Seniors and Scams: How to Protect and Support Aging Loved Ones

How do we protect our aging loved ones from those who might take advantage of them? This question sparked a heartfelt conversation about the unique challenges seniors face in today's fast-paced, technology-driven world.

Lisa shares a revealing story about her mother nearly falling victim to predatory sales tactics when shopping for a whole-home water filtration system. What started as a $7,400 quote mysteriously dropped to $3,100 overnight after repeated rejections – a classic high-pressure sales approach targeting vulnerable seniors. This experience highlights why having trusted advisors around our aging loved ones is more crucial than ever.

The conversation expands beyond this single incident to address broader challenges seniors face. From navigating digital real estate transactions to managing home transitions when families live far away, our elderly community often needs specialized support. Candace details a remarkable service called Caring Transitions that completely transformed an inherited home situation for distant family members, handling everything from estate sales to donations and cleanout.

We're building a network of trusted service providers specifically vetted for their integrity when working with seniors. From attorneys specializing in elder law to companies assisting with home transitions, these relationships form a safety net for our community's most vulnerable members. If you know exceptional vendors serving seniors in the Tampa Bay area (from Wesley Chapel to Sarasota), please share them with us – because everyone deserves advocates who genuinely care.

Subscribe to Snapshots Tampa Bay for more conversations about navigating life's transitions in our vibrant community, and let us know what topics you'd like us to explore next!

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Transcript

Welcome to Snapshots Tampa Bay

Speaker 1 0:05

Hi everybody and welcome to Snapshots Tampa Bay with Candace and Lisa. Get ready to dive into the exciting and colorful world of the greater Tampa Bay area. Whether you're sorting out a military move, checking out the senior living scene or just on the hunt for the coolest local spots, let's get started and have some fun. Just on the hunt for the coolest local spots.

Speaker 2 0:27

Let's get started and have some fun. Hello everyone, this is Candice Hi Lisa. Well, hey, hi.

Speaker 1 0:37

So today we are talking about the senior living scene. Yeah, you know we talked about this. We definitely want to focus on the senior living scene, but you know, I know some people know we are real estate agents. But I want to maybe talk about some other stuff today. Not 55 plus communities. No not 55 plus communities, not today. We will talk about that at another time, but not today.

Mom's Water Filtration System Story

Speaker 2 1:00

Well, last week you were telling me a story about your mom, so why don't we talk about that a little bit? Okay, yeah, we can do that. Something about a water filtration system and a salesperson.

Speaker 1 1:09

Oh, yes, well, you know, I am a companion for my mother. Now my father is in the VA nursing home, so she lives on her own, and now it's become the time where I'm having to help her with decisions, because she doesn't have her husband to help her do that anymore. And a lot of us are going through that. We have aging parents, and so I had a real heart to heart with my mom and said hey, look, anytime you want to make a big purchase, let's have that conversation before you do, because that's what my mom and dad used to do. Yes, they, you know, I don't know what their, their spending budget was, but you know, if I have a big purchase, I'm going to talk to my husband about it.

Speaker 2 1:53

That's saying we have a, we have a limit.

Speaker 1 1:55

Yeah, what is your limit?

Speaker 2 1:56

Ours. Right now it's lower than it normally is. In the past it's been a thousand. Right now We've got it down to 500 because we have some other things that we're working on. But yeah, if we want to spend more than 500, we have to have a conversation. Is this something that we really need to spend this money on, or can it wait a few more months?

Speaker 1 2:12

exactly. Well, my mom doesn't have that anymore. Yeah, so you know, we have those conversations now and she, she called me the other night and she was talking to a gentleman because my mother wants a whole home water softening system. Don't we all we live?

Speaker 2 2:31

in.

Speaker 1 2:32

Florida. Yeah, we live in Florida, so if you're not from Florida and you're listening to this, we have a lot of minerals in our water. Not only does it dunk up our sinks and and you can see like white stuff all around your sink area, but it also is for our skin too. My mom has some skin issues and so she wants to rectify this, so it's going to be better for her health. So she calls me and she says yeah, I got this guy here and so I want you to talk to him because I really want this. And I said, okay, all right, let me, let me hear what's going on. And she says he says he can get this for me and originally the price started hold on, I wrote it down. I'm going to flip my page. Okay, um, the price starts at $7,400. And I said, okay.

