Large Amounts of Money in the Home

I heard a terrible incident today regarding an elder (not a Right at Home client) that kept several thousand dollars of cash in their home. For whatever reason, the hiding place for this money became evident to the home care worker in the home. It is sad to report that the temptation became too much and the elder had their money go missing.

The reason that I share this is to warn potential families that keeping large sums of money in the home is not a good choice. Because the client above used a reliable agency, they are protected by insurance. There were criminal background checks done on the employee, however an incident still occurred.

Many elders and families hire individual through the Internet or through a referral. They do not have an agency's protection. Home health aides are usually in a personal, low income situation. They are just like any other group - the vast majority of them are honest, hard working people, but unfortunately a very small percentage make wrong choices.

The bottom line is.....whether it is home health, contractors, repair people....any service people...please don't keep large amounts of cash in your house. It is the safe choice.

North Shore Elder Services 30th Birthday Party

Last night we attended North Shore Elder Services 30th Birthday Bash. Right at Home was one of the sponsors. The theme was the 70's. North Shore Elder Services is the local ASAP (Aging Services Access Point) for Marblehead, Salem, Peabody, Danvers and Middleton Massachusetts. Many elders and caregivers were there, along with all the elder services providers. It took place at the Peabody Council on Aging. They served the food that they serve every day for the elders at the Adult Day Health and the other COA functions- chicken, pasta and vegetables. It was pretty good. There was a lot of joy there- laughing, dancing (the band was great) and conversation.

Anyone wondering where to start with elder services in Massachusetts should call their local ASAP. You can find out which one services your town by going to the 800 Age Info site run by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The ASAP's can tell a family if they qualify for services like transportation, homemaker and personal care services, Meals on Wheels or adult day health services. Even if someone does not financially qualify for subsidized services, there are support groups and many other resources to be found.