It’s World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
It’s a day to talk about preventing, identifying, and responding to elder abuse and financial exploitation.
Whether you are an older adult, care for one, or know someone who is a senior, you can do something to prevent elder financial abuse.
If you are a financial caregiver for an older person who is unable to handle his or her finances or work with aging clients, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau has the tools to help you:
- Learn how to prevent elder financial exploitation using the “Money Smart for Older Adults” guide, developed with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Download the resource guide for consumers and the training module for instructors to get started. The materials are also available in Spanish).
- Financial caregivers have a great responsibility, and you may be thrust into the role with little time to plan ahead. The “Managing Someone Else’s Money” guides for agents under powers of attorney, court-appointed guardians, trustees, and government fiduciaries – such as Social Security representative payees and Veterans Administration fiduciaries – can help you better understand your duties and responsibilities in this role. These guides also contain helpful information about the common signs of financial exploitation.
The Federal Trade Commission’s “Pass it On ” campaign will help you talk to friends, family, and loved ones about avoiding common scams. You may know about scams such as identity theft, imposters, and charity fraud – but others may not. There are ways to use “Pass it On ” to share what you know, such as writing an article, giving a presentation, or distributing the materials in your community.
If you think you see elder abuse, report it. If someone’s in immediate danger, call 911. Otherwise, contact adult protective services and your long-term care ombudsman’s office.
For training opportunities and other information, sign up for the bureau’s older Americans mailing list. To keep up-to-date about the latest scams and frauds, sign up for the FTC’s scam alerts.
