June 22, 2025 • 30 mins
Toyota dealers are working together in a massive effort to collect food for local food banks. Multnomah County health has heat warnings as summer weather begins to arrive. It's wildfire season, is your home insured? Elder abuse, especially financial, fraud is a growing problem and there are ways to help.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Local Voices. I'm brad Ford. This week, the
Toyota Fill the Truck Food Drive is underway and they
need your help. Hot weather is becoming more of a
health issue and Moultnam mc county has advice on how
to stay safe. Wildfires are a concern this time of
year and having the proper insurance matters, plus how to
prevent elder abuse. The Toyota Fill the Truck Food Drive
(00:27):
is underway. It's an opportunity for you to help people
in need throughout the local community. Russ Humberston Junior joins
us on Local Voices. Russ is the president of the
Pacific Northwest Toyota Dealers Association, which has twenty three dealerships
throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. Russ tell us about this
year's Toyota Fill the Truck Food Drive.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Yeah, like you said, Brad, the Toyota Fill the Truck
Food Drive is an amazing collective effort from all of
the twenty three Toyda dealerships in the region. It's about
giving our local communities the opportunity to come together to
help others. We partnered with iHeartMedia and their Auto team
who handled the publicity for the events and set up
(01:07):
all the food drive stops. We partnered with the Oregon
Food Bank, who has more than twenty one regional partner
food banks in Oregon, Southwest Washington, and we also partnered
with fred Meyer, which allows our communities to easily purchase
food that they want to turn around and donate to
the food drive. All the food collected went to the
food bank location nearest the sponsoring Toyota dealer for their day.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
So why did Toyota design to step up and get involved?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
The stats around hunger are staggering. Unfortunately, one out of
eight of our neighbors and one in six kids in
Oregon and Southwest Washington don't know where their next meal
is coming from. Last year, food as distance visits were
up thirty one percent, setting a sad new record. Toyota
(01:55):
dealers have always been heavily involved in their local communities.
We felt like giving each individual dealership the opportunity to
get their customers going would have the greatest impact.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
This really does sound like a monumental effort.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
It was our Toyota Fill the Truck Food Drive team
travels more than three thousand, five hundred miles of Oregon
and Southwest Washington Roads, making twenty three stops at Fredmeier
stores adjacent to each of our Toyota dealerships in the region.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Wow, how have the local communities responded?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Amazing. We have dealer employees engaging in volunteer efforts, making
additional donations and having fun doing good for our communities.
Last year, more than eight three hundred pounds of food
was delivered to the Oregon Food Bank partner organizations in
Oregon and Southwest Washington, and we are on track to
beat last year's total thanks to the Oregon Food Bank's
(02:49):
ability to stretch the impact of food donations. Food collected
will mean more than fifty two thousand meals will be
delivered to people in need.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
So where can listeners go to get more information and
support the effort.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Our collection efforts go through June twenty eighth, so you
can visit a local event these next few weeks or
visit the event website which is Toyota fillthitruck dot com
and click on donate today.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Russ, thanks for joining us on local voices.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Thanks very much, Brad.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
That's Russ Humberston, Junior, the president of the Pacific Northwest
Toyota Deaders Association and how you can be involved in
the Toyota Fill the Truck food drive again. You can
learn more online at Toyota Fill the Truck dot com.
Mulan McCatty Health officials want us to be prepared for
hot summer weather. Hotter temperatures and longer heat waves have
(03:40):
led to a higher number of heat related illnesses and deaths.
A muland McCatty explains the concern.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Why are we concerned about he related illness? We've seen
increases in heat related illness in recent years. There's a
stark difference in disease burden before and after the heat
Zme over the last nine years. Sixty five percent of
heat related illness emergency room and urgent care visits and
one hundred percent of heat associated fatalities have occurred over
the past four years, starting with the heat Dome in
(04:06):
twenty twenty one. So last summer we saw one hundred
and seventy emergency department and urgent care visits, the second
highest since twenty sixteen, behind the Heat Dome. Before the
Heat Dome, it was very rare to see heat associated death.
Now some happen every year. There were four fatalities last summer,
and it's not projected to get any cooler, so we
expect this to be an ongoing public health concern.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
How do they know when heat is expected to be
a problem. The nased Weather Service has a special heat
Risk forecast.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
It's what we rely on to assess risk and informed
decision making. It's also the primary environmental factor that we
use for our analyzes in the seasonal hazard reports. It's
a forecasting tool. The National Weather Service uses this to
forecast heat risk in advance so we can provide warning
and prepare and they have a great resource page where
the forecast is linked. You can see seven days out,
(04:54):
you can see different heat risk in different areas within
the county for a more local approach, and there's a
lot more information on what actually is comprised what goes
into the heat risk forecast tool. To meet our goal
of shifting in a narrative around heat, we do want
to highlight the moderate risk category. The language and descriptions
around extreme and major risk are pretty clear. A lot
(05:16):
of people see themselves as a majority of people or
within the everyone category, but there's more nuance to the
groups that are at risk in a moderate risk forecast.
Those are heat sensitive groups, wich we'll spend a lot
more time talking about, especially those without cooling or hydration,
those that are not acclimated to this level of heat
so coming in from out of town, and those that
are ex supposed to heat for longer periods of times
(05:37):
of working outdoors or on the job. This is not
to downplay the importance of communicating risk around major in
extreme risk days, but we always want to expand, expand
when folks are thinking about actions to protect their health
against heat.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Mollin says, it doesn't take extreme heat to cause problems.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Last year in twenty twenty four, while there were higher
heat related to emergency room and urgent care center visits
on days with major risk, the large portion of visits
occurred on days with moderate heat risk. So there were
just over six days last year where we had a
major risk forecast, and that made up thirty three percent
(06:15):
of the total visits for heat related illness that we
saw over just four percent of the season. But we
did see over half of visits occur on days where
there was just a moderate risk forecast. So we want
underscore it doesn't have to be that hot for heat illness.
