Comments on: When the rich get old http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2010/01/04/when-the-rich-get-old/ A slice of lime in the soda Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:54:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Brad9999 http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2010/01/04/when-the-rich-get-old/comment-page-1/#comment-10756 Brad9999 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:04:00 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2010/01/04/when-the-rich-get-old/#comment-10756 Charities and other solicitors are also involved in this. Small potatoes, perhaps, but what audience do you think those magazines that send you a few free issues, then a subscription solicitation that looks like a bill, are targeting? Particularly despicable was the major Alzheimer's charity that sent my impaired grandfather solicitations for his "annual" donation on a WEEKLY basis for years, despite my father repeatedly demanding they stop doing so. They especially were in a position to know exactly what they were doing. Charities and other solicitors are also involved in this. Small potatoes, perhaps, but what audience do you think those magazines that send you a few free issues, then a subscription solicitation that looks like a bill, are targeting?

Particularly despicable was the major Alzheimer’s charity that sent my impaired grandfather solicitations for his “annual” donation on a WEEKLY basis for years, despite my father repeatedly demanding they stop doing so. They especially were in a position to know exactly what they were doing.

]]> By: figleaf http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2010/01/04/when-the-rich-get-old/comment-page-1/#comment-10747 figleaf Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:28:25 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2010/01/04/when-the-rich-get-old/#comment-10747 Back in the 1990s when I had hand-coded proto-blog I frequently mentioned this issue under the umbrella category of "hard time for white-collar crime." And I'm sure if I'd had any readers it would have gotten a lot of traction. Dementia hits hard in my family, much to the delight of generations of predatory "advisors" and employees. My great uncle, who might otherwise have funded my college education, instead wound up drained by a succession of... interesting choices. Including, most notoriously, a gardener who convinced him, after much consideration, to part with $10,000 to buy a bulldozer. To keep the driveway in better repair. According to his estate records these disbursements took place as often as once a week. No bulldozer was ever purchased. Which, of course, stands to reason as the driveway in question was in Brooklyn's Ditmis Park neighborhood. That was all 50 years ago. It was not a new pattern then, though, nor will it be any less new when the gigantic bolus of well-to-do boomers begin to pass into dementia. Best we begin working on the problem now before others begin working on us. figleaf Back in the 1990s when I had hand-coded proto-blog I frequently mentioned this issue under the umbrella category of “hard time for white-collar crime.” And I’m sure if I’d had any readers it would have gotten a lot of traction.

Dementia hits hard in my family, much to the delight of generations of predatory “advisors” and employees. My great uncle, who might otherwise have funded my college education, instead wound up drained by a succession of… interesting choices. Including, most notoriously, a gardener who convinced him, after much consideration, to part with $10,000 to buy a bulldozer. To keep the driveway in better repair. According to his estate records these disbursements took place as often as once a week. No bulldozer was ever purchased. Which, of course, stands to reason as the driveway in question was in Brooklyn’s Ditmis Park neighborhood.

That was all 50 years ago. It was not a new pattern then, though, nor will it be any less new when the gigantic bolus of well-to-do boomers begin to pass into dementia. Best we begin working on the problem now before others begin working on us.

figleaf

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