Caregivers of elderly parents often experience a parent who routinely makes donations to every charity or cause sending a mailing or who solicits on the phone. It becomes a big problem when an elderly parent gives away thousands of dollars when they are themselves in need of money. It is difficult to end this activity unless the caregiver can stop the mail and incoming calls.
Here are some tools that you can use to minimize opportunities:
1. Minimize Junk Mail by Removing the Parent’s Name From Direct Marketing Lists:
Send a request, and one dollar, to:
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 282
Carmel, NY 10512
You can also register on-line at www.dmachoice.org
Note: Your registration is only good for three years, and then you have to renew.
2. Limit Unwanted Sales Calls:
Enroll at the National Do Not Call Registry by calling 888-382-1222 or register at www.donotcall.gov
3. Limit Robo Calls:
Register at: www.nomorobo.com
4. Reduce Unsolicited Credit Card Applications:
Call 888-5-OPT-OUT, or register at www.optoutprescreen.com. Note: your social security number will be required.
These are not perfect solutions; they will not stop all solicitations, but registration will reduce them.
A more sure-fire, but more aggressive solution is to use your Power of Attorney or guardianship powers to have all mail forwarded to your address. After you have reviewed the mail, you can then deliver appropriate mailings to your loved one.
Another is to terminate the landline phone and give your loved one a simple cell phone. There are very few if any solicitations that come over a cell phone, particularly if it is seldom used, as would be one owned by an elderly parent.
Being a caregiver is a very difficult job. There are many resources and ideas available to help, and we continue to think through solutions and collect ideas in an effort to assist. We would love to meet with you and discuss solutions to make your job, as a caregiver, easier.
Robert J. Shanahan, Jr. Esq. focuses his practice in estate planning, elder law and probate matters. Mr. Shanahan additionally practices in business law and non-profit matters. He is a trained, experienced mediator and offers dispute resolution services, particularly for those arising from probate and elder law matters. Additionally, Mr. Shanahan’s firm, Law Offices of Robert J. Shanahan, Jr., LLC, offers a breadth of additional services to families and businesses throughout central New Jersey.
Mr. Shanahan received his Juris Doctor from the Temple University School of Law in 1985, and obtained licensure in New Jersey in the same year. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1981 from William Paterson University, with honors. Robert is a member and Past President of the Hunterdon County Bar Association, and is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, and its Elder Law and Disability Section. He is also active in the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Robert is a member of the Hunterdon Medical Center’s Bio Ethics Committee and was awarded a Five Star Financial Services Professional Award for 2016.
You may contact Bob at (908) 751-1551, or [email protected].
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS MERELY AN EDUCATIONAL SERVICE TO PROVIDE BASIC, GENERAL INFORMATION AND IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE OF ANY SORT. FURTHER, BY EXPLORING THIS INFORMATION, YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT NO ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP IS BEING FORMED.