Every Year Thousands of Seniors are Victims of Identity Theft

Did you know that in 2012, 1 in 4 Canadians will be impacted by some form of identity theft. Identity theft involves someone accessing your personal information such as banking, credit card, drivers license or SIN card number and using that information to impersonate you. 

Last week I heard Anna Hill from Legal Shield speak about the risk of identity theft and in particular how vulnerable seniors are to this crime. 

When we think of identity theft we all think about our bank card or credit card being stolen or compromised. I know this has happened to me. Overall it is usually a minor inconvenience - the bank replaces your card and covers the charges. 

But I have never really thought about my health card, SIN or drivers license being compromised. The criminals do not need to actually steal your card they just need access to your valid card number and your address. Your drivers license number can be sold and used to create a license for someone else. You may not know your identity has been compromised until you get a traffic ticket in the mail or worse a court date for a criminal charge such as drunk driving. Now you will need to prove that it wasn’t you! 

Seniors are more vulnerable to identity theft for a number of reasons: often seniors rely on others to assist them in their day to day activities; seniors may not check their bank or credit card statements; seniors may be more trusting of people and may fall victim to phone or Internet scams. Even after someone passes away their identity may be used by criminals. 

Here are some tips that Anna recommended to protect the seniors in our lives:

• avoid on-line banking and continue to bank in person  
• freeze credit (this means new accounts cannot be opened in their name)
• opt out of junk mail
• purchase a shredder and shred all documents with personal information 
• and finally, keep informed about scams (mail, phone, door to door, Internet, etc.)

Anna’s advice for everyone else - regularly change your PIN number and passwords!

Find out more about identity theft  here.

Removing Grandma's rugs!

I won the argument! Well it wasn't really an argument, grandma is 94 and as sweet as ever, but she wasn't going to let me remove the rugs in her house. Why? Wait for it ... Because they are protecting her carpet. I have heard this exact response from other seniors when I've suggested they remove their rugs.

                                                     Grandma Darling 94 yrs old

Last spring I attended a seminar on "Fall Prevention" by Jackie Hickey from Bayshore Home Health. I have never looked at a rug the same.

Some statistics on falls:

• About one third of the population over the age of 65 falls each year, and the risk of falls increases proportionately with age. At 80 years, over half of seniors will experience at least one fall annually.
• As alarming as these numbers are, these documented statistics fall short of the actual number since many incidents are unreported by seniors and unrecognised by family members or caregivers.

• Frequent falling. Those who fall are two to three times more likely to fall again.
• About half (53%) of the older adults who are discharged for fall-related hip fractures will experience another fall with in six months
• Falls are the leading cause of death due to injury among the elderly. 87% of all fractures in the elderly are due to falls.
• Falls account for 25% of all hospital admissions, and 40% of all nursing home admissions. 40% of those admitted to hospital do not return to independent living and 25% will die within a year.

Where seniors fall:

• Nearly half of all injuries among seniors occur at home. The bathroom and stairs are particularly hazardous due to the risk of slipping, tripping and stumbling often on rugs.

So, although it took me several visits to persuade my grandmother to give up her rugs, I finally persuaded her to roll them up and give them away. Now I can sleep just a little bit better knowing that I have prevented a possible fall.

The Power of an Exercise

One weekend last spring I read a story about Kensington Hospice. It was beautiful and touched me deeply. I decided that I wanted to become part of what they were doing and for me, this would mean "making people look and feel beautiful" by doing their hair.

This month I am enrolled in the Toronto Hospice course. We are learning a lot and I am experiencing feelings I never knew I had. It's a journey. The course is 35 hours and is completed over about 5 weeks. It is mandatory for all hospice volunteers. I want to tell you about an exercise we did in class last week.  The topic was Grief and Bereavement. You can do it yourself if you want...

Start with a piece of paper and cut it into 12 small pieces. Take the small pieces of paper and make three rows of four squares each on a table in front of you. That is the easy part.

Next on the first row choose 4 people you love most in the world - write their names down on the first 4 squares of paper ... of course you love more but you must choose only 4. On the second row pretend your house was on fire and you could safely run in and grab 4 things that mean the most to you - write those 4 things down. On the last row - write down 4 of your biggest dreams or goals in your life.

Now imagine you've not been feeling well and have had some medical tests done. The doctors office calls you to come in. Take 1 square from each row away.

You meet the doctor and he tells you that the prognosis isn't good and that you have 4 months to live.
Take 1 more square from each row away.

I don't really have to finish this exercise because I'm already crying. I have only a glimpse of what my client is thinking and feeling. As a volunteer at the hospice I will be offering clients a shampoo, scalp massage, haircut and styling and a chance to relax for a few moments and feel beautiful inside and out.