Who Will Look After the Elder Orphans?

by Olivia Wann

Perhaps you know an elder orphan.  The term elder orphan describes senior individuals living alone with little to no support system.[1] Maybe I’m a future “elder orphan” having not had children. This message resonates with my heart because I serve a population of elderly clients locally who are basically elder orphans, whether they have children or not.

Many senior adults are vulnerable and may end up financially exploited. Elder fraud targets individuals who are 60 years old and older. According to the FBI, the Internet Crime Complaint Center rose by 14% in the year 2023.[2] Unfortunately, many of these crimes are not reported. The report indicated that $3.4 billion in losses in 2023. The average senior adult lost $33,915 due to these crimes in that year. There were over 101,000 victims aged 60 years old and older. The most common scams for seniors according to the FBI report include:

• Tech support scams
• Personal data breaches
• Confidence and romance scams
• Non-payment and non-delivery scams
• Investment scams

Note that confidence and romance scams resulted in senior adults losing $357 million. Loneliness and isolation are dreadfully risky.                                      

Last year in Memphis, Tennessee, a home health caretaker stole more than $200,000 from an 89 year old patient in addition to paying herself $1,800 to $2,000 a week. A scammer may wear the cloak of a trusted relationship-caregiver. This so-called caregiver put her name on the elderly gentleman’s bank account and then persuaded him to make her the agent in a power of attorney document. Once she had that authority, she quit claimed his house to herself. Luckily, the elderly gentleman’s brother discovered fraudulent activities.[3]

How do we protect our elderly?

Prepare ahead. Maintain a relationship with a trusted attorney, a financial advisor and tax professional.  They will become familiar with you and your family dynamics.

Create a general durable power of attorney naming a trusted individual to handle your financial affairs. 

Consider a revocable living trust and transfer your assets such as bank accounts and real estate to it.  Appoint a successor trustee who will maintain your estate when you cannot.  This can certainly prevent someone from influencing you to sign documents later on in your life.

Maintain an inventory of your valuable personal property. Photos are helpful.

At some point, it may be difficult to reside in your own home. These are challenging conversations to have with an elderly orphan but reality is, who will provide meals, dispense medications, provide cleaning services, and assist with homecare? The individual is not in need of long term care but neither can they continue living alone.  Assisted living may be a viable option particularly in providing seniors with daily living and opportunities for socializing.

In summary, if you know an elder orphan, please show some compassion. Educate families on the risk of being scammed. With advanced planning, seniors can be protected and enjoy their remaining time on earth with peace and joy. Please join us May 8, 2025 at 5:00 PM for a free educational program on Elder Law Considerations for You and Your Loved Ones at Rose Ella Village. To register, please contact (931) 232-4529 or olivia@oliviawann.com

[1] Elder Orphans Hiding In Plain Sight: A Growing Vulnerable Population available at https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5097795/

[2] https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/elder-fraud-in-focus

[3] https://wreg.com/news/investigations/property-fraud-keeps-happening-whats-being-done-to-stop-it/