To strike for some groups.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Like the heat waves are dangerous. Mullen says, even with
lower heat levels, it can cause problems.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
He defects our teamulative and that heat builds up in
our bodies. If we're not able to go off, and
the longer heat goes on, the greater risk of heat
related illness. Last year, four out of every five heat
related to mercery room and urgent care center visits occurred
during a heat event where there are two or more
days of moderate risk, orange risk or higher. And even
(07:00):
when temperatures drop after a multi day event of high
heat warm weather, it can still stress the body and
cause illness and injury because of compounditive cumulative effects. Our
body has been working to stay cool over that long period.
So folks is still be cautious when heat let's up,
and for these reasons, there are opportunities to provide different
(07:23):
ed messaging throughout multi day heat events. Some folks should
be more cautious in the middle or at the end
of events. If it's a third hot night in a row,
messages could focus on finding a cooler place to rest,
maybe sleeping in the basement, or changing up their workout
routine or gardening plans to take a little bit easier
on the third day, fourth day of an event.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
He can affect a wide range of people.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
These are some common characteristics that we see in our
heat associated fatalities. There have been fourteen deaths associated with
heat over the past three years. Eighty five percent were
over the age of sixty eighty five percent where men
eighty five percent were sit a widow divorced. Seventy nine
percent occurred at the resident's home, seventy one percent had
(08:04):
underlying conditions, and fifty percent had veteran status. And a
lot of people know someone who fits this description. This
could be folks, neighbors, fathers, clients, buddies, tenants, grandfathers, or patients,
and these all make great opportunities for interviews for authentic
voices to share their experiences around how they stay safe
in the heat. And we also want to underscore that
(08:27):
that point around seventy nine percent occurring at the residence
home and highlight that indoor conditions can be as dangerous
as outdoor conditions if there isn't reliable air conditioning.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Other groups of people are also at risk and moderate
heat waves.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
People ages fifty over, people using certain health with certain
health conditions or using certain medications, people without reliable ac access,
people working in hot environments, young children, those doing strangers exercise,
and folks that aren't acclimated to the heat that is forecast.
So these are all groups that should be monitoring conditions
and taking action when there's a moderate heat risk to
(09:04):
or hire forecast. And a lot of people can change
in and out of some of these categories depending on
their circumstances and may not see themselves as vulnerable to heat.
So that's one of the things we're trying to build
awareness around it is if one of these categories applies
to you.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
People don't have to be old to have problems with heat.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Folks ages fifty and over eighty eight percent of recent
heat heat associated desks. We're over the age of fifty,
that's over the last four years, and we also see
this age group overrepresented in emergency room and printing care
heat related.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
On this visits.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
We know older adults often underestimate their own risk regarding heat,
and so recent research has shown some factors and frames
that are motivating for older adults to take action, and
this includes finding relief from heat, so getting away from
that discomfort of being hot and finding someplace cool and
more comfortable to hang out avoiding UV exposure. So thinking
(10:03):
about skin health and getting out of the sun has
been motivating. And then knowing that a health condition or
medication can put them at risk. So there's a direct
physiological line that's altered in their heat sensitivity, and it's
not just their age. So those are all opportunities to
frame action for folks.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
People with certain health conditions who are taking medications can
be at more risk of heat.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Some health conditions and medications reduce the body's ability to
cool off, and there's a lot of variation in how
that happens depending on the condition or medication. It can
impair thirst, it can impair sweat, it can cause problems
maintaining fluids, can affect how our bodies just throw a
regulate in general, changing cardiac output. And that's why it's
(10:49):
really important for folks to know if a health condition
or medication that they're on it could influence their heat sensitivity.
And doctors are great resources. They can provide advice on
heat and health and no risk factors, look for and
actions that somebody should take depending on their specific circumstances.
I do want to and we have a couple of
the more common health conditions and medications that affect heat
(11:11):
institute on the slide there and at the end of
the slide deck. We've also linked the CDC's web page
on medications and heat interactions, so there's a lot more there.
I do want to highlight the chronic kidney disease. We
looked at a cute kidney failure in emergency room and
urgent care visits locally over last summer and we did
(11:31):
see that there was an increase in acute kidney failure
on days with major risk compared to days with no risk.
There's more information and in the brief, but just want
to highlight that there are increases in some of these
health conditions that we see in the in the county locally.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
This is a mulland with Mulan mccunty Health and information
about the increasing effects of heat waves. Access to air
conditioning is important in hot conditions, and Moland says there
are options for people who can't afford ac.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Now is a great time for remind people to get
a unit and not to wait until the forecast reads moderate,
major or extreme risk next year. People and we also
know that people are worried about running the running an air
condition because of the cost. So it's message is to
encourage action and address these is to call three point
(12:19):
one today to check eligibility for air conditioners or utility
assistance and they can be connected with programs and resources
that can help out with that. Also to speak to
their doctor when they're talking about potential health conditions and
medications that may affect their heat sensitivity to see if
their health plan has cooling devices available to them. And
that often requires a diagnosis of a health condition that
(12:42):
is sensitive to heat. So the doctors are the pathway
to that resource for them. And then we want to
high hight that fans can help folks keep cool. It
can be a cheaper option, but we only recommend the
use when it's below ninety degrees or fahrenheit inside. Above that,
you're blowing around high and air conditioning is more effective
(13:03):
and worth the custom.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Heat waves in your job can also be in effect.
Mullen says there's an increasing number of heat illness cases
due to people working in hot conditions.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
We did see an increase in occupational related heat related
illness last summer. They're fourteen percent of all visits to
THEED or Origin Care Center were related to an exposure
at work, and this is double the number then we
saw the previous summer in twenty twenty three. And some
common sectors that we see these these come from are
(13:35):
warehousing and transportation, so thinking delivery truck drivers that are
getting in and out of the vehicle carrying packages in
the heat. Kitchen staff both backup house staff and weight
staff that are transitioning from hot kitchen environments to maybe
a patio that's in the sun and moving back and
forth between those two locations. And then construction and landscaping.
