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Community Corner

Thugs Prey on Senior Adults

The cowards and thugs who prey on innocent people think they have uncovered a gold mine with senior adults.

Rarely a week passes that the news does not report where someone has taken advantage of another senior adult. There seems to be more people preying upon the innocent and vulnerable in advanced age than ever. Wanting our senior adults to be able to enjoy having their independence as long as possible, many of them live alone.

The cowards and corrupt thugs who prey upon innocent people think they have uncovered a gold mine of treasure in being able to distract and steal from senior adults. It is true that women live longer than men; so therefore, most of the people in the senior adult years being scammed are women. A few news stories across the country are telling of seniors who are now arming with weapons in order to be protected from vultures who will harm them if given a chance.

It is not always the thugs who break into the home of a senior adult, but often it is a money scam preying upon the heart strings of a generous senior adult willing to help someone in a time of crisis when the advantage is taken. It is also possible to steal the identity of a senior adult and clean out their bank account before being discovered.

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What can be done to protect our senior adults? Are stronger laws the answer? Should there be special police protection targeting senior adults? Because of the reality that many seniors live a great distance from any immediate family these days, the frustration of family members not being able to check on their loved one is further exasperated by the stories of seniors being harmed.

While not a perfect solution, one answer could be that neighbors develop ways of checking on senior adults living nearby. Also, it is suggested that through clubs or churches a system could be put in place to check on seniors more often assuring their safety as much as possible. Putting our best solutions together, the truth is that there are mean people in the world that will do anything to steal and harm others.

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It seems one of the favorite systems to steal from seniors is to distract them with some slight of hand while someone else is cleaning them out by stealing their precious belongings. Every time I read of such a heinous crime, I admit to becoming enraged to think that someone would stoop so low as to steal from a person in that way. I suppose, however, a person with robbery in mind cares not at all for others and is only thinking of themselves. We have reached a new high in low living when the target for larceny and robbery is an innocent vulnerable person who would not harm anyone and sees only the good in others.  

From where I stand, I confess a personal delight when I read of a senior adult who fights back against the aggressive thug and wins. To our senior adults, “please be careful.”

Follow Ray Newman on Twitter @RayNewmanSr

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