Click, click, and click. Many families go online to search for senior care options and without even realizing it, disclose personal, financial, care and medical information to companies that share this information with dozens of third party providers. Within minutes, they are bombarded with emails and phone calls asking them to come take a tour of a property, set up a home assessment, or even meet with a financial planner. During a time of great stress and need, the last thing that families are worried about or understand is that their privacy is NOT being protected.
The HIPAA law passed in 1996 by Congress and implemented in 1997, is a combination of regulations aimed at reducing waste, fraud and abuse in the health care industry. It also enacts strict security standards for the protection of personal health information, but unfortunately it does not apply to many private interrelated companies dealing with senior care. Some companies vaguely disclose that they share private information to third parties, but most offer no disclosure and even seek to use the information for financial gain.
We believe that these practices are wrong. Our clients share personal details about day-to-day care, medications, memory loss, savings and retirement, and disclose intimate details about their loved ones’ history and life. It is a sacred privilege to be in the position to receive this information and guide families to true solutions. Since our founding, we have committed to protect their rights and privacy and follow many of the HIPAA guidelines voluntarily. We do not fax or email their information out to third parties without their written or expressed consent and we never track their activity or identity thru our website.
How to protect your privacy online:
- Avoid filling out “contact” forms unless you trust the website
- Locate and read the organization’s privacy and 3rd party data sharing policies
- Be careful what you share: Only share information that you’re comfortable making public. Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want to be seen by others.
- Protect your devices: Keep your computer secure with anti-virus protection, regular software updates, and by turning it off when you’re not using it.
- Use strong passwords: Create unique, hard-to-guess passwords for each of your accounts. You can use a passphrase, which is a string of words that’s easy to remember.
- Be cautious of emails: Don’t open or forward emails from senders you don’t recognize, or that seem suspicious.
Families need guidance and TRUE advocacy. Although there are many genuine kindhearted advisors working in this field, we must hold companies accountable and encourage them to improve their practices. We wish everyone a blessed and safe 2025!
Amy Hentschel, Owner/Senior Care Advisor, Senior Provisions, LLC – www.seniorprovisions.com