(13:56):
So again another opportunity for authentic voice is to communicate
their own experiences in the heat.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
There are several steps you can take to be safe
during a heat wave.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
We have already talked about how people often don't perceive
themselves as being vulnerable to heat. So if you already
give somebody a textra a call, they may say that
everything is fine when they may be vulnerable. And so
we want to encourage folks that when they check on people,
do it in a way that directly supports cooling. So
deliver cool water, sports drinks or electrolytes and share tips
to stay cool, suggest outings to cooler locations and going
(14:31):
and picking them up if they have transportation related barriers,
and looking for naming signs of heat related illness, and
being strategically about when you're supporting folks. And if there's
like a couple days in a row of the forecast
of moderate, major, extreme extreme heat, it's as helpful to
do it in the middle of those days or towards
(14:53):
the end as at the beginning.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
That's a Molan with molon mccaudy as we focus on
the effects of heat waves. Brendan Hagrity is the Healthy
Homes and Communities Manager in the Moulton mccunty Health Department
and says air quality is also a concern when it's hot.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
There are a couple of ways that air quality commonly
deteriorates in our area during the summertime. The first one,
of course, is wildfire smoke. We often see that coming
in from other parts of the Pacific Northwest or even further.
Sometimes that comes in way up high in the atmosphere,
and it doesn't really have help effects when it's that
high up, it just looks hazy. Other times it blows
(15:28):
in at ground level, and that's when people who have
a respiratory sensitivity really need to start paying attention and
take protective measures. The other way that our summertime air
quality can deteriorate is ozone, which a lot of people
are familiar with the ozone layer, and it's great when
ozone is way up high, but it's harmful when it's
(15:48):
at ground level, so we often say good up high
bad nearby. Ozone is basically small, and it's a respiratory
irritant that can be especially harmful for folks who have
conditions like asthma or COPD. But ozone is a pollutant
that tends to accumulate through the day and then declines
in the evening in the late evening, so it peaks
in the late afternoon or early evening. So it's something
(16:10):
that people should pay attention to over the course of
the day if they have a respiratory sensitivity or a
condition that can be exacerbated by it. And one thing
that might mean is like kids with kids with asthma
might want to make sure they're playing outside in the morning,
but not in the late afternoon. For example, I want
to just emphasize that the County monitors air quality every day.
(16:34):
We have an ordinance that curtails woodburning on days with
the worst air pollution and so on days when the
air quality index is getting into that moderate category, we
call that a yellow day and we ask people to
voluntarily reduce any woodburning. So think of your backyard fires
in the summertime and on days with the worst air quality,
(16:56):
we call it our red day and woodburning is prohibited
on these days.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
That's Brendan Hagerty with Moulton mccaunty Health and Tips to
stay safe in the heat. Fire season is here and
every year in Oregon homes are destroyed by wildfires. Insurance
coverage is key to recovery. Kat and Brian with a
Northwest Insurance Council joins us on local voices. Katon, what
advice do you have for homeowners to protect against wildfires?
Speaker 5 (17:22):
The first thing is to be sure to protect yourself
and your family and get to a safe location. It's
a good idea to have an evacuation plan when you
live in fire country. As we approach fire season and
already it's already begun in Earnest in Oregon, so a
family of evacuation plan, have things ready to move quickly
(17:42):
follow any evacuation orders from local fire officials so that
you maintain your own safety. There are other things you
should consider doing before fires come, like protecting your home
by building in defensible space, hardening your home against wildfire,
not having leaves in your gutters and limbs up near
(18:05):
your house, don't stack the firewood right outside your house,
things like that, and you can get lots of information
about how to harden your home against wildfire by visiting
the Department of Forestry or the Oregon State Fire Marshals
web pages. And then as far as insurance goes, it's
important for people to understand that it doesn't matter to
the cause of a fire if you are insured. If
(18:26):
you have a homeowner's insurance policy or a renter's insurance
policy or a business insurance policy that includes property coverage,
your property is covered in the event of wildfire. There's
not a special policy you have to have in order
to be covered. There are, of course, deductibles associated with
your policies, and it's important to read and understand your
policy about those deductibles. But lost due to wildfire is
(18:51):
covered on your homeowners or renter's insurance policy, so if.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Your home is damaged or destroyed by a wildfire, what
should you do?
Speaker 5 (19:00):
We'll first make sure that you and your family are
safe in away from the fire danger, and then contact
your insurance company as quickly as possible to get that
claims process started. Companies are standing by in events like
we're seeing in Oregon right now. They're aware that these
fires are occurring. They follow all the news reports and
all the local wildfire official broadcasting, so they know what's
(19:23):
going on, and they're standing by and ready to take
calls from people who suffered losses.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Now, after a home has been damaged, obviously the homeowner
wants to try to get back to normal as soon
as possible. But should they wait until someone from the
insurance company comes by.
Speaker 5 (19:41):
Well, they certainly should make contact with their insurance company
in the immediate aftermath of a wildfire as soon as possible,
and they should be cautious about accepting any bids paying
any money out of pocket to do repairs unless those
repairs are really minor and they need to do something
quickly or to prevent further damage. For example, if there's
(20:03):
damage to a roof and rains are coming and there
might be additional damage but talk to your insurance company
first before you engage any of that, because you don't
want to pay out to either someone who's a scam
artist and not doing good repair work, but also you
want to make sure that the repairs are done will
be compensated by your insurer, so make sure that you
(20:23):
check with your insurance company first. It's also a good
idea if you can, particularly before fires arrive, to do
a home inventory, and that can be as complex as
you have time to make it, but even something as
simple as walking through your home with your smartphone shooting
digital images or photographs of the things in your home
(20:47):
to help you remember in the event of a fire
what you've lost. It's hard to even imagine the scale
of everything that's in your home after you've lost it
in a time of terrible tragedy loss to try and
figure out what you've lost. So the more information you
have about your loss, the easier it is to get
your claim started, the less complicated or controversial it will
(21:11):
be as you work with your insured or replace what
you've lost after a fire.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Can you do something as simple as record a video
on your phone and kind of walk through the house
you know, showing recording the things that you own.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
I would say to anyone at Oregon right now as
we approach fire season, if you have not done this already,
walk through your home with your smartphone. Talk about the
items that are in your home. If you can remember
how much you paid for them, or where you bought them,
or how long you've had them, anything about their value,
please do that. It's the simplest way to get a
(21:44):
start on a home inventory. I would like to add
that Oregon the organ legislature a couple of years ago
passed legislation that requires insurers to pay up to seventy
percent of lost home valuables regardless of whether you have
an inventory or not. But if you want to recover
(22:06):
one hundred percent of what you've lost, home inventory is
the way to make sure that occurs.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
What is typically covered.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
Well, what is typically covered is the structure that you
live in and all the things that are within it.
