Sara Altshul
AGS Staff Writer

My brother Jake and I aren’t especially close in anything except age – we’re just 18 months apart. We share few commonalities, except on matters of décor, fine food, and wine. But on one very important matter, we cooperated and came together in a way we never had before, or in fact, have since – taking care of our mother in her final years.

Beside our vastly different personalities and viewpoints, we had our challenges: it was just the two of us, we lived 150 miles apart, and we both had demanding, full-time jobs. And I was the single mother of two adolescent boys. But we managed. We adopted an oddly supportive and cooperative approach, splitting tasks in ways that worked for us. Together, when the time came that Mom could no longer manage alone, we moved her from Florida to live with Jake on eastern Long Island, and I drove from western New Jersey to help out on weekends. When Mom needed full-time care, we found a good nursing home a few miles from Jake’s house. He visited her daily, and the kids and I continued our weekend visits up until her death several months later.

When I remarried four years after Mom passed, I was delighted to discover that I’d gotten myself a magnificent mother-in-law. She was an energetic 82 when we married, a tiny truly Italian mama of seven whose accent was thick as polenta, despite her many decades living in this country. She cooked, she gardened, she babysat her grandchildren, she kept a keen eye on her Brooklyn neighbors, and she danced the Tarantella at our wedding. Sweeter and more nurturing than my own mother had been, we took to each other the moment we met, and even now, 15 years later, I feel like I got a second chance at being mothered. Continue reading →

Quratulain Syed, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine,
Division of General Medicine and Geriatrics,
Emory University School of Medicine

It’s a Saturday morning and Ms. Edwards is sitting on her recliner enjoying her cup of coffee when the phone rings. She picks up the phone and hears a distant but upset voice calling out, “Grandma!”

“Oh, is it Karen?” Ms. Edwards asks. “Yes, Grandma. I have been kidnapped in South Africa. They’ll kill me unless you send $10,000 within 24 hours. And please, do not tell Mom or Dad, or anyone else, or I’ll be dead,” the voice pleads.

The voice on the other line gives an account number where the money needs to be wired, and the line is disconnected before Ms. Edwards can ask any questions. Extremely concerned about the safety of her beloved granddaughter, Ms. Edwards drives to the bank immediately and authorizes a wire transfer for $10,000.

Three days later, Karen calls to check in on her grandmother and is shocked to hear about the phone call. Karen tells her that she has been busy studying for school the past few weeks and has never been to South Africa.

Ms. Edwards is not alone. One in five older adults in the United States has been a victim of financial scams and exploitation.

Below are some tips to help you stay informed and avoid getting involved in a scam: Continue reading →