Wild Card Blog Entry
With the economy lagging so badly, I've chosen to write about a financial situation facing an elderly woman I know. Every year during tax season I get a call from a family friend asking if I can come into his office a few days a week and help answer the phones. He's a tax attorney.
I've been helping out here and there over the last 5 years or so but when I returned to the office this year I was greeted with a list of phone numbers NOT to answer. While I am a nosy person I chose to nod and smile in stead of inquire as to what these numbers were. Mrs. M, the resident legal secretary and wife of the attorney, told me that Mr. M's mother has charged quite a bit of money on credit cards no one knew she had.
Mr. M's mother, Ms. E, resides in an assisted living facility and has no expenses she is directly responsible for as Mr. M financially supports Ms. E. No one knows why Ms. E obtained secret credit cards, nor does anyone know what she charged on them. All that is really known is creditors are calling the phones I am now responsible for answering.
I've never been hounded by creditors before but I've heard the horror stories. They are relentless, rude and insistent. These creditors call at LEAST 6-10 times a day and often use different phone numbers for outgoing calls. I assume the different numbers are to get around people like myself screening the calls with the caller ID. They've tricked me once and yes, they were very rude.
So this brings to my mind the question of how to prevent creditors from harassing the elderly. After some modest research I've found the answer is the same for everyone suffering at the hands of creditors. Settlement, bankruptcy or death.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Aging in America Blog #2
Wild Card Blog Entry
I think one of the major issues facing the elderly today is depression. I have already mentioned that I live in a pseudo retirement community so most of my blogs will probably center around what I observe in my neighborhood. When I think about seniors and depression the first thing that comes to mind is my neighbor Mrs. A. She is probably the happiest neighbor I have. She lives alone, is a widow and has no children, all predecessors of depression. So why is she so happy?
Mrs. A. must walk at least 5 miles a day around our medium-sized neighborhood with her dog, Toto. Certainly Toto doesn't need to be walked that much, but it's almost obvious that she walks him so often because she enjoys being outside and chatting with neighbors. Every time I see Mrs. A. we take the time to say hello and ask how each other are doing. She usually asks how my dog is doing and I comment about how much I love Toto (I think it's absolutely adorable that he barks incessantly ONLY at vehicles that are running; never at people, parked cars, other dogs or even cats).
Studies show that depression occurs in about 15 percent of those over the age of 65 and that 1/4 of all suicides are committed by the elderly. I did not know these statistics before I decided to write about this subject. Suddenly, the elderly neighbor that stops me to chat about the weather while I'm hurriedly checking my mail doesn't seem like such an inconvenience anymore.
Having lived in this neighborhood during my "formative" years, I have come to view many of my neighbors as my surrogate grandparents and I know some of them view me as a grandchild. Mr. B. jokingly asks me every few months what my new major is (I've changed it about 6 times) and when he notices the lack of my latest boyfriends vehicle in my driveway he always gives me the more-fish-in-the-sea speech.
I know forming even casual relationships with neighbors certainly won't cure depression in the elderly but maybe it's a start. Maybe that's why so many of my elderly neighbors walk their dogs far more than any dog truly needs to be walked.
I think one of the major issues facing the elderly today is depression. I have already mentioned that I live in a pseudo retirement community so most of my blogs will probably center around what I observe in my neighborhood. When I think about seniors and depression the first thing that comes to mind is my neighbor Mrs. A. She is probably the happiest neighbor I have. She lives alone, is a widow and has no children, all predecessors of depression. So why is she so happy?
Mrs. A. must walk at least 5 miles a day around our medium-sized neighborhood with her dog, Toto. Certainly Toto doesn't need to be walked that much, but it's almost obvious that she walks him so often because she enjoys being outside and chatting with neighbors. Every time I see Mrs. A. we take the time to say hello and ask how each other are doing. She usually asks how my dog is doing and I comment about how much I love Toto (I think it's absolutely adorable that he barks incessantly ONLY at vehicles that are running; never at people, parked cars, other dogs or even cats).