What's less covered is landscape. So if the landscape are
on your home burns, there's probably some amount of money
available to replace that landscaping, but that's going to have
a limit on it, and you should refer to your
policy to find out what that is. The removal of
(22:38):
debris is typically covered. That may have limits on it
as well, and usually insurers work with state agencies to
make sure that all the debris is properly removed and
disposed of, and some of that cost will be paid
by the insurer. Other things that are covered include loss
abuse of your home for a period of time, so
(23:00):
it's called additional living expenses. If you have to live
in a hotel or rent a home for some period
of time, your insurance policy does include coverage for those expenses,
and just like the other legislation I mentioned before, Oregon
has a legislation that requires insurers to pay that out
over a longer period of time, but again there is
(23:22):
a limit on how much money is available. So check
with your insurance policy, your agent, or your company to
find out more about what your policy includes than what
those limits are.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Now, what happens to a vehicle that might be in
a driveway that gets burned. Is it covered by homeowners
or is that the auto policy?
Speaker 5 (23:39):
Or an auto that is destroyed in a wildfire, you
need to have had a comprehensive auto insurance coverage for
that vehicle. It is not covered under your homeowners insurance policy.
So most people who buy particularly newer cars, either new
cars or recently used cars, they typically are required by
the lender to have that insurance coverage. Some folks with
(24:03):
vehicles that are older and are paid off might choose
to drop a comprehensive coverage, but that's the only coverage
on your insurance policy for your vehicle that will pay
for the loss of a vehicle due to a fire
or theft or other damage, cat.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
And anything else would like to add.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
It's a good reminder for those who are living in
rental properties, whether that's a standalone home or a mobile home,
manufactured home, or an apartment home, remember that fire can
cause damage, but also smoke can cause damage, and if
you don't have a renter's policy, you're going to be
(24:41):
You're going to have your possessions be damaged by fire
or smoke or the efforts to put out the fire,
and you won't have a way to recover unless you
have renter's insurance. It's an affordable product and I encourage
people to if they don't have it already, to reach
out and consider getting it as we get into the
part of welfare season.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Thanks Katon. That's Kat and Brian with a Northwest Insurance
Council and information about wildfires and homeowners insurance protection. Elder
fraud is a growing problem. Elder Abuse Day was marked
earlier this month. It's a way to focus on the
problem and how to prevent it. Jason Horton with the
Oregon Deproverty of Consumer and Business Services joins us on
local voices. Jason, what's the goal of World Elder Abuse Day.
Speaker 6 (25:25):
Yeah, the goal is to bring awareness to the general
public about the kind of scams that target older people
around the country. And it just seems like it's rising
every year those scammers and going after older people, and
so we just want to get that out there so
(25:46):
family members might be aware or people that know elderly
people can kind of have that on their radar.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
How much of a problem is elder abuse.
Speaker 6 (25:56):
The statistics show that one in ten Americans over the
age of sixty has experienced elder abuse in some way,
shape or form, and mostly it's financial abuse. And you know,
their figures are around two point six billion dollars to
(26:17):
more than thirty six billion. That's the estimated losses each
year with elder abuse.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
How do some of these scams or scammers work. What
do they do?
Speaker 6 (26:26):
They prey on older people who might be a little
confused and convince them that they're a family member or
that there are they gain their trust, say that they're
a pastor or somebody from a local church or congregation,
and they just work to to get their trust. A
(26:52):
lot of times, if there's a new or overly protective
friend or caregiver, that's kind of a warning sign that
they're could be something going on there. They often will
target seniors who are lonely. Maybe they're widowed or a
widower and don't have someone around them all the time.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
What should people do if they suspect elder abuse?
Speaker 6 (27:13):
Number One, call the police, I think if they're if
they feel like somebody has been taking advantage of financially,
you want to you want to get the authorities involved.
But people can they can call there's in organ we
have a toll free line you can call eight five
five five oh three seven two three three. If you
(27:34):
think someone has been financially abused, you can close credit cards,
close bank accounts, or work with financial institutions to try
to either recover or stop the payment of money that
has been sent.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
What is the Oregon Senior say fact and what does
it do?
Speaker 6 (27:57):
It makes securities industry professionals many reporters for suspected elder
financial abuse. So if you're if you're a financial planner
or financial investor, you're a mandatory reporter if you think
somebody is being targeted or abused. It's you know, in
(28:17):
a very similar way that certain people are mandatory reporters
if they suspect child abuse. This is in the securities realm,
and it makes those people mandatory reporters for.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
People who might be caring for older adults or their parents.
Is it a good idea for people to keep an
eye on their financial accounts.
Speaker 6 (28:36):
Yeah, absolutely, especially if you have power of attorney or
if you are a co signer on their accounts, you
definitely want to stay aware of that. You want to
monitor it. There's certain things that you can do on
your phone to monitor and get anti fraud alerts or
fraud alerts and things like that. So I think that
(28:59):
the most important thing is just be aware of especially
with family members, be aware of what they're doing with
their money, and if you know it seems like they're
coming up short on bills or they're getting a lot
of outgoing expenses in their accounts. That should definitely get
(29:19):
you to get more involved.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Jason, anything else you'd like to add.
Speaker 6 (29:24):
Dfr's consumer advocates are always there to help with questions
or to file a complaint against the company, and you
can raise them at one eight eight one eight eight
eight four eight nine four and that's tool free, or
you can email at DFR dot Financial Services Help at
DCBs dot orgon dot gov.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
That's Jason Horton with the Oregon Department of Consumer and
Business Services with information on elder abuse and how to
prevent it. Thanks for listening to Local Voices, I'm brad Board.
