West Newsmagazine 12-4-19

42 I MATURE FOCUS I
December 4, 2019
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
@WESTNEWSMAG
WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
The Ideal Environment and Care Solution
to Support Individuals with Dementia
PROGRAMS FOR OLDER ADULTS
- Candlelight Dinner - Tai Chi
- Holiday Bingo - Vitamin ZZZ, The Art of
- Golden Lunch Bunch Sleep
- Topgolf for Seniors - Community CPR
Adult Day Services
Engaging Programs and Activities for Adults with Dementia.
WE OFFER:
• Mental Stimulation • Gentle Exercise • Arts and Crafts
• Discussion Groups • Pet Therapy • Devotions
• Community Service • Gardening • Transportation
• Bathing Assistance
• Musical Entertainment
• A Salon and Podiatrist
• Blood Pressure Checks
“Mom is more alert and engaged since joining Family Partners.” - Rachel L.
Des Peres, MO • 314-686-4444 • FamilyPartners.com
Coming in 2020
- Valentine Bingo
- Coffee Talk
- Wings Of Hope Outing
- Senior Sampler and more!
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT CHESTERFIELD.MO.US OR CALL 636.812.9500.
MATURE FOCUS, from page 40
during the holidays and beyond.
According to the foundation, signs of
acute loneliness and social isolation in
an older person include an overall lack
of interest in activities and withdrawal
from others; loss of interest in personal
hygiene; poor eating and nutrition; and
significant clutter, signs of hoarding or
general disrepair in the home.
Gift card scams
Far beyond their usefulness as lastminute
Christmas presents, gift cards
now often serve a more sinister purpose:
enabling scammers to steal money from
consumers – to the tune of $74 million
during the first nine months of 2019
alone, according to the Federal Trade
Commission [FTC].
Because the money loaded on gift cards
is as untraceable as cash, criminals are
using them to trick people – often unsuspecting
older Americans – into buying
gift cards and providing the PIN numbers
over the phone to pay nonexistent back
taxes, send money to “grandchildren” in
trouble, or purchase “tech support” for
fake computer problems.
This year, The FTC has also reported a
dramatic increase in reports of scammers
pretending to be from the Social Security
Administration. These scammers tell
consumers their Social Security numbers
are connected to a crime, and their bank
accounts are about to be frozen or seized.
The callers then direct people to “protect”
their accounts by withdrawing the
money and putting it on gift cards, and
ask for the gift card PIN numbers for
“safekeeping.” The callers also try to get
victims to reveal their Social Security
numbers by falsely claiming they have
been suspended.
These criminals are very persuasive,
and attempt to keep their victims on the
phone to prevent them from talking to
anyone else before making the purchases.
Some even convince victims that they
are about to be arrested, and direct them
to exactly which cards to buy – usually
iTunes, Google Play, Amazon or Steam
gift cards.
The FTC has advised that in every case,
these calls are scams, and offers the following
advice to consumers:
• If a family member, religious organization
or anyone claiming to know you
calls to ask for money, hang up and call
them back to verify their identity.
• Legitimate businesses and government
agencies will never demand payment
in gift cards, and will never ask you
to reveal personal information over the
phone.
• Use gift cards only as gifts for people
you know … never for payments.
Redefining COPD
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
[COPD] is the fourth leading cause
of death in the U.S., responsible for
about 120,000 deaths every year. Now,
medical researchers at dozens of leading
institutions around the nation have proposed
updating the criteria for diagnosing
early-stage disease which, if adopted,
could increase the number of COPD
patients by 2 to 5 million.
Approximately 12 million people in the
United States have been diagnosed with
Scammers are now using gift card payments to steal money from unsuspecting Americans,
including many seniors.