Speaker 1 3:31

She said but this is going to be better for my health. She said and he's going to give me a discount because I'm a senior and because my husband is in the veterans nursing home. Because my husband is in the veterans nursing home. I said, okay. She said, but we have to sign right now. Of course they do. Of course they do and of course you and I are in the real estate market. We know when people are being salesy, because that's not something that we ever want to do with our clients, because so many of our clients are friends and family or referred by friends and family, so we don't play that game.

Speaker 2 4:09

I've been in sales before, and even when I was an outside sales, I was never that type of salesperson. I've been more of a consultative salesperson my entire life, because I want to help people, not just sell them something.

Speaker 1 4:20

Well and that's why, even on our business cards, we have real estate consultant. You know, I don't want to have a salesperson because that's not what I am. So I said, okay, well, mom, why don't we talk about this when I get home? Because I was somewhere else at the time, not the time or the place to be talking about it. She said, well, but we really need to tell them and I really want to do this. And I said, well, but we really need to tell them and I really want to do this. And I said I totally understand. So she gets off the phone with me, tells the guy it's not happening right now, and then she immediately calls me back because, of course, the price is now $4,700. Of course, of course, cause he but we have to do it today.

Finding Trustworthy Vendors

Speaker 1 5:03

And so I said to my mother. I said, mom, you need to tell him that's not going to happen, because he's trying to sell this to you. He's already come down $3,000. Yes, you know. So he's trying to sell this to you. So tell him that you can give him a call tomorrow because we have to talk.

Speaker 2 5:26

I have to have a conversation with the people that helped me with these things.

Speaker 1 5:29

Exactly, and if it's not going to be me, it's going to be my husband. It's not going to be my husband, it's going to be my brother. We're all here to just help her. Look, if she wants to spend her money, she can spend her money. But I also already have this feeling about the salesperson, because my mom is in her seventies. Yeah, okay. So many people think, okay, I'm, I got this. This is a nice little old lady, she's got her money, everything's going to be fine, not in my family, but I know she.

Speaker 2 5:59

She doesn't know you, he doesn't know you no, he does not. So what I'm hearing with this conversation? When you told me this last week, I thought about this too, too. Like, even in real estate, it's really important to have people around you, key people, key people around you that are gonna help you and not take advantage of a situation exactly, or let you get taken advantage of in a situation exactly and, and that's the thing, the key people, whether it be somebody who you are hiring to come into your house to do a service.

Speaker 1 6:32

That's why, for for us, we always have certain people that we'd like to recommend, because that's who I would recommend to my mom. Yeah, our preferred list of vendors.

Speaker 2 6:40

We have a list of vendors. Yes, it's people that we use or that we recommend to our friends and family.

Speaker 1 6:46

Yeah, uh, I think so many people just go to whether it's going to be the cheapest or whether it's going to be the fastest talker or anything like this. But hold on, because the story's not over. Oh goodness, oh yes.

Speaker 2 6:59

Oh goodness, so I know your mom personally, so I'm excited to hear that.

Speaker 1 7:04

No, she's just the sweetest. Very nice, she's so nice. And so the next morning yes, very nice, she's so nice. And so the next morning, of course, he called back and they're in the area. Because they're in the area, they can do an even better deal. Of course, they're in the area. So I said to her listen, you can do whatever you want to do. This is your money. All I'm asking is you get two more people to come out and just talk you through their process. If you want to go to these people, that's fine, they. I already had a bad taste in my mouth already because you went from 7400, 4700, then they were down to 3970 and then the next morning, $3,100.

Speaker 2 7:56

I was going to say, tony, and I have done some research on whole house water filtration system. When you said $7,400, red flags went screaming up in my head Because I've never seen them that expensive. And what? She has a 2,100 square foot home. I have a 2,000 square foot house, so I've never seen them.

Speaker 1 8:10

Oh yeah. So luckily she took my advice and we had a couple more people come out and I'm going to tell you this right now Mike from Eco Water Eco Water is in Costco. That's the one that we're using. It's in Costco, yes, and guess what? So it's a little bit more expensive than the 3,100, but they give you money back on Costco because it's coming from Costco. And this guy look he's on my preferred vendors now you want to know why? Because he didn't try to sell my mom on anything. He said look, this is just the price, that's just how it is. And guess what? He said look, the bags of salt are 44 pounds, something like that. He said I'm going to come over and I'm going to help you with that, because I don't want you doing that. That, that right, there are the kind of people that I want to surround my mom with.

Speaker 2 9:10

And our clients with Exactly. We want people that want to help people, not just sell them something.

Speaker 1 9:15

Exactly Exactly so, I think, in this whole process. That's why I want to really highlight how can I help my mom's generation of people.

