Senior Center having meeting on ID theft

Our best friends son got married last Saturday. I recognized the pastors name that performed the wedding from on some papers that my Mother had in her investment information after she died. I asked him & he remembered my Mother. & he did.

I told him that she had died of cancer & a little about the ID theft & the things I caught the home care RN doing along with the threats & fear the RN had left me with. That was when he told me about the meeding at the senior center that was being set up by our state district representative. He suggested that I go to it & that they want to know about experiences that people have had with ID theft. I called to find out the information about the meeting & it is Wed afternoon. They want to know what experiences people have had with ID theft. I talked to my psychologist about it, & the mixed feelings I have about trying to talk about what I went through in front a group of people. I have done alot of public speaking & have preformed my flute infront of huge audiences before, but this is a whole other situation. My psychologist thought it would be good for me to get the information about the type of ID theft I went through out to people.

In my mind, I feel that it is important to try to let people know that they need to protect themselves from ID theft that doesn't just come from someone going through their trash or getting ID information off the internet. It can happen in your own home with a person that has been trusted to take care or you......but my emotional side fears loosing it & not being able to talk through the tears.....& the fear that talking in a little more detail than just the highlights will increase the nightmares & flashbacks more than I already have.

My anxiety level is really high, & sometimes I freeze up & just can't get anything out when this happens no matter how bad I know I want to do something. Not even valium or breathing helps me thought this level of anxiety.

Debbie

(((((((((((((( Deb ))))))))))))))))))

You are doing a wonderful, giving and unselfish thing in sharing your story. Thank you so much for sharing.

Write down your thoughts on numbered notecards or number them in a large dark color on paper. You can use the notes to remind you of what you want to say.

You can do this. I believe in you. Please let us know how it goes.

Hugs,

Jan

Unfortunately, they didn't have time to have people talk about their experiences, but afterward, I got with the man in that is the Law Enforcement Liaison from Adult Protective Services......APS was the first group that both the social worker in the hospital & I had both filed reports to. After I had filed, no one had ever gotten back with me to get more information & of course, my Mother who was the one abused by the RN in more ways than just the ID theft died soon after that, but never had anyone ever try to contact either of of after the first report.

When I told him everything that happened, he was very mad that APS had dropped the ball the way they did, along with the fact that the police only went to the DA with only the ID theft & not the other things that happened. He told me that he was going to talk with the people from APS & the detective (he knew the detective that had the case also) & see if he find out more about it & possible start up a new investigation.

I am sure that by now it is too late, but who knows. They I asked him where it is that people are able to tell others about their actual experiences. He said that happens more at the larger conferences & I told him I would be willing to talk at something like that when it comes up.

It was interesting because they had 7 different areas covering abuse & ID theft....I was so surprised that the trauma I went through involved so much more that just the ID theft. Hopefuly in the future, I will be able to get my real life situation out to the public.. I feal it is so important for seniors to realize that their normal desire to be independent can have consequences that their family members have to live with long after they die, let alone the fact that it can happen to them even though they think they have nothing that anyone else would want.

Debbie