10 SYMPTOMS OF CAREGIVER STRESS

Today wed like to introduce you to Heather Tetrault.Hi Heather, thanks for joining us today. Wed love for you to start by introducing yourself.Growing up, I didnt have anything. Quite frankly, we were poor. Since this was the only life I knew, I didnt realize how unfortunate I was until I began getting out more and soon realized that it was not normal. No one in my family graduated high school, not to mention stepping foot on campus at a college. I didnt know that life could be so much more than what I had, but I knew I did not want to follow in those footsteps.At 15 years old, I started the process of being emancipated. I had to prove to the courts that I was able to finish high school and work to support myself. Quite scary, I know! While giving up would have been the path of least resistance, I kept going and became the first to graduate high school in my family and put myself through college. I received my degree in Healthcare Administration because I thought I wanted to run a hospital and change the world, helping those who are less fortunate to have access to the appropriate medical care.I soon realized that I was one person and could not change the world alone. However, this allowed other opportunities where I became the executive director of Assisted Living and ran a 120-bed facility. My passion is helping seniors, so after gaining the skills and expertise in the senior living industry, I soon took that knowledge and started my own company, called My Care Finders. I love it because we provide a free service to seniors and their families.Would you say its been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges youve faced along the way?Mostly, it has been a smooth path to success with lots of sleepless hours initially. The biggest struggle is finding individuals that have a self-starter mindset and who work really hard for their success. Also, finding a mentor willing to invest in me, and who I can learn from.I am humble enough to know that I dont know everything and I love learning from adults older than me. I have the ambition and resilience and I know what it takes to become successful. Looking back, every road I took, lead me to here, so I can honestly say that I have no regrets.Alright, so lets switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?My Care Finders is a FREE resource for seniors and their loved ones needing a retirement or senior living community. Its similar to a realtor, but for senior living communities, so we never pass any fees on to families. We are very transparent with the way it works and sometimes we are not paid at all for our hard work.What sets us apart from our competition is the skills, knowledge, and expertise we have collectively on our team because everyone on our team has worked with seniors. My husband and partner is a licensed nursing home administrator and I am CORE trained and a former executive director of Assisted Living.We also have an LPN on the team. We have a great reputation in the community and we are committed to serving our seniors. We are very proud of our brand because we started from the ground up and many families and other professionals think we are a franchise because of how professional we are. Families should know that we are truly here as an advocate for them.We do not work for any particular community, but we can narrow down the options to a select few after discussing with the family about their loved ones wants, needs, preferences, social desires, budget, and geographic location. There are too many options to look alone and the process can be very overwhelming. We provide free lifetime consulting as well.Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?My biggest piece of advice is to never give up. If you fall down, get back up and realize that it will only make you stronger.Contact Info:Website: https://mycarefinders.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycarefinders/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mycarefindersLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/my-care-finders/?viewAsMember=trueYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAb88kqp0ePLiNPJCvPWpFQ

Emails to apply for retirement starting in 2025 are phonyThe Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is warning the public of a new scam tactic by criminals trying to lure potential retirement applicants to their site.This recent scam email appears to be from SSA and has the subject line: Claim Benefits! It states Important: Apply for Your Social Security Benefits Starting in 2025. The link within the phony email is disguised as SSAs official website, www.ssa.gov or www.socialsecurity.gov. Clicking on the link within the email redirects individuals to a fraudulent site.THIS EMAIL IS NOT FROM SSA.One example of this new imposter email is shown here. It is important to see that the email is from Social Administration, and reflects a personal or non-government email address. Government agencies always have .gov as part of their official email address.SSA OIG is advising you to always be cautious of responding to unsolicited emails that appear to be from an official government entity, such as SSA, or another federal agency. These emails are a variation of government imposter scams. DELETE IT. Dont click on links or respond to any text, email, phone call, or letter that has characteristics of a scam. See warning signs at ssa.gov/scam. To contact SSA for business purposes, visit ssa.gov to find the correct information.Scammers use benefits, benefit increases, prizes, or problems to attract your attention so that they can entice or intimidate unsuspecting persons with their ploys, said Michelle L. Anderson, Assistant Inspector General for Audit performing the duties of the Inspector General. Our priorities are to educate consumers on how to avoid these vicious attempts and to help you keep your personal identifying information and money secure. We will continue to tell you when we become aware of tactics such as this one.WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE A VICTIM Stop talking to the scammer. Notify financial institutions and safeguard accounts. Report Social Security-related scams to SSA OIG (oig.ssa.gov). Contact local law enforcement and file a police report. If you lost money, file a complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov). Report other scams to the Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov). Keep financial transaction information and the record of all communications with the scammer.To view the Scam Alert, click here (add attachment, media release). And visit https://www.ssa.gov/scam/ to learn how to protect yourself and report Social Security related scams.If you suspect Medicare fraud, contact your local SHIP-SMP program by calling the Helpline at 866-413-5337.