Studies show that depression occurs in about 15 percent of those over the age of 65 and that 1/4 of all suicides are committed by the elderly. I did not know these statistics before I decided to write about this subject. Suddenly, the elderly neighbor that stops me to chat about the weather while I'm hurriedly checking my mail doesn't seem like such an inconvenience anymore.
Having lived in this neighborhood during my "formative" years, I have come to view many of my neighbors as my surrogate grandparents and I know some of them view me as a grandchild. Mr. B. jokingly asks me every few months what my new major is (I've changed it about 6 times) and when he notices the lack of my latest boyfriends vehicle in my driveway he always gives me the more-fish-in-the-sea speech.
I know forming even casual relationships with neighbors certainly won't cure depression in the elderly but maybe it's a start. Maybe that's why so many of my elderly neighbors walk their dogs far more than any dog truly needs to be walked.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Aging in America Blog #1
What do I think about people over the age of 65 and why?
Well, I think I have a very different view of people over the age of 65 because about 80% of my neighbors are over the age of 65. No, I don't live in a retirement community, I'm only 25 but I do joke that I'm the youngest person living here (at the very least I'm the youngest homeowner). I live in a town home community in Mandarin.
Every time I come into or leave my neighborhood, I see a neighbor. They're walking their dogs, visiting with other neighbors, checking the mail (we have community mailboxes), or just getting some exercise. I see people over 65 as being very active. One of my neighbors we all affectionately call Cowboy is probably the most active. Not only is he the glorified handyman of the neighborhood but his preferred method of transportation is his bicycle, basket included.
Something else I see in people over 65 that I think most other 20-somethings wouldn't notice is their incredible sense of humor. A few friends and I were getting ready for a day at the mud hole (I swear I'm not that much of a redneck, I just like big trucks). We were packing our cooler with beer, and my neighbor Mr. B. came outside and said "Hey, toss an old man a beer!" We promptly told him he could have as many as he liked to which he responded, "You guys know Mrs. B. will kill me if I do! But maybe just one." We could all see Mrs. B. watching and laughing behind the screen door to their patio.
Now that I think about it, the interactions I have with my neighbors is completely normal. In my day-to-day interactions with my neighbors, I don't think to myself, "Yeah, my neighbors are all so old," I just see them as neighbors and friends. So I guess what I've lead myself to realize in writing this is that I really don't think any differently about people over the age of 65 than I do the people under the age of 65.
Well, I think I have a very different view of people over the age of 65 because about 80% of my neighbors are over the age of 65. No, I don't live in a retirement community, I'm only 25 but I do joke that I'm the youngest person living here (at the very least I'm the youngest homeowner). I live in a town home community in Mandarin.
Every time I come into or leave my neighborhood, I see a neighbor. They're walking their dogs, visiting with other neighbors, checking the mail (we have community mailboxes), or just getting some exercise. I see people over 65 as being very active. One of my neighbors we all affectionately call Cowboy is probably the most active. Not only is he the glorified handyman of the neighborhood but his preferred method of transportation is his bicycle, basket included.
Something else I see in people over 65 that I think most other 20-somethings wouldn't notice is their incredible sense of humor. A few friends and I were getting ready for a day at the mud hole (I swear I'm not that much of a redneck, I just like big trucks). We were packing our cooler with beer, and my neighbor Mr. B. came outside and said "Hey, toss an old man a beer!" We promptly told him he could have as many as he liked to which he responded, "You guys know Mrs. B. will kill me if I do! But maybe just one." We could all see Mrs. B. watching and laughing behind the screen door to their patio.
Now that I think about it, the interactions I have with my neighbors is completely normal. In my day-to-day interactions with my neighbors, I don't think to myself, "Yeah, my neighbors are all so old," I just see them as neighbors and friends. So I guess what I've lead myself to realize in writing this is that I really don't think any differently about people over the age of 65 than I do the people under the age of 65.
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