Mark Fairall's Patriotic Family Heroes for July 4, 2013

THE PATRIOTIC HEROES IN MY LIFE

Published in Yahoo News 07/02/13

Now that it is the Fourth of July it is time to reflect and give thanks for the Patriotic Heroes in my life. I believe a Patriotic Hero is someone who loves and serves America at no matter the risk or the cost. These individuals have made a great difference in my life and they were made from the “Right Stuff” which has made this Nation great. My Patriotic Heroes showed their valor in battlefield, in the hospital, in Politics, and in everyday life.

My first Patriotic Hero would be my father, W.R. “Bud” Fairall. He fought in WWII and he was an Army forward spotter at the Battle of the Bulge. He was with the first troops the liberated Dachau and he was a guard at the Nuremburg Trials. After the war he became a successful banker. His efforts improved Kingman’s economy, oversaw the building of the Kingman hospital, and he worked on many community volunteer activities.

My second Patriotic Hero would be my mother, Evangeline Bakke Fairall. My mother was and Army Nurse during WWII. She cared for the first injured troops from D-Day. The book NO TIME FOR FEAR highlights my mother’s caring for the German Prisoners of war. She later work for Mohave County and cared for the Native Americans that could not get hospital medical help.

My third Patriotic Hero would be Barry Goldwater. Senator Goldwater was a personal friend of our family and spoke at my High School Graduation in 1967. Senator Goldwater always spoke the truth and that is probably what lost his presidential election. Senator Goldwater saved this nation from the disgrace of a Presidential Impeachment by convincing President Nixon to resign.

My fourth Patriotic Hero would be Carl Hayden. I use to study in the ASU library and Senator Hayden took the time to often visit with me. I was amazed at someone of his stature would bother with me an 18-year old nobody. His Arizona accomplishments made this state and this state would not have the water that made Arizona grow without his efforts. He use to tell me that water was the “Blood” that transformed our dessert into the great state of Arizona.


My fifth Patriotic Hero would be my wife, Carol Ann Fairall. She is dying of her transplanted liver rejection caused by a slumlord who refused to fix a toxic moldy sink. Carol volunteers at church, works a transplant mentor, and fights elder abuse. I have seen Carol get out of her deathbed to give many elder abuse prevention presentations. Her goal is the educate as many seniors as possible to protect them from being a victim of elder abuse.

Carol received a letter from the US Department of Health and Human Services complimenting her on her community efforts. She also received a “Well Wishing” letter from President and Mrs. Obama sending her prayers for her illness. After her presentations to offices of Senator John McCain, Senator Jeff Flake, and the US Senate’s Special Committee on Aging she will have the opportunity this fall to speak before the US Congress about the growing problem of elder abuse and senior financial exploitation. Her goal is to get the Elder Justice Act funded so more money would be available to fight elder abuse.

This Fourth of July we need to thank all our Patriotic Heroes who have served our country with such valor and love. I am blessed to have had so many Patriotic Heroes in my life.

A big THANK YOU to all of them!

Mark R. Fairall

Sun City West, AZ 85375

THE AGING OF AMERICA - Article #4 - Top 10 Financial Scams Against Seniors

The Aging of America

Title: TOP 10 FINANCIAL SCAMS AGAINST SENIORS

 National Council on Aging

Article Four

1.  Health Care/Medicare/Health Insurance Fraud:

Over $75 billion is stolen by Medicare Fraud yearly. The four “Rs” to preventing this are:

Record- Keep a record all doctor appointments, service, and test dates. Save all your documentation.

Review – Look for signs of fraud on your Medicare notices. Do not use advertised free Medicare services on TV, mailers, or printed in the newspaper. They are usually scams. Often you get nothing.

Report – Report all suspicious Medicare Fraud to: 1-800-MEDICARE.

Remember – Protect your Medicare number!

2.  Counterfeit Prescription Drugs: Over $40 billion is stolen by fake drug makers. Medicine purchased is foreign countries usually have no quality control, often are ineffective, and can be dangerous. Avoid any Internet drug buying.

3.  Funeral & Cemetery Scams:  To avoid any scams you need to negotiate the costs and prepay for all funeral expenses. The new scam is the crooks read the obituary and rob the home when you are gone to the funeral or exploit the family for unpaid bills of the deceased. The fastest growing collection scam is collecting from the dead’s family for the deceased bills. Important: According to the Federal Trade Commission the family has no obligation to pay the debts of a deceased family member.

