.
“We’re into the senior age group ourselves,” she said, “and we know there are so many others who are floundering. We hope we can be involved on behalf of the western end of the county to help get the information to our neighbors.”
Lake said another side benefit of the group is opening the lines of communication between law enforcement and seniors. She said an individual who has been attending the Triad meetings had some concerns over some questionable activity regarding vulnerable adults that was going on in their community, and she called Lake directly to let her know about it.
“I’m not certain she would have felt as comfortable doing that if we hadn’t gotten to know each other at the meetings,” said Lake.
The newly formed Triad group recently decided to take on an additional challenge – hosting this year’s Triad state conference.
“It’s a big commitment,” admitted Lake, “but we hope it will call attention to Triad and all of the benefits it offers the community.”
The three-day conference is tentatively scheduled to take place in late September at Black Bear Casino Resort and is expected to attract some 200 people to the area.
The local Triad group meets the first Wednesday of each month, and the next meeting is slated for 10 a.m. March 2 at the Carlton County Transportation Building, 1630 County Road 61, Carlton. The public is invited to attend. For more information, call Lake at 218-384-3236 or Volunteer Services of Carlton County, Inc. at 218-879-9238.
Advisory Message: Telephone Scam being used by Inmates and others - Don't fall for this (*72)
Advisory Message has been issued by the LASD - Headquarters Newsroom (SHB), Los Angeles County Sheriff.
Saturday February 26, 2011 1:37 PM PST
Telephone Scam being used by Inmates and others - Don't fall for this (*72)
Members of the public are being tricked by jail inmates and others through a telephone scam.
The increasing pattern was noticed by deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, who have been receiving an increasing number of phone calls from people who have been scammed.
Members of the public have been calling the Sheriff's Department and asking to talk to a specific deputy, detective, or sergeant who had just called them. The real deputy who answers the phone explains they are mistaken, as the named deputy does not exist or is not on duty.
The scam begins by the victim caller receiving a call from a person claiming to be a deputy. This imposter tells the victim that one of their family member's has been incarcerated or involved in an accident. The imposter then informs the victim caller that their family member provided the victim caller's name as an emergency contact.
The victim caller is then instructed to call a number that begins with *72 (Example: *72-323-555-1212) to get the information they will need. When the victim caller hangs up and dials the number provided, they are told they have a wrong number.
Concerned for the safety of their family member, the victim caller then calls an information line (4-1-1) and asks for a number to the Sheriff's Department. They are then connected with a real deputy.
However, since the victim caller used the prefix *72 to initiate their last phone call, they have just automatically forwarded all their incoming calls to the scammer's phone number (These include collect calls from inmates who want to avoid paying for collect calls). The billing for these forwarded calls goes to the victim caller until they turn off call forwarding on their phone (usually by dialing *73).
If not careful, Victims can be scammed out of a lot of money in collect-call fees before they find this out.
Do Not Dial *72 unless you want to forward your calls.
If you have been involved in this scam, and you have already dialed a number beginning with *72, contact your phone service provider to learn how to shut off automatic call forwarding.
For more information regarding this scam, please read the below alert from the California Public Utilities Commission for further details, recommendations and recourse.
Deputy Mark Pope
Deputy Robert Boese III
C
aptain Mike Parker
Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau - Newsroom
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
(323) 267- 4800
SHBNewsroom@lasd.org
www.lasd.org
Leroy D. Baca, Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
***
*72 Phone Scam - CONSUMER ADVISORY
Consumers should be aware of a phone scam that can leave you with high phone bills. It starts when scammers call you pretending to be with the police or sheriff's department, public safety agencies, or hospitals. They may make up a story about your child or other loved one being hurt in an accident. They then tell you to call the officer at the scene of the accident by dialing *72 and a phone number they provide you.
DO NOT DO THIS!
By dialing *72 at the beginning of a call, you will activate call forwarding, if you subscribe to it, and all calls to your phone number will be forwarded to the phone number that the scammers gave you.
When that happens, you may be billed a charge each time a call is forwarded to the other number. You may also be billed long distance charges, including collect call charges if applicable. Calls will continue to forward until you turn off the call forwarding feature. In some cases *73 turns off call forwarding, but that may vary depending on which phone company and the type of call forwarding service you subscribe to.
By getting you to activate your call forwarding feature and providing you with a number (it could be to an expensive pay-per-call service, the East Coast, etc.), the scammers can then call that number by dialing your phone number and you will be billed the additional charges. Don’t let this happen to you!
You may have call forwarding as a feature of your landline or wireless service. If you are unsure if you have it, ask your phone company. Also not all call forwarding is activated by *72. If you have call forwarding, find out how to use it, as well as all your other services.
If this does happen to you, call your phone company to dispute the charges and report it to the California Public Utilities Commission’s consumer hotline at 800-649-7570.
CONSUMER ADVISORY
California Public Utilities Commission Consumer Hotline
(800) 649-7570
ftp://ftp.cpuc.ca.gov/cei/advisories/72%20Scam%20final.pdf
http://www.calphoneinfo.com/
http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/Telco/Consumer+Information/081022_72advisory.htm
More Senior Safety related articles are located at www.nationaltriad.org; e-news section. |
