Alexandria Retired Teachers Association

Nursing Home Abuse

7/28/2015

Although not a topic we like to consider, nursing home abuse is an important topic, nevertheless. To become familiar with or to be more informed about this type of abuse, you might want to take a look at an extensive website on the topic: nursinghomeabuseguide.org.

Here's further information about the organization behind this website from their "About Us" page:
"Our mission at nursinghomeabuseguide.org is to provide the public with accurate and up to date information on the many aspects of nursing home injury and abuse. Our team at nursinghomeabuseguide.org strives to provide a comprehensive free resource for the public to learn more about nursing home abuse and the actions they can take to protect a loved one. If you would like to get in touch with our team we can be reached at info@nursinghomeabuseguide.org."

You might want to bookmark this site on your computer. It is also listed on our website's Important Links page.

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Financial Planning for Nursing Home Protection

1/31/2015

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The New York Times published an article recently that is worth reading carefully.

To Collect Debts, Nursing Homes Are Seizing Control Over Patients

From the article,
' “The Palermo case is no different than any other nursing home bill that they had difficulty collecting,” Mr. Nussbaum said, estimating that he had brought 5,000 guardianship cases himself in 21 years of practice. “When you have families that do not cooperate and an incapacitated person, guardianship is a legitimate means to get the nursing home paid.”

Guardianship transfers a person’s legal rights to make some or all decisions to someone appointed by the court — usually a lawyer paid with the ward’s money. It is aimed at protecting people unable to manage their affairs because of incapacity, and who lack effective help without court action. Legally, it can supplant a power of attorney and a health care proxy.

Although it is a drastic measure, nursing home lawyers argue that using guardianship to secure payment for care is better than suing an incapacitated resident who cannot respond.'

Here is one local law firm's response to the New York Times article above. There are some great suggestions you might consider as you plan for your own family's future financial safety.

How Nursing Homes are Collecting Debts- More Reason to Plan Ahead

(The Law Firm of Evan H. Farr, P.C. at 703-691-1888 in Fairfax, 540-479-1435 in Fredericksburg, 301-519-8041 in Rockville, MD, or 202-587-2797 in Washington, DC)

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Facebook safety

10/4/2014

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Here are some useful tips for safeguarding your Facebook activity -

8 Facebook Privacy Settings You Need to Check Now
By Rebecca Dolan

If you're a Facebook user, it's good practice to check your privacy settings every so often. Sometimes the items you believe are private are more public than you realize. Stay safe on the Internet!

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HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA

9/23/2014

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Many of us, as retirees, have a great deal of leisure time and the opportunity to observe what's happening around us in much more detail. Therefore, it's good to become aware of issues occurring in our area and be alert to potential situations, whether where we live, with people we know, or where we might travel.

The following excerpt from the September 2014 ARTA Newsletter is based on materials from the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Initiative.

" What is Human Trafficking?

A few months ago a man was arrested in Annandale for illegally bringing in a number of women from Korea. He kept them in a house on Backlick Road and forced them to work at his Karaoke bars in Annandale as “hostesses”. A local high school girl met a young man at a local mall who suggested that she could make easy money since she was so pretty. Meeting him later, she was severely beaten and forced to become one of many girls working for him in fear of her life.

This is human trafficking. Human trafficking is an issue that no one wants to discuss, but it is happening around us in Northern Virginia. According to Fairfax County police, gangs in our area have discovered human trafficking to be a very lucrative business, even better than selling drugs. It could be happening next door! It is important for all of us to recognize the signs. It generally involves two main categories, sex trafficking and labor trafficking.

Here are some signs of which we, as concerned citizens, should be aware.
• Persons are not free to come and go from a residence or work site and are isolated from the community.
• People are living on a worksite.
• Workers are not paid, paid little, or pay is confiscated.
• Locations are visited by men at all hours for relatively short periods of time.
• Locations have darkened windows and or bars on the windows.
• Young people are soliciting sale of goods during school hours or have unexplained injuries, unusual amounts of money, clothes, expensive items, additional cell phones, and hotel keys.

The key issues in human trafficking are control, manipulation, or confinement. As former teachers, we tend to be more observant of unusual behavior. If you observe circumstances in the community where you see individuals controlled, confined, exploited, or manipulated, report your observation to the appropriate authority. To learn more about this situation, you can call
1-888-373-7888 or please go to the website: www.polarisproject.org."

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Frauds and Scams

10/22/2013

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Our October 21, 2013 ARTA meeting was held at the new Alexandria Police Station. Not only were we treated to a tour of the impressive station, we were provided with very important information regarding safety for senior citizens by Sergeant Charlette Mitchell. She has permitted us to post her outstanding presentation on the ARTA website.

It is well worth your time to read this document carefully. It's important to remain aware of potential pitfalls.
Thanks again to Sergeant Mitchell for providing this excellent document!

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Nursing Home Abuse

Financial Planning for Nursing Home Protection

Facebook safety

HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA

Frauds and Scams

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