You can hear past episodes on the iHeartRadio app under
the podcast tab. Local Voices is a public affairs presentation
from iHeartRadio.
Welcome to Local Voices. I'm brad Ford. This week, the
Toyota Fill the Truck Food Drive is underway and they
need your help. Hot weather is becoming more of a
health issue and Moultnam mc county has advice on how
to stay safe. Wildfires are a concern this time of
year and having the proper insurance matters, plus how to
prevent elder abuse. The Toyota Fill the Truck Food Drive
(00:27):
is underway. It's an opportunity for you to help people
in need throughout the local community. Russ Humberston Junior joins
us on Local Voices. Russ is the president of the
Pacific Northwest Toyota Dealers Association, which has twenty three dealerships
throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. Russ tell us about this
year's Toyota Fill the Truck Food Drive.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Yeah, like you said, Brad, the Toyota Fill the Truck
Food Drive is an amazing collective effort from all of
the twenty three Toyda dealerships in the region. It's about
giving our local communities the opportunity to come together to
help others. We partnered with iHeartMedia and their Auto team
who handled the publicity for the events and set up
(01:07):
all the food drive stops. We partnered with the Oregon
Food Bank, who has more than twenty one regional partner
food banks in Oregon, Southwest Washington, and we also partnered
with fred Meyer, which allows our communities to easily purchase
food that they want to turn around and donate to
the food drive. All the food collected went to the
food bank location nearest the sponsoring Toyota dealer for their day.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
So why did Toyota design to step up and get involved?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
The stats around hunger are staggering. Unfortunately, one out of
eight of our neighbors and one in six kids in
Oregon and Southwest Washington don't know where their next meal
is coming from. Last year, food as distance visits were
up thirty one percent, setting a sad new record. Toyota
(01:55):
dealers have always been heavily involved in their local communities.
We felt like giving each individual dealership the opportunity to
get their customers going would have the greatest impact.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
This really does sound like a monumental effort.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
It was our Toyota Fill the Truck Food Drive team
travels more than three thousand, five hundred miles of Oregon
and Southwest Washington Roads, making twenty three stops at Fredmeier
stores adjacent to each of our Toyota dealerships in the region.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Wow, how have the local communities responded?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Amazing. We have dealer employees engaging in volunteer efforts, making
additional donations and having fun doing good for our communities.
Last year, more than eight three hundred pounds of food
was delivered to the Oregon Food Bank partner organizations in
Oregon and Southwest Washington, and we are on track to
beat last year's total thanks to the Oregon Food Bank's
(02:49):
ability to stretch the impact of food donations. Food collected
will mean more than fifty two thousand meals will be
delivered to people in need.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
So where can listeners go to get more information and
support the effort.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Our collection efforts go through June twenty eighth, so you
can visit a local event these next few weeks or
visit the event website which is Toyota fillthitruck dot com
and click on donate today.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Russ, thanks for joining us on local voices.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Thanks very much, Brad.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
That's Russ Humberston, Junior, the president of the Pacific Northwest
Toyota Deaders Association and how you can be involved in
the Toyota Fill the Truck food drive again. You can
learn more online at Toyota Fill the Truck dot com.
Mulan McCatty Health officials want us to be prepared for
hot summer weather. Hotter temperatures and longer heat waves have
(03:40):
led to a higher number of heat related illnesses and deaths.
A muland McCatty explains the concern.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Why are we concerned about he related illness? We've seen
increases in heat related illness in recent years. There's a
stark difference in disease burden before and after the heat
Zme over the last nine years. Sixty five percent of
heat related illness emergency room and urgent care visits and
one hundred percent of heat associated fatalities have occurred over
the past four years, starting with the heat Dome in
(04:06):
twenty twenty one. So last summer we saw one hundred
and seventy emergency department and urgent care visits, the second
highest since twenty sixteen, behind the Heat Dome. Before the
Heat Dome, it was very rare to see heat associated death.
Now some happen every year. There were four fatalities last summer,
and it's not projected to get any cooler, so we
expect this to be an ongoing public health concern.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
How do they know when heat is expected to be
a problem. The nased Weather Service has a special heat
Risk forecast.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
It's what we rely on to assess risk and informed
decision making. It's also the primary environmental factor that we
use for our analyzes in the seasonal hazard reports. It's
a forecasting tool. The National Weather Service uses this to
forecast heat risk in advance so we can provide warning
and prepare and they have a great resource page where
the forecast is linked. You can see seven days out,
(04:54):
you can see different heat risk in different areas within
the county for a more local approach, and there's a
lot more information on what actually is comprised what goes
into the heat risk forecast tool. To meet our goal
of shifting in a narrative around heat, we do want
to highlight the moderate risk category. The language and descriptions
around extreme and major risk are pretty clear. A lot
(05:16):
of people see themselves as a majority of people or
within the everyone category, but there's more nuance to the
groups that are at risk in a moderate risk forecast.
Those are heat sensitive groups, wich we'll spend a lot
more time talking about, especially those without cooling or hydration,
those that are not acclimated to this level of heat
so coming in from out of town, and those that
are ex supposed to heat for longer periods of times
(05:37):
of working outdoors or on the job. This is not
to downplay the importance of communicating risk around major in
extreme risk days, but we always want to expand, expand
when folks are thinking about actions to protect their health
against heat.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Mollin says, it doesn't take extreme heat to cause problems.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Last year in twenty twenty four, while there were higher
heat related to emergency room and urgent care center visits
on days with major risk, the large portion of visits
occurred on days with moderate heat risk. So there were
just over six days last year where we had a
major risk forecast, and that made up thirty three percent
(06:15):
of the total visits for heat related illness that we
saw over just four percent of the season. But we
did see over half of visits occur on days where
there was just a moderate risk forecast. So we want
underscore it doesn't have to be that hot for heat illness.