Caring Transitions: Estate Solutions

Speaker 1 9:28

Because, guess what they may have to sell their home. We have a lot of new technology in real estate, even though the last four years it has expanded so much. Everything is signed online. What if they don't have the capability? It's crazy, yeah. So I mean, you and I, we're going to have to delve into this a whole bunch more, because we have a system for them within our businesses, but we also want to hear about other businesses that take care of the elderly. Yes, yes, we do. So tag somebody in here if you know that they take care of people and they're not going to take advantage of people.

Speaker 2 10:14

Specifically the Tampa Bay area, because that's the market we work. So Wesley Chapel down to Sarasota area, if you know people that are great at taking care and helping and assisting, particularly those in the elderly market, that might need additional help. Not just the normal help that you and I would have at our age, but somebody that might need a little additional help, some key people that we can add to our vendor list that want to actually help people.

Speaker 1 10:42

Yep, and I will say and I know that you and I've talked about this, but we have a number of people who do help this age bracket that we're actually going to be interviewing on the podcast pretty soon. I'm super excited about it. I have a friend, John Kinsella, and he's an attorney and he's going to come on with us and I'm super excited about that too.

Speaker 2 11:07

And I recently helped a client who their family passed away. The grandparents passed away late nineties and they were a bit of hoarders. The house was a hot mess. The family that inherited the house don't live in the area. They had no idea what they were going to do to clean it out, to get it ready to sell, and I was able to put them in contact with a company that did everything for them, from nuts to bolts.

Speaker 1 11:34

What was the name of that company? Caring Transitions?

Speaker 2 11:36

Caring Transitions yes, it's a franchise company, so they're locally franchised ownership, but they have a network of people. So they went through the whole house, found things that were potentially valuable, that could sell furniture, memorabilia, anything like that. They did a little online auction and then they had a day where people came in and picked up those items. Like an estate sale, Sort of like an estate sale yeah but it was all done online.

Speaker 2 12:02

Some items were they could ship, so it was mostly for people locally to come and pick it up. But there were some items and they market on their network what's shippable and what's not shippable, and then when the people came to pick up, they sold more items to them Fantastic. And then once all that was done, they had dumpsters delivered and any furniture and things that were donatable they donated to local nonprofits and then the rest just got dumped and they cleaned out the entire house.

Speaker 1 12:27

Yeah, this needs to be on our on our vendor list.

Speaker 2 12:30

It was fantastic it was. It made my client's life so easy, because they don't live locally to the Tampa Bay market. They have kids that are in school and in sports activities. They didn't know when they were going to be able to come down for a weekend to clean it out. They wouldn't have been able to stay in the house Cause, I'm telling you, it was a hot mess. They would have had to get a hotel room, like it just, and they couldn't figure out, and then get the house up for sale and there was still a mortgage they were paying on it. So it wasn't like they could just like take their time to do this. They didn't have the time to do that. So those are the things with, particularly with this listing, I learned so much on finding vendors to help with that, because there are so many people that live in the Tampa Bay area whose families don't even live in the state.

Speaker 1 13:14

That's true.

Speaker 2 13:14

That's true.

Creating Resources for Seniors

Speaker 1 13:15

People retire down here, they come down here, their families are still up north and yeah, so we're going to tie this up with a nice little sparkly bow, because we're both very sparkly, we wear sparkly shoes everywhere. So if you see us, you'll see our sparkly shoes. Um, we're kind of known for it, we are, we're shoe girls, um. But but please contact us, we're going to have um a guide for our older community. And look, I'm older, so my mom's older I'm in the 55 plus technically age.

Speaker 2 13:48

I know now.

Speaker 1 13:49

But in when you're in the 55 plus. It's the parents of the 55 plus that we're talking about. We're going to go ahead and make sure we have a vendor list available for anybody who contacts us with those type of vendors. And you know what? Thank you so much for letting me tell this story, because I think people need to hear it.

Speaker 2 14:09

It's an important story. It's an important story. It's an important story. There's a lot of people that unfortunately don't have kids that can help them, so it's great that your mom has you, because there are so many elderly people that do get taken advantage of and I hate to say it, including people in our industry that take advantage of the elderly, and it really upsets me because, well, I tell you what I am open to adopting another parent.

Speaker 1 14:33

I'm totally down with that. So call me. Well, thanks so much, everybody, for listening. Hope to talk to you next time. Bye, bye, thanks so much for joining Snapshots Tampa Bay. Hit subscribe to catch our latest episodes and let us know in the comments what you want us to explore next. Keep loving the Tampa Bay vibes. See you, guys soon.