Talking to strangers online

lvfroggies

I am new to this group and am taking care of my dad who has mild to moderate alzheimers....I had to move in with him to help take care of him but I still work full time. My problem is that lately had been talking to several different woman online from social media or dating sites.. . I know he is lonely but I don't know how to monitor or stop him some of it I'm sure is fine but most of them I'm sure are scammers....any advice would be welcome

Quilting brings calm

the only way to stop is to prevent him from accessing the internet by changing the WiFi password abs not telling him.

M1

Second this. You need to ban him from internet access, period, and that may include phone access also and taking his credit cards out of his wallet. Hopefully you have power of attorney, you can freeze his credit with all three bureaus. He probably needs supervision while you are working, be it someone coming to your home enrolling him in a daycare program. So sorry...

psg712

Agree with all of the above. Dating sites are only one place he could run into scammers online. My mom was never tech savvy enough to do much online, but she got scammed over the phone a few times. It's scary how people take advantage of vulnerable seniors.

harshedbuzz

You need to shut this down immediately.

IMO, PWD have no business on the internet or access to funds beyond a couple bucks in their wallet.

If you are POA or guardian, you have a fiduciary duty to preserve his assets for his future care. When he gets scammed, makes a donation he can't afford, signs up for a "free" trial subscription or makes a bad financial decision, that money is gone for good. You do not get a do-over.

My dad day-traded away $360K in the early stages of dementia while my mom dithered and fought me on shutting down his internet access. He somehow had at least 5 internet security suites on auto-renew when he died draining $1500 a year from their joint account.

Best to take away the computer and smartphone. If you can't, slip them into "airplane mode" and change the WiFi password. If he lives alone, and that time may be ending, cancel the service. Some folks swear by Telecalm for phones to limit spam calls. Mail can be forwarded to avoid him getting roped into charity appeals and Publisher's Clearinghouse.

If you're working and he's at loose ends, a day program presented as "the senior's club" would be a good option.

HB