4.  Fraudulent Anti-Aging Products: Over $30 billion is stolen by the selling of fake anti-aging products. If the results look too good then it is usually a fraud. If you are buying these products ask lots of questions.

5.  Telemarketing:  The number one source of senior fraud is the telephone. Over $25 billion is stolen by telemarketers. Ask for documentation before you buy from a telemarketer and don’t be rushed.  The newest senior telemarketing industry is the Elder Care Referral Agencies which finds senior living center free for you but the senior living facility pays and average of $3,500 for every new referred senior resident. This industry has grown to $100 million in sales in the past 10 years and its sales are expected to double in the next five years.

6.  Internet Fraud: The number two source of senior fraud is the computer. Internet Fraud is so bad the Federal Government created an agency IC3 in 2000 which is a partnership with the FBI and National White Collar Crime Center. The only way to file a complaint is by using the internet. The IC3 has 300,000 internet complaint filed yearly, no results have been published.

7. Investment Schemes: The Federal Trade Commission fights Investment schemes. “You have a free lunch if you listen to our investment ideas” is a major problem because there is no free lunch. When you get these notices destroyed them and deal with a reputable financial planner. Three questions you need to ask: How do you get paid? Is my principle at risk? What is the penalty for closing the investment early?

8.  Homeowner and Reverse Mortgage Scams: Due to the recession many seniors are getting mortgages to pay for bills but you need to deal with reputable lenders. However, if you pull out all the equity remember the bills don’t stop. Reverse Mortgages are expensive and you are at risk of losing your entire equity to a family member or bad investment. Reverse Mortgage Lenders require you to maintain your property and pay the taxes timely and many seniors are unable to do this when the money is gone so they get their house repossessed. Over one million seniors have lost their homes in the past five years because of this risky venture and their financial losses.

9.  Sweepstakes and Lottery Scams: Nearly $100 billion state lottery tickets are sold yearly and the state keeps half of the lottery sales. Over 1/3 of Americans believe this is their only source of financial freedom. Your chance of winning is over 100 million to one. Foreign Lotteries are very dangerous and you may never collect if you win.

10. The Grandparent Scam: This is where the grandchild calls desperately needing money for an emergency. Don’t fall for it because they are usually not your grandchild. Learn to say “NO”.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

June 15, 2013

Each year, hundreds of thousands of older persons are abused, neglected, and exploited. In addition, elders throughout the United States lose an estimated $2.9 billion or more annually due to elder financial abuse and exploitation, funds that could have been used to pay for basic needs such as housing, food, and medical care. Unfortunately, no one is immune to abuse, neglect, and exploitation. It occurs in every demographic, and can happen to anyone—a family member, a neighbor, even you. Yet it is estimated that only about one in five of those crimes are ever discovered.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) was launched on June 15, 2006 by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations. The purpose of WEAAD is to provide an opportunity for communities around the world to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect. In addition, WEAAD is in support of the United Nations International Plan of Action acknowledging the significance of elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue. WEAAD serves as a call-to-action for individuals, organizations, and communities to raise awareness about elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

THE AGING OF AMERICA - Article #3 - Elder Care Referral Agencies

The Aging of America

Title: ELDER CARE REFERRAL AGENCIES

Article Three

On November 25, 2012, this article was published online by AARP.

The latest senior service is the online senior placement sites which are known as the Elder Care Referral Agencies (ECRA). This is a new business which started in 2000, and the industry now has annual sales over $100 million. The NEW YORK TIMES estimated that over 600 ECRAs exist in the United States.

The HUFFINGTON POST reported that with the aging of America and the 78 million Baby Boomers entering the senior housing market, this industry is booming. ECRAs offer elders placement in senior living facilities. It appears ECRAs are a bargain since they are free. That is not true because the ECRAs charge an average of $3,500 to the senior living facility for the new resident. This new “selling of seniors” has caused a frenzy of advisors (telemarketers) calling seniors to place them in the highest referral fee, “known as a Bounty,” paying senior living facilities regardless of their condition. ECRAs are known to “double dip” and sell the same senior to different senior living facilities every year. This results in confusion and constant moving for the unsuspecting seniors.

A PLACE FOR MOM
LARGEST ELDER CARE
REFERRAL AGENCY

The SEATTLE TIMES reported that the largest ECRA is A PLACE FOR MOM, which has $50 million in annual sales; and it is expected to double its sales in three years. A PLACE FOR MOM pays their telemarketers an average $650 for every successful senior living center placement. There are now over 40,000 licensed assisted living facilities, 15,000 skilled nursing facilities, and countless independent living facilities in the United States. The ECRAs now provide 25% of all their business; and in three years, it is expected ECRAs will provide 50% of all senior living facilities’ sales.

