Category Archives: NJ Senior Fraud & Scam Prevention

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Lifestyle Tips for NJ Seniors

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New Jersey Senior Living & Lifestyle

Here are some wise tips that every senior should consider following:

Phone solicitations

Never respond to phone solicitations for products or winning sweepstakes. And NEVER give out ANY personal information to ANYONE who contacts you by telephone – especially a social security number or credit card information. Tell them you are not interested and hang up the phone.

Eating less-the easy way

Diets aren´t always the easy way to maintain a healthy weight for seniors, but eating less can be. Use the salad plate for meals rather than the dinner plate; less surface, less food.

Arthritic hands

For those with arthritis, clothes with buttons can be a challenge. One suggestion would be to convert your present clothes to velcro closure by remove all buttons and sew onto the button-hole opening (closing button-hole); sew a strip of velcro (purchased from craft or cloth stores) to an area where buttons were removed and to an area on backside of the button-hole strip. Some velcro has a sticky backside that can be ironed onto cloth, but sewing is more permanent. If you cannot sew, request assistance from family, friends, or professional seamstress.

Over-extending ourselves

Whether it is gardening, exercising, running errands, we should know what our limit is without adding stress, aches and pains. At the beginning of each week, make a list of things you want to accomplish for that week, then break them down to no more than one hard task per day. Write down what you want to do in a daily-planner or a convenient wall calendar. If you miss a task, add it to next week´s list. You´ll find yourself more flexible and not as rushed (or achy!)

Outside activity for seniors

Check with local houses of worship and the city hall in your area.   Also check with your doctor or hospital administration. Many of these locations offer rides to and from their facilities. If no locations are available, ask your local municipal administration or house of worship if they can create activities for seniors.

Posted by: Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care.  New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional and reliable home health care and companion care for NJ elderly, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have home care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.

Protect New Jersey Seniors Against Fraud and Scams

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NJ Elderly Fraud and Scam Prevention

New Jersey seniors, not unexpectedly, comprise the segment of our state population most vulnerable to frauds and scams.  To limit the possibility of this happening to you or an elderly loved one, the following points are offered:

  • Under no circumstance should a senior ever let a stranger into their house. Many thieves will knock on the door to try to see if the senior is home alone and if there are any opportunities to take advantage of them. Many seniors tend to trust people, especially if they appear to be distressed or have children with them.
  • Your elderly loved one should never reveal credit card, date of birth or social security information over the telephone, in person, in writing or online. A senior, for example, may receive a telephone call advertising a can’t-miss opportunity with little or no risk or identify themselves as calling from a local bank or store, but what really happens is the scammer is trying to get is steal their identity.
  • Notify police if your senior ever receives a letter or e-mail threatening consequences unless they agree to something.
  • Call the police if your senior receives a letter that is mailed from Nigeria (or some other country) offering him or her the opportunity to share a percentage of millions of dollars if they allow a deposit to be made into their bank account.
  • Checks should be written in the name of the charity when making donations. Many seniors have been scammed by someone posing as a representative for a charity or organization and asking for a donation. The scammer tells the victim to write the check out to himself instead of the charity. The check is then cashed, and the scammer keeps the money.
  • Shred all credit card receipts and bank statements.  Close unused credit cards or bank accounts.

Posted by: Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care.  New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional and reliable home health care and companion care for NJ elderly, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have home care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.