Earlier, I wrote about a woman from Waianae, who added her daughter to her bank account. The daughter was to use the money to pay contractors to remodel the mother’s home. This money was solely the mother’s, but instead of helping the mother, the daughter helped herself to the money (over $200,000) and disappeared.
After writing that piece about how parents need to call the police when their children steal from them — I got inquiries about whether it was really theft since the mother placed the daughter on a joint account. The answer is yes. If the person you add to your bank account contributed nothing to the account, and that person takes money without your permission, a theft has occurred. Access is not ownership.
Say for example that you let your neighbor borrow your car once. You gave him a spare set of keys but never take the time to get the keys back. One morning, your car is gone. Later you find the neighbor went joy riding. He committed the crime of unauthorized driving your car, a class “C” felony. Just because you let him drive the car before, and he had access to it, doesn’t mean he now has a controlling interest in the property.
I caution people about adding others to their bank accounts. It may seem more convenient just to put another person on a bank account instead of writing checks or giving them cash when they need money, but a person runs a risk of becoming a victim of theft and similar crimes like the one mentioned above. Even if the person you add to the joint account is trustworthy, the more people who have access to your account, the greater the risk that it will be compromised — check register errors, a lost or stolen checkbook and identity theft are examples.
One way to reduce the risk of theft of all your money is to create a separate, joint account for a particular purpose, like paying the bills. Only deposit enough money into that account to cover the bills. For example, if your monthly household expenses are $1,000, you can have your personal account automatically deposit that sum into a dedicated joint account with your family member who will be paying your bills. This may seem like humbug to set it up, but it will be much less effort than trying to recover from a crime committed by someone who could not resist the temptation of having access to large sums of money.
To report suspected elder abuse, contact the ELDER ABUSE
UNIT at: 808-768-7536 | ElderAbuse@honolulu.gov
www.ElderJusticeHonolulu.com
If truth is stranger than fiction, then this book is the strangest you will ever read. James Dooley, a former investigative reporter for The Honolulu Advertiser, KITV 4 News and Hawaii Reporter, details public corruption and criminality in Hawai‘i during the 70’s and 80’s. A lot of Dooley’s sleuthing formed the basis of the original essay called “Broken Trust,” printed in the old Honolulu Star-Bulletin and later published as a book. Dooley’s gripping memoirs of ties among celebrities, Teamsters, politicians and judges weaves a broad web of “how things were done in Hawai‘i.”
911 dispatchers need callers to give them vital information so they may dispatch EMTs and Firemen to emergencies. Many victims cannot give proper information: little children, victims of heart attacks and strokes, people who are choking, people who don’t speak English, or cannot hear what 911 is asking. Dispatchers lose precious minutes attempting to find out a callers’ exact location and information. With Smart911, they already know where you are and what medications you take. For elderly persons living alone, Smart911 is a very important breakthrough.
When it comes to Alzheimer’s disease, anything that offers hope gets attention. Dr. Blake analyses the latest scientific information and results from his clinical trials with Alzheimer’s patients at Hawaii Pacific Neuroscience Institute on O‘ahu, and dishes us up a simple diet — berries, green vegetables, nuts and beans — to prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s and related dementia. The subject is rocket science, but his book is easy to understand. Learn how powerful flavonoids in plant foods preserve brains cells and keep them active. See how how antioxidant vitamins protect our brain cells.
Years ago, I pioneered a concept of eating more to lose weight. The effectiveness of this approach has withstood the test of time. Some of my patients report losing over 50 to 100 pounds over the years simply by using my food “Mass Index” table that shows which foods will help you to lose weight. This table can be found in most of my books, such as the Eat More, Weigh LessR Diet and my latest book. the “Peace Diet™.” For a sample of this table, go to 
In Japan, they say we should first “eat with our eyes.” In other words, food should be presented in a visually pleasing manner. This turns out to be great advice to help slow and reverse the aging process. The more colorful your food, the more anti-aging nutrients it is likely to contain. For example, green foods tend to have lutein and zeaxanthin, powerful antioxidant nutrients that prevent aging. Yellow and orange vegetables and fruit tend to have lot of carotenoids that help with vision, skin, heart and the immune system. Red vegetables tend to have lycopene, which can protect against some cancers — notably prostate cancer — and may also help to protect the brain. Blue and purple vegetables and fruit have anthocyanins, also known to help prevent memory loss. Purple-red vegetables and fruit such as grapes and blueberries have resveratrol in them that can protect the heart. In future articles, I’ll cover these nutrients in detail and explain what foods are rich in these and other anti-aging nutrients.
Cancer is now close to becoming the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S. It seems like we see more cases of cancer than ever before. In addition to smoking and alcohol consumption, diet and lifestyle factors may play as great or greater roles in causing cancer. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) came out with a statement that processed meats increase the risk of cancer. So avoiding processed meats would be a good health habit, in addition to eating colorful food.
Today, as Hawai‘i’s aging population grows, many of us carry on these traditions and are the privileged caregivers for our parents.
Seniors also love our newest classes — MOSSA Group Power™ and Enhanced Fitness.™ These fun, high-energy group exercise classes provide a very efficient workout at every pace and level. Motivated by great music, up-beat instructors and positive physical results, seniors excel in these classes.
For those suffering from arthritis, evidencebased Enhanced Fitness is designed to help reduce painful symptoms. Seniors see improved strength, mobility and agility — all while having fun and making new friends. One senior’s physical therapist asked what she was doing. He was amazed at how much flexibility she gained in her spine!