Many ECRAs are good, but many ECRAs often abuse seniors by simply placing them in bad senior living facilities that pay the highest bounty. Most of the ECRA telemarketers have no insight into the senior living facility being referred nor do they have any geriatric needs training. They simply dial for dollars. One Hawaiian senior just reported that she was called by A PLACE FOR MOM twenty-eight times in just one month. A PLACE FOR MOM is headquartered in Washington State and sells from their 18,000 contracted senior living facilities in 45 states employing 450 telemarketers.

Washington State just passed the first law to regulate this questionable ECRA industry by requiring:

1. Full disclosure of ECRA fees paid by the senior living facility.

2. ECRAs are required to inspect every senior living facility where they make placements.

3. Every ECRA is required to have $1 million liability insurance coverage.

AARP reported that the Internet is a dangerous place to shop for a senior housing facility. You should do your own research and inspection of the senior living facility in which you are interested. Don’t forget to check the senior living facility in which you choose to you to move with the Better Business Bureau, Department of Health Services, and other non-profit reputable senior assistance agencies.

Neil Armstrong said: “In much of society, research means to investigate something you do not understand. Research is creating new knowledge.” Only you can make the right choice for your future senior living home by doing your own research.

Note:  The next column will be the difference, costs, and availability of Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, and Independent Care Facilities.

Copyright Fairall 2013

THE AGING OF AMERICA - Article #2 - Choose a Caregiver with Caution

The Aging of America

Title: Choose a Caregiver with Caution

Article Two

TODAY’S CAREGIVER MAGAZINE reports that 90% of the seniors still live at home. It is estimated that there are over 600,000 caregivers in the US providing care while costing seniors nearly $7 billion in salaries per year. It is estimated that 20% of all caregivers have some kind of police record and have stolen from past clients. The caregiver industry is highly unregulated. The majority of the caregiver agencies do not perform any background checks nor do they do drug testing. The growing problem in the industry resulting in substandard care is having one caregiver care for too many seniors.

ARIZONA AARP PRESIDENT
CARL ERICKSON

Arizona AARP’s new president, Carl Erickson, stated in recent AARP Chapter #1 Meeting on May 3, 2013, that its new focus will be the need for background checks for caregivers.  Arizona is one of six states that do not require any caregiver background checks. AARP Arizona’s new goal is getting the Caregiver Background Check State Law passed which would better protect Arizona seniors. On a personal note, we are familiar with this serious caregiver problem because we had a felon in charge of the senior living facility where we lived. That felon made his living abusing and scamming seniors. His criminal activities started in 1999 with nearly 2,700 false Medicare Claims totaling over $70,000.00. Our elder abuse fighting was responsible for his recent termination and incarceration.

A good example of is the new Wisconsin Caregiver Law which requires background and criminal history checks of all caregivers. The law requires caregiver companies to investigate and report incidents of misconduct (abuse, neglect or theft). The Division of Quality Assurance (DQA) has been set up in Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services to regulate caregivers. The DQA issues Caregiver licenses (cost is $18 per year per license), maintains a Misconduct Registry, and disciplines bad and Criminal Caregivers. The new Wisconsin Caregiver Law requires all Caregivers to be bonded.

The Caregiver Industry is the fastest growing franchise industry. The largest caregiver franchise is Home Instead which was founded in 1997, and it now has over 1,350 franchises in the US and around the world. The cost of a Home Instead franchise is $80,000, and it generates an average of 30-40% profits for the business owner. The average cost of a caregiver is $25 an hour by the business, but the actual caregiver is only paid $12 an hour. The non-profit organization Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) National Center on Caregiving is a great information resource for investigating the caregiver industry in all 50 states. The FCA’s phone number is (415) 434-3388 or (800) 445-8106.

In July, 2012, The Journal of American Geriatrics Society published a Northwestern University study of 180 Caregiver Agencies. The study found:

1.  Only 55% did a federal background check.

2.  Over 50% did a criminal records check.

3.  Only 33% did drug testing.

4.  Only 33% did home visits and monitored the caregiver’s performance.

The Journal of American Geriatrics Society stated that the following hiring requirements of caregivers, should be:

1. All caregivers need criminal background checks.

2. All caregivers should be bonded.

3. All caregivers should be certified in CPR or have health-related training.

4. All caregiver competencies should be tested. (These include lifting and transfers, homemaking skills and personal care skills such as bathing, dressing, toileting, and training in behavior management.)

