The Department of Disability and Aging is a department specifically dedicated to helping vulnerable populations
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Department of Disability and Aging is a department specifically dedicated to helping vulnerable populations. One area of concern is scams targeting senior citizens.
It’s something not only that age group needs to be aware of, but also their caregivers.
Protecting others is at the core of everything Commissioner Brad Turner does. “My daughter has intellectual development of disability, so that’s been very important for me to make sure that I help take care of not only her, but her friends and our community and the folks that we care about. But my parents are aging, and they live here in Tennessee, so combining both of those demographics together has been important to me,” explained Turner.
Since he was appointed to this role with the DDA, it’s been more than just a job, it’s a calling.
“It’s important for caregivers to pay attention. If you don’t know someone that’s reaching out to your loved one, figure out who that is. If you’re seeing things inside the email and your inbox of a loved one that you have access to that doesn’t look right. It probably isn’t.”
This is especially a problem here in Tennessee, where the population of age 55 and up is growing rapidly.
“Over 60 is the fastest growing demographic in the state of Tennessee. By 2030 about 28% of the state population is going to fall into that age group. So we have to stay ahead of the curve,” said Turner.
The state population of people over the age of 55 is 1.6 million.
Social media continues to be the place scammers find most of their victims. “You see some very tricky scams on Facebook and on social media. A lot of folks who are older use Facebook and other forms of social media platforms to communicate with loved ones. You’re seeing a real acceleration in scams and misidentifications and stealing of identities on there when you’re cloning a page,” said Turner.
If you’ve already been scammed, there is help available.
“It’s important for you to know that it’s okay if that happens, because it has happened to a lot of people. But we are here to help. We’ve got a number of folks that we work with in the state agencies that can help you try to recover some of the damages, recover some of your assets,” said Turner.
“Protecting your parents is incredibly important,” said Turner. “You’re talking about folks that have given up their life to make sure that you can meet and achieve all of your dreams. It’s something that we should do. I think there’s a moral element to it that’s really important.”
There are resources available at TN.Gov/disabilityandaging, where there is a large section with information about how to report scams and get help if you’ve been a victim.