Financial Exploitation of Older Adults: "The invisible crime of the 21st century"
From FCNB
Financial abuse of older adults has been called “the invisible crime of the 21st century.” According to Statistics Canada, between four and 10 per cent of older adults experience financial abuse.
Financial abuse is the most common form of abuse of older adults, and its effects can be devastating. We know that if older victims lose all or part of their life savings, they have less time to recover their financial stability. We also know the effects of financial abuse go well beyond the pocketbook and can lead to social isolation, depression, anxiety and other negative health effects.
You are in a unique position to identify risks and help protect older and vulnerable clients from financial abuse. It can be difficult to recognize and speak about financial abuse, but the Financial and Consumer Services Commission can help you start those conversations so seniors and their families can learn how to recognize the signs of financial exploitation, take steps to prevent it and know how to report it.
Our new e-learning module, Financial Exploitation of Older Adults: “The invisible crime of the 21st century,” is a free, 60-minute online, self-paced course, intended to arm you with the tools and resources needed to help protect those you work with.
Some key topics covered in the course are:
- factors that increase vulnerability;
- scams and schemes targeting older New Brunswickers;
- red flags of financial exploitation and cognitive decline.
We are asking you to join us in our efforts to spread awareness and understanding of financial abuse and its impacts by completing this free training. The course comes with a certification of completion, and is easy to access on our Finances 50+ website at your convenience. You can also contact us at [email protected] to learn more about how you can implement this training opportunity as an organization-wide initiative in support of the nationally recognized World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15.
It only takes an hour to learn more about how you can help seniors avoid being victims of this all-too-prevalent crime.
Enrol today!
We hope you’ll invest the time to help bring this invisible crime into the light!