To strike for some groups.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Like the heat waves are dangerous. Mullen says, even with
lower heat levels, it can cause problems.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
He defects our teamulative and that heat builds up in
our bodies. If we're not able to go off, and
the longer heat goes on, the greater risk of heat
related illness. Last year, four out of every five heat
related to mercery room and urgent care center visits occurred
during a heat event where there are two or more
days of moderate risk, orange risk or higher. And even
(07:00):
when temperatures drop after a multi day event of high
heat warm weather, it can still stress the body and
cause illness and injury because of compounditive cumulative effects. Our
body has been working to stay cool over that long period.
So folks is still be cautious when heat let's up,
and for these reasons, there are opportunities to provide different
(07:23):
ed messaging throughout multi day heat events. Some folks should
be more cautious in the middle or at the end
of events. If it's a third hot night in a row,
messages could focus on finding a cooler place to rest,
maybe sleeping in the basement, or changing up their workout
routine or gardening plans to take a little bit easier
on the third day, fourth day of an event.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
He can affect a wide range of people.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
These are some common characteristics that we see in our
heat associated fatalities. There have been fourteen deaths associated with
heat over the past three years. Eighty five percent were
over the age of sixty eighty five percent where men
eighty five percent were sit a widow divorced. Seventy nine
percent occurred at the resident's home, seventy one percent had
(08:04):
underlying conditions, and fifty percent had veteran status. And a
lot of people know someone who fits this description. This
could be folks, neighbors, fathers, clients, buddies, tenants, grandfathers, or patients,
and these all make great opportunities for interviews for authentic
voices to share their experiences around how they stay safe
in the heat. And we also want to underscore that
(08:27):
that point around seventy nine percent occurring at the residence
home and highlight that indoor conditions can be as dangerous
as outdoor conditions if there isn't reliable air conditioning.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Other groups of people are also at risk and moderate
heat waves.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
People ages fifty over, people using certain health with certain
health conditions or using certain medications, people without reliable ac access,
people working in hot environments, young children, those doing strangers exercise,
and folks that aren't acclimated to the heat that is forecast.
So these are all groups that should be monitoring conditions
and taking action when there's a moderate heat risk to
(09:04):
or hire forecast. And a lot of people can change
in and out of some of these categories depending on
their circumstances and may not see themselves as vulnerable to heat.
So that's one of the things we're trying to build
awareness around it is if one of these categories applies
to you.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
People don't have to be old to have problems with heat.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Folks ages fifty and over eighty eight percent of recent
heat heat associated desks. We're over the age of fifty,
that's over the last four years, and we also see
this age group overrepresented in emergency room and printing care
heat related.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
On this visits.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
We know older adults often underestimate their own risk regarding heat,
and so recent research has shown some factors and frames
that are motivating for older adults to take action, and
this includes finding relief from heat, so getting away from
that discomfort of being hot and finding someplace cool and
more comfortable to hang out avoiding UV exposure. So thinking
(10:03):
about skin health and getting out of the sun has
been motivating. And then knowing that a health condition or
medication can put them at risk. So there's a direct
physiological line that's altered in their heat sensitivity, and it's
not just their age. So those are all opportunities to
frame action for folks.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
People with certain health conditions who are taking medications can
be at more risk of heat.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Some health conditions and medications reduce the body's ability to
cool off, and there's a lot of variation in how
that happens depending on the condition or medication. It can
impair thirst, it can impair sweat, it can cause problems
maintaining fluids, can affect how our bodies just throw a
regulate in general, changing cardiac output. And that's why it's
(10:49):
really important for folks to know if a health condition
or medication that they're on it could influence their heat sensitivity.
And doctors are great resources. They can provide advice on
heat and health and no risk factors, look for and
actions that somebody should take depending on their specific circumstances.
I do want to and we have a couple of
the more common health conditions and medications that affect heat
(11:11):
institute on the slide there and at the end of
the slide deck. We've also linked the CDC's web page
on medications and heat interactions, so there's a lot more there.
I do want to highlight the chronic kidney disease. We
looked at a cute kidney failure in emergency room and
urgent care visits locally over last summer and we did
(11:31):
see that there was an increase in acute kidney failure
on days with major risk compared to days with no risk.
There's more information and in the brief, but just want
to highlight that there are increases in some of these
health conditions that we see in the in the county locally.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
This is a mulland with Mulan mccunty Health and information
about the increasing effects of heat waves. Access to air
conditioning is important in hot conditions, and Moland says there
are options for people who can't afford ac.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Now is a great time for remind people to get
a unit and not to wait until the forecast reads moderate,
major or extreme risk next year. People and we also
know that people are worried about running the running an air
condition because of the cost. So it's message is to
encourage action and address these is to call three point
(12:19):
one today to check eligibility for air conditioners or utility
assistance and they can be connected with programs and resources
that can help out with that. Also to speak to
their doctor when they're talking about potential health conditions and
medications that may affect their heat sensitivity to see if
their health plan has cooling devices available to them. And
that often requires a diagnosis of a health condition that
(12:42):
is sensitive to heat. So the doctors are the pathway
to that resource for them. And then we want to
high hight that fans can help folks keep cool. It
can be a cheaper option, but we only recommend the
use when it's below ninety degrees or fahrenheit inside. Above that,
you're blowing around high and air conditioning is more effective
(13:03):
and worth the custom.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Heat waves in your job can also be in effect.
Mullen says there's an increasing number of heat illness cases
due to people working in hot conditions.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
We did see an increase in occupational related heat related
illness last summer. They're fourteen percent of all visits to
THEED or Origin Care Center were related to an exposure
at work, and this is double the number then we
saw the previous summer in twenty twenty three. And some
common sectors that we see these these come from are
(13:35):
warehousing and transportation, so thinking delivery truck drivers that are
getting in and out of the vehicle carrying packages in
the heat. Kitchen staff both backup house staff and weight
staff that are transitioning from hot kitchen environments to maybe
a patio that's in the sun and moving back and
forth between those two locations. And then construction and landscaping.
