Somebody Tell Me

Small Things Matter:  Prolific and Thoughtful Advocacy for Elders

Submitted by:  Jerel Shaw

Let's face it, the world would be screwed without the expertise of lawyers helping people when they've been wronged. 

Then of course, this reality (helping) is predicated on the a myriad of competing conflicting interests in our capitalist society - in others words, everybody has to get paid.

From the guy who was just blindsided by an errant vehicle who is lucky to be alive to the child who just unfortunately didn't survive when a out-of-control vehicle came out of nowhere onto the sidewalk in both the the lawyers and the claimant or their survivals can be well compensated if the lawyer works his magic.  From stifling class action lawsuits to million dollar lawsuits, the likelihood of the inevitable occurrence of disagreements often are the supply that demand that lawyers are needed.  And, unfortunately if  there's  money (profit) then without that element one can fairly speculate that lawyers lose interest - fast.  The bottomline is that many (if not most) can afford a lawyer without the caveat that there's 'money to be made'

Brings us to the mission of advocating for others.  Everything that needs to be made whole is not necessarily based on a million-dollar lawsuit, but still it's small things in life that can throw people lives off balance.  No need to go into details here, but the average citizen can relate to these sometimes unwelcomed and small random matters..  As an advocate for seniors and the elderly I would suggest that they are unnatural targets for fraud, scheming, deceit and malicious interactions.

There are millions of stories where seniors are routinely interacting with others in making a fair exchange (Consumer/Providers & Suppliers).  Yet, they are at-risk of being screwed as soon as that predator's radar of implicit prejudice is activated Not just seniors either, but identity prejudice happens to all types of people.  Yes, that include the person who is of a particular race and is stopped for just walking or driving, etc.).

Recently, as an advocate I assisted someone who was having trouble in getting his car fixed because the mechanic seemingly had nefarious intentions.  the mechanic saw this elder as a target.  From receiving a normal repair job, the person who was in need of a repair could not secure his auto over an extended period time because the mechanic was intent on squeezing as much money from him as possible.  Can you imagine the pain, stress, and agony this customer was experiencing?

So to make a long story short, I was able to guide this senior to charitable legal services, and just the threat from the legal representative got an immediate and favorable response from the mechanic in and benefitted the senior consumer.  One can rightfully ask would this problem occurred if the person under siege was not an elderly person, who also used a cane?

Then this this elderly couple had moved to a senior facility,  When they were able to actually move, they still owed a portion of a utility bill,  The utility agreed to take monthly payments.  It should be noted that the same utility company had reneged on their reduced billing plan earlier and had elevated the couple's monthly payment to higher levels.  Because of this, it could be argued that this is why the couple had an outstanding utility bill when leaving.

They sent in a payment that was minus a few cents on the payment plan, and the  utility company went ballistic. I was able to call the utility and explain that this couple could barely pay for their medical prescriptions each month, and both were sickly.  The utility didn't budge or apologize, but at least they were aware that this couple had a public advocate that was helping to record their faulty customer relations.

Whatever the routine activity is many people take for granted, and it is well documented, that elders are at-risk in all activities that make society function.  The moral of the story is this:  The elderly and/or the disabled can use your support  and/or stewardship in helping in some of their dealings in life.  From daily routines to internet interactions, many are at risk.

If you would like to share your story, please comment.  Thank you.

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