Care recipient (cr) who previously appeared to have no trouble paying bills gradually seems to be having trouble some bill payments are late some bills unexpected charges are showing up on statements and the cr has difficulty understanding some charges

Try: #explain to the cr that there are predators and shady business people who target seniors widows and people with limited income and because of this people need to be careful when agreeing to purchases and looking at bills even when a cr is clear-headed and competent he or she may need to be more careful about monitoring bills to avoid the scams that target special populations #make a checklist of expected monthly bills and put it in the front flap pocket of the 3-ring binder put the 12 sheet protectors in the binder prior to the beginning of each month write a list of expected expenses including bills and put it in one of the top-loading sheet protectors with the month and year written across the top of the page #put the basket or clear box in a convenient and visible location in the house as mail comes in encourage the cr to sort through it immediately and to put all bills into the box if necessary set up two boxes one for bills and the other for important mail that requires responsive action #schedule a regular time each month to sit with the cr and go over bills link the activity to something pleasant like breakfast out beforehand or lunch together afterward #when paying the bills review the entire statements call the companies’ billing departments to ask about unusual fees or services you or the cr don’t recognize #as the two of you pay bills check them off on the monthly expense sheet you wrote and slip the stubs into the sheet protector doing this every month will allow you to easily put your hands on payment records and charges for each account month by month #make sure checks or money orders are signed by the cr and that the account numbers are written on them before you seal the envelopes also make sure forwarding addresses are showing correctly before sealing envelopes make sure the cr’s return address is written on the envelopes #if you suspect a cr is being financially exploited through unauthorized automatic withdrawals from bank accounts or through poorly explained programs sold over the phone your options may include contacting the bank for assistance stopping check payments closing a checking or savings account setting up a two-signature account writing a letter on the cr’s behalf explaining the cr’s vulnerability and promising further action if steps of redress aren’t taken or contacting a state representative for referral for assistance if you write a letter asking for steps of correction to be taken spell the steps out clearly and set a time limit by which you want them taken

Materials: Basket or clear shoebox-sized box 3-ring binder 12 hole-punched clear top-loading sheet protectors 13 sheets of ruled paper pen 1 or 2 books of stamps

Categories: Financial, Independence, No Supervision, Some Supervision, Cognitive Awareness, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware, So-So L T Memory, So-So S T Memory

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

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