(13:56):
So again another opportunity for authentic voice is to communicate
their own experiences in the heat.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
There are several steps you can take to be safe
during a heat wave.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
We have already talked about how people often don't perceive
themselves as being vulnerable to heat. So if you already
give somebody a textra a call, they may say that
everything is fine when they may be vulnerable. And so
we want to encourage folks that when they check on people,
do it in a way that directly supports cooling. So
deliver cool water, sports drinks or electrolytes and share tips
to stay cool, suggest outings to cooler locations and going
(14:31):
and picking them up if they have transportation related barriers,
and looking for naming signs of heat related illness, and
being strategically about when you're supporting folks. And if there's
like a couple days in a row of the forecast
of moderate, major, extreme extreme heat, it's as helpful to
do it in the middle of those days or towards
(14:53):
the end as at the beginning.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
That's a Molan with molon mccaudy as we focus on
the effects of heat waves. Brendan Hagrity is the Healthy
Homes and Communities Manager in the Moulton mccunty Health Department
and says air quality is also a concern when it's hot.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
There are a couple of ways that air quality commonly
deteriorates in our area during the summertime. The first one,
of course, is wildfire smoke. We often see that coming
in from other parts of the Pacific Northwest or even further.
Sometimes that comes in way up high in the atmosphere,
and it doesn't really have help effects when it's that
high up, it just looks hazy. Other times it blows
(15:28):
in at ground level, and that's when people who have
a respiratory sensitivity really need to start paying attention and
take protective measures. The other way that our summertime air
quality can deteriorate is ozone, which a lot of people
are familiar with the ozone layer, and it's great when
ozone is way up high, but it's harmful when it's
(15:48):
at ground level, so we often say good up high
bad nearby. Ozone is basically small, and it's a respiratory
irritant that can be especially harmful for folks who have
conditions like asthma or COPD. But ozone is a pollutant
that tends to accumulate through the day and then declines
in the evening in the late evening, so it peaks
in the late afternoon or early evening. So it's something
(16:10):
that people should pay attention to over the course of
the day if they have a respiratory sensitivity or a
condition that can be exacerbated by it. And one thing
that might mean is like kids with kids with asthma
might want to make sure they're playing outside in the morning,
but not in the late afternoon. For example, I want
to just emphasize that the County monitors air quality every day.
(16:34):
We have an ordinance that curtails woodburning on days with
the worst air pollution and so on days when the
air quality index is getting into that moderate category, we
call that a yellow day and we ask people to
voluntarily reduce any woodburning. So think of your backyard fires
in the summertime and on days with the worst air quality,
(16:56):
we call it our red day and woodburning is prohibited
on these days.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
That's Brendan Hagerty with Moulton mccaunty Health and Tips to
stay safe in the heat. Fire season is here and
every year in Oregon homes are destroyed by wildfires. Insurance
coverage is key to recovery. Kat and Brian with a
Northwest Insurance Council joins us on local voices. Katon, what
advice do you have for homeowners to protect against wildfires?
Speaker 5 (17:22):
The first thing is to be sure to protect yourself
and your family and get to a safe location. It's
a good idea to have an evacuation plan when you
live in fire country. As we approach fire season and
already it's already begun in Earnest in Oregon, so a
family of evacuation plan, have things ready to move quickly
(17:42):
follow any evacuation orders from local fire officials so that
you maintain your own safety. There are other things you
should consider doing before fires come, like protecting your home
by building in defensible space, hardening your home against wildfire,
not having leaves in your gutters and limbs up near
(18:05):
your house, don't stack the firewood right outside your house,
things like that, and you can get lots of information
about how to harden your home against wildfire by visiting
the Department of Forestry or the Oregon State Fire Marshals
web pages. And then as far as insurance goes, it's
important for people to understand that it doesn't matter to
the cause of a fire if you are insured. If
(18:26):
you have a homeowner's insurance policy or a renter's insurance
policy or a business insurance policy that includes property coverage,
your property is covered in the event of wildfire. There's
not a special policy you have to have in order
to be covered. There are, of course, deductibles associated with
your policies, and it's important to read and understand your
policy about those deductibles. But lost due to wildfire is
(18:51):
covered on your homeowners or renter's insurance policy, so if.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Your home is damaged or destroyed by a wildfire, what
should you do?
Speaker 5 (19:00):
We'll first make sure that you and your family are
safe in away from the fire danger, and then contact
your insurance company as quickly as possible to get that
claims process started. Companies are standing by in events like
we're seeing in Oregon right now. They're aware that these
fires are occurring. They follow all the news reports and
all the local wildfire official broadcasting, so they know what's
(19:23):
going on, and they're standing by and ready to take
calls from people who suffered losses.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Now, after a home has been damaged, obviously the homeowner
wants to try to get back to normal as soon
as possible. But should they wait until someone from the
insurance company comes by.
Speaker 5 (19:41):
Well, they certainly should make contact with their insurance company
in the immediate aftermath of a wildfire as soon as possible,
and they should be cautious about accepting any bids paying
any money out of pocket to do repairs unless those
repairs are really minor and they need to do something
quickly or to prevent further damage. For example, if there's
(20:03):
damage to a roof and rains are coming and there
might be additional damage but talk to your insurance company
first before you engage any of that, because you don't
want to pay out to either someone who's a scam
artist and not doing good repair work, but also you
want to make sure that the repairs are done will
be compensated by your insurer, so make sure that you
(20:23):
check with your insurance company first. It's also a good
idea if you can, particularly before fires arrive, to do
a home inventory, and that can be as complex as
you have time to make it, but even something as
simple as walking through your home with your smartphone shooting
digital images or photographs of the things in your home
(20:47):
to help you remember in the event of a fire
what you've lost. It's hard to even imagine the scale
of everything that's in your home after you've lost it
in a time of terrible tragedy loss to try and
figure out what you've lost. So the more information you
have about your loss, the easier it is to get
your claim started, the less complicated or controversial it will
(21:11):
be as you work with your insured or replace what
you've lost after a fire.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Can you do something as simple as record a video
on your phone and kind of walk through the house
you know, showing recording the things that you own.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
I would say to anyone at Oregon right now as
we approach fire season, if you have not done this already,
walk through your home with your smartphone. Talk about the
items that are in your home. If you can remember
how much you paid for them, or where you bought them,
or how long you've had them, anything about their value,
please do that. It's the simplest way to get a
(21:44):
start on a home inventory. I would like to add
that Oregon the organ legislature a couple of years ago
passed legislation that requires insurers to pay up to seventy
percent of lost home valuables regardless of whether you have
an inventory or not. But if you want to recover
(22:06):
one hundred percent of what you've lost, home inventory is
the way to make sure that occurs.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
What is typically covered.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
Well, what is typically covered is the structure that you
live in and all the things that are within it.
