The guest speakers at the East District Task Force Meeting on June 12th were Cookie Vargo, representing Adult Protective Services and Barney who volunteers as a presenter from Senior Sentinels. Cookie told us that it is federally mandated that every state have Adult Protective Services but it is up to the individual state how that is set up. In Indiana, an “endangered adult” can be anyone 18 or older. In Central Indiana, there are only six investigators who cover four counties. They receive about 1,100 to 1,200 calls per month about elders who need anything from a visit to check on their welfare to emergency intervention for physical or mental abuse. Sadly, the abuse cases are often perpetrated by family members who find themselves unable to cope with the incredibly demanding task of caring for an elder. In some instances, it is matter of family members stealing from elder relations, denying them needed medical care as a means of control, or neglecting to provide proper meals and hygiene when the elder is unable to provide for themselves.
If a situation is time critical, call 911. IMPD officers are trained to deal with these situations and are partnered with a number of agencies who can offer immediate help.
Barney is one of several volunteers with Senior Sentinels who talks to groups at church or neighborhood groups about some of the 60 or more topics that directly impact elders. Most presentations last about 30 minutes and can be arranged through the Adult Protective Services office. Identity fraud of elders is the most common topic and he shared a number of ways seniors can help protect themselves. First and foremost is that you should NEVER carry your Social Security card with you. It is not valid as an identity card and there are few instances where the entire the number is required. If you are on Medicare, he suggested that you make and laminate a copy of your Medicare card, with all but the last four digits of your Social Security number and the alpha character whited out. Once you have given them to the pharmacy, the doctor’s office, or other places, there is no reason they need to be given again as they should already be a matter of record.
He also shared that the advertisements you see on TV to check your credit rating are a scam. Don’t respond to any unsolicited request to check your credit rating. Instead, he recommended that you request what is known as a “credit freeze.” There are three credit reporting companies and you must request a freeze from each of them either online or by certified mail. (Request forms for each of the companies are available from the Indiana Attorney General’s office.) By Indiana law, the freeze must be placed within 5 business days of your request. Within 10 days you will receive a confirmation letter from each credit agency containing a unique PIN or password. The freeze will prevent someone from opening accounts or using your credit information, even if they’ve stolen your Social Security number. This is a free service in Indiana.
Should you need to allow a credit report issued, like if you want to finance a new car, you can unfreeze the history for a specified period of time or unfreeze it for a specific party by notifying the credit bureau according to its procedures. Since you can obtain a free credit report every year, he suggested you request one every four months from one of the credit bureaus, on a rotating basis. The only Web site recognized by all three Consumer Credit Reporting companies where you can request your credit report at no cost is www.annualcreditreport.com. Should you find that your credit report shows unauthorized credit issued or accounts opened in your name without your knowledge, contact IMPD fraud services immediately.
The next monthly East District IMPD Task Force meeting is on July 10th at 2:00 p.m. at East District Headquarters, 201 N. Shadeland. If there is a specific topic you would like to have addressed, please contact Community Liaison Officer, Tammy Peters at 327-6267.