Monterey, CA Elder Abuse Scammers Posing As IRS Agents

A stack of gold color coins and dollars on the table

There have been numerous cases of elder abusers posing as IRS agents on the phone and demanding payments for some made up past due bills.  The IRS said they would never call people without first sending a letter, and now they have reversed a decades-old policy where IRS agents would show up on your doorstep to collect unpaid taxes and unfiled tax returns.  The Treasury Department said it was reversing its policy due to fears that anti-government and anti-tax groups would track down IRS employees with malevolent intent.  So be assured that any phone call or in-person visit from a supposed IRS agent is a scam.

Pebble Beach, CA There Are Things You Can Do To Stave Off Alzheimer’s & Dementia

An old couple sitting and watching the television

A new study which was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society followed 18,000 older adults and found that those that regularly used the Internet had about half the risk of developing dementia compared with those who didn’t regularly use the web.  Other studies have shown better cognitive performance, verbal reasoning and memory among Internet users.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and my grandmother had Alzheimer’s disease when they passed away.  If you need support, there are a great group of people at the Ryan Ranch Alzheimer’s Association.  They also have a 24-hour hotline if you just want someone to talk to at 800-272-3900.

Getting On Social Security Disability Getting More Challenging

A man moving the lady in a wheelchair to the car

It has always been a struggle to get a full blown disability insurance claim approved.  However, in recent years it has gotten even more challenging due to a staffing shortage at the Social Security Administration.  According to an analysis done by the AARP’s government affairs staff, it can take more than 1.5 years go get in and have your disability claim heard.  This is the worst response rate of any government agency, according to the Government Accountability Offices, or GAO, 10K people each year die while waiting to hear back on their claim status from the GAO.

Social Security Service May Get Worse

Despite a large increase in its budget for 2023, the Social Security Administration has admitted that service to beneficiaries seeking out help will not improve for most of this year—and in some areas, it will deteriorate, according to the AARP Bulletin.  Areas which are supposed to get worse are getting help on the 800 number and getting a decision on disability benefits.  The SSA got a 6% increase in its budget for 2023, which gives it $14.1 billion to spend.  But the agency says that most of that money is already spent and it doesn’t think customer service will improve until fiscal 2024.

Salinas, CA Seniors Should Check Out Alliance On Aging Farmer’s Market

A variety of fruits and vegetables

If you haven’t already, check out “Market Day” at Alliance on Aging’s headquarters in Salinas called “The Hub” at 236 Monterey Street which occurs the second and 4th Thursday of every month.  Get fresh and affordable quality produce.  Recent examples of deals include organic broccoli for $1, organic cauliflower for $1.25 and green onions for only $0.25 per bunch!

For more information go to www.allianceonaging.org/hub/

Carmel, CA There Are Things You Can Do To Stave Off Alzheimer’s & Dementia

An old couple sitting and watching the television

A new study which was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society followed 18,000 older adults and found that those that regularly used the Internet had about half the risk of developing dementia compared with those who didn’t regularly use the web.  Other studies have shown better cognitive performance, verbal reasoning and memory among Internet users.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and my grandmother had Alzheimer’s disease when they passed away.  If you need support, there are a great group of people at the Ryan Ranch Alzheimer’s Association.  They also have a 24-hour hotline if you just want someone to talk to at 800-272-3900.

Homeless Senior Population Growing

caregive hugging elderly client - Monterey In Home Dementia Care

The number of homeless seniors is growing at an alarming rate, according to a report by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Officer of the Inspector General.  Americans over the age of 55 years old who are homeless were counted at 580K, 18% of the total.  “There’s been a trend over the last several years where we’re seeing many more older adults,” who are homeless, Richard Cho, HUD’s senior advisor for housing and services, told AARP Bulletin.  From 2000 through 2017, the number of people 62 years and older who are homeless has doubled, he noted.  For the full report, go to www.aarp.org/homelessafter50

Pebble Beach, CA Elder Abuse Alert, Beware Of Fraudsters Asking You To Use CashApp, Venmo Or Zelle

An old woman with an injured face

AARP has been great about tracking the latest scams tracking senior citizens, but a surprising number of people continue to fall for scams, mostly pitched over the phone.  First, I have a practice of using caller ID and won’t pick up the phone if I don’t recognize the caller.  This can screen out a lot of the potential scammers.  AARP says that historically fraud operators have tried to get your money in one of four ways—gift cards, wire transfers, cyber currency or cash.  These are all untraceable once you send them.  However, AARP says a fifth form of payment is on the rise, peer-to-peer (P2P) money transfer services like CashApp, Venmo or Zelle.  Beware of anyone asking you to send money using these apps.

Few Taking Advantage Of Free Lung Cancer Screening

An old woman smoking a cigarette

According to a study by Kaiser Permanente Colorado Institute for Health Research, only 5.8% of those eligible for a free lung cancer screening are getting them.  Many people believe that because they quite smoking many years ago that they are not at risk of getting lung cancer.  However that may not be true.  Lung cancer remains the deadliest cancer in the United States, killing about 130K Americans each year.  About 60% are caught after the tumor has spread beyond the lung and is past the point of being cured.  The five year survival rate for lung cancer is only 25% so please take advantage of this free screening!

Beware Of Fake Telehealth Companies

A doctor holding a stethoscope with his hand

A flurry of start-ups have been advertising on Facebook, Instagram and Tik-Tok touting medications which are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the purpose the advertisement is pushing.  For instance, the Wall Street Journal reported that start-up Home Health ran an ad with a middle-aged man holding a dumbbell and saying testosterone “literally changed my life” restoring his energy and happiness.  The problem is, the man is an actor who has never used the drug and the ad doesn’t mention that testosterone is only approved by the FDA for treating specific disorders and carries with it the risk of heart attacks and stroke.  Beware of these ads,  they have increased significantly since the pandemic began.