What's less covered is landscape. So if the landscape are
on your home burns, there's probably some amount of money
available to replace that landscaping, but that's going to have
a limit on it, and you should refer to your
policy to find out what that is. The removal of
(22:38):
debris is typically covered. That may have limits on it
as well, and usually insurers work with state agencies to
make sure that all the debris is properly removed and
disposed of, and some of that cost will be paid
by the insurer. Other things that are covered include loss
abuse of your home for a period of time, so
(23:00):
it's called additional living expenses. If you have to live
in a hotel or rent a home for some period
of time, your insurance policy does include coverage for those expenses,
and just like the other legislation I mentioned before, Oregon
has a legislation that requires insurers to pay that out
over a longer period of time, but again there is
(23:22):
a limit on how much money is available. So check
with your insurance policy, your agent, or your company to
find out more about what your policy includes than what
those limits are.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Now, what happens to a vehicle that might be in
a driveway that gets burned. Is it covered by homeowners
or is that the auto policy?
Speaker 5 (23:39):
Or an auto that is destroyed in a wildfire, you
need to have had a comprehensive auto insurance coverage for
that vehicle. It is not covered under your homeowners insurance policy.
So most people who buy particularly newer cars, either new
cars or recently used cars, they typically are required by
the lender to have that insurance coverage. Some folks with
(24:03):
vehicles that are older and are paid off might choose
to drop a comprehensive coverage, but that's the only coverage
on your insurance policy for your vehicle that will pay
for the loss of a vehicle due to a fire
or theft or other damage, cat.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
And anything else would like to add.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
It's a good reminder for those who are living in
rental properties, whether that's a standalone home or a mobile home,
manufactured home, or an apartment home, remember that fire can
cause damage, but also smoke can cause damage, and if
you don't have a renter's policy, you're going to be
(24:41):
You're going to have your possessions be damaged by fire
or smoke or the efforts to put out the fire,
and you won't have a way to recover unless you
have renter's insurance. It's an affordable product and I encourage
people to if they don't have it already, to reach
out and consider getting it as we get into the
part of welfare season.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Thanks Katon. That's Kat and Brian with a Northwest Insurance
Council and information about wildfires and homeowners insurance protection. Elder
fraud is a growing problem. Elder Abuse Day was marked
earlier this month. It's a way to focus on the
problem and how to prevent it. Jason Horton with the
Oregon Deproverty of Consumer and Business Services joins us on
local voices. Jason, what's the goal of World Elder Abuse Day.
Speaker 6 (25:25):
Yeah, the goal is to bring awareness to the general
public about the kind of scams that target older people
around the country. And it just seems like it's rising
every year those scammers and going after older people, and
so we just want to get that out there so
(25:46):
family members might be aware or people that know elderly
people can kind of have that on their radar.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
How much of a problem is elder abuse.
Speaker 6 (25:56):
The statistics show that one in ten Americans over the
age of sixty has experienced elder abuse in some way,
shape or form, and mostly it's financial abuse. And you know,
their figures are around two point six billion dollars to
(26:17):
more than thirty six billion. That's the estimated losses each
year with elder abuse.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
How do some of these scams or scammers work. What
do they do?
Speaker 6 (26:26):
They prey on older people who might be a little
confused and convince them that they're a family member or
that there are they gain their trust, say that they're
a pastor or somebody from a local church or congregation,
and they just work to to get their trust. A
(26:52):
lot of times, if there's a new or overly protective
friend or caregiver, that's kind of a warning sign that
they're could be something going on there. They often will
target seniors who are lonely. Maybe they're widowed or a
widower and don't have someone around them all the time.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
What should people do if they suspect elder abuse?
Speaker 6 (27:13):
Number One, call the police, I think if they're if
they feel like somebody has been taking advantage of financially,
you want to you want to get the authorities involved.
But people can they can call there's in organ we
have a toll free line you can call eight five
five five oh three seven two three three. If you
(27:34):
think someone has been financially abused, you can close credit cards,
close bank accounts, or work with financial institutions to try
to either recover or stop the payment of money that
has been sent.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
What is the Oregon Senior say fact and what does
it do?
Speaker 6 (27:57):
It makes securities industry professionals many reporters for suspected elder
financial abuse. So if you're if you're a financial planner
or financial investor, you're a mandatory reporter if you think
somebody is being targeted or abused. It's you know, in
(28:17):
a very similar way that certain people are mandatory reporters
if they suspect child abuse. This is in the securities realm,
and it makes those people mandatory reporters for.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
People who might be caring for older adults or their parents.
Is it a good idea for people to keep an
eye on their financial accounts.
Speaker 6 (28:36):
Yeah, absolutely, especially if you have power of attorney or
if you are a co signer on their accounts, you
definitely want to stay aware of that. You want to
monitor it. There's certain things that you can do on
your phone to monitor and get anti fraud alerts or
fraud alerts and things like that. So I think that
(28:59):
the most important thing is just be aware of especially
with family members, be aware of what they're doing with
their money, and if you know it seems like they're
coming up short on bills or they're getting a lot
of outgoing expenses in their accounts. That should definitely get
(29:19):
you to get more involved.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Jason, anything else you'd like to add.
Speaker 6 (29:24):
Dfr's consumer advocates are always there to help with questions
or to file a complaint against the company, and you
can raise them at one eight eight one eight eight
eight four eight nine four and that's tool free, or
you can email at DFR dot Financial Services Help at
DCBs dot orgon dot gov.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
That's Jason Horton with the Oregon Department of Consumer and
Business Services with information on elder abuse and how to
prevent it. Thanks for listening to Local Voices, I'm brad Board.
You can hear past episodes on the iHeartRadio app under
the podcast tab. Local Voices is a public affairs presentation
from iHeartRadio.
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