5. All caregivers need a backup caregiver.

6. All caregivers’ performances should be monitored at least twice a year.

AARP reported the five clues to warn you that your caregiver is stealing from you:

1.  Receipts don’t add up.

2.  Frequent cell phone usage on the job.

3.  Cultivation of a personal connection.

4.  Bids for sympathy.

5.  Missing work on Mondays.

“One person caring about another represents life's greatest value.”   Jim Rohn – Motivational Speaker

Note:  The next column will be about the Elder Care Referral Agencies (ECRA) is a huge new internet and telephone marketing industry, which locates senior living facilities for prospective new senior housing. This may appear to be free, but it is not free because the senior living center pays an average of $3,500.00 for every new senior resident, called a “Bounty”. The largest ECRA is A Place for Mom.

Mark and Carol Fairall

Copyright Fairall 2013

THE AGING OF AMERICA - Article #1 - The Scope of Elder Abuse and Senior Financial Exploitation

The Aging of America

Title: The Introduction

Article One

My wife, Carol, and I have agreed to write an occasional column for the DAILY NEWS SUN newspaper to help protect the 78 million Baby Boomers who are retiring over the next twenty years.  We are abused seniors who have learned about fighting Elder Abuse and Senior Fraud from personal experience for nearly four years. We have been presenting classes of elder abuse prevention for nearly one year in order to protect the seniors from what happened to us to happening to them. We are certified Elder Abuse Prevention speakers by the Ageless Alliance and the National Center on Elder Abuse. I have just been recognized as an Honored Lifetime Member of the Covington Who’s Who for my efforts to protect seniors from Elder Abuse and Senior Financial Exploitation. We have had one of our 15 senior protection laws passed this year in the Arizona Legislature. We are also working directly with the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging to develop procedures for the Elder Justice Act which was recently passed.

ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY IS JUNE 15, 2013

Elder Abuse has been called the “Silent Crime” because it receives so little media attention and because so many seniors do not report that they have been abused.  It is estimated that only 4% of all physical elder abuse crimes are reported yearly. A recent study by the National Protective Service Association reports that 10% of America’s 57 million seniors are abused every year. That equals 5.7 million seniors who are physically abused every year. Elder Abuse victims are three times more likely to die in one year than non-abused seniors. One senior is abused every five seconds in the United States.

Senior Financial Exploitation has been called the “Crime of the 21^st Century” because of the growth and extent of this heinous criminal activity which depletes the assets of seniors. A recent MetLife Study reported that $2.9 billion is stolen from seniors yearly. It is estimated that only 2.2% of senior financial exploitation crimes are reported every year. This means if all of the senior financial exploitation crimes were reported, the yearly senior losses would exceed $130 billion. It is estimated that 20% of America’s 57 million seniors have been financially exploited. That equals 11.4 million seniors who have had their assets stolen.  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently released a study stating that the average senior who has become a victim of financial exploitation loses $140,500.00.

The goal of our column, which we are calling “THE AGING OF AMERICA,” is to share our senior protection class information and better protect seniors from abuse and financial exploitation.  We recognize the prosecution of these crimes is not the answer to preventing elder abuse and senior fraud, but it is Prevention. The best way to stop these elder abuse crimes is with “Knowledge” on how to protect yourself from becoming a victim.

Elder Abuse reported crimes has grown 12% in the past two years in the United States. However, it is an epidemic in Arizona because the Arizona Department of Aging and Adult Services has stated that Elder Abuse reported crimes have grown 43% in the past two years. The Arizona Adult Protective Services reports that they receive over 900 vulnerable and elderly adult complaints filed monthly.

We believe the Public needs to know the scope of this problem and why this information is so important for your protection. Due to our declining health problems, public speaking has become very difficult so the best method to get this information to the seniors is through the newspapers. We commend the DAILY NEWS SUN newspaper’s interest and willingness to address these issues. We believe every older American has the right to live free from abuse and financial exploitation.

Note: The next column will be about the need to do background checks on caregivers because 20% of caregivers are felons. This is the new emphasis of Arizona AARP this year. AARP has the goal of getting a Caregiver Background Check State Law passed which would better protect Arizona Seniors.

Mark and Carol Fairall

Copyright Fairall 2013