Teaching banks how to protect their older customers

Aging,  Spring, 1996  by nancy C. Everson

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Tellers at a local bank noticed that "Mrs. Jones," a longtime customer, was acting strangely. Sometimes she seemed confused, and at other times she was suspicious and argumentative. She began to overdraw her account, accusing the bank of losing her money. One day, when she appeared at the bank with a stranger and a frightened look on her face, and withdrew a large sum of money, the bank manager grew alarmed and called the Berks County Office of Aging for help. Was it possible that Mrs. Jones had become the victim of someone who was exploiting her financially, he wanted to know. If so, what could the bank do about it? And how could bank employees tell if other older customers were in danger of financial abuse?

Calls like the above grew more frequent during the 1980s, as the aging population of Berks County, Pennsylvania, grew larger and the community became more aware of the needs of its elderly citizens. "We need help to deal with our elderly customers," said one banker. "Elderly customers all seem to come at lunchtime, the only time business people have to do their banking. They all crowd into the bank on Social Security Day, giving our tellers the `Third of the Month Blues.' They often seemed confused about how to use the bank's services." How could employees tell if someone was suffering from dementia? What should they do if they suspected that someone was a victim of financial exploitation?

The Office of Aging realized that the problems being raised by banks offered a real opportunity to collaborate with people in the business sector to raise the quality of life for older citizens. Because many financial abuses directed against the elderly involve large sums of money being withdrawn from bank savings accounts, banks were in a position to identify and report suspicious interactions. With training from professionals in the field of aging, bank personnel could function as "gatekeepers" (people who are in regular contact with the elderly and can spot problems affecting their welfare) by reporting problems to the aging services network.

Thus began a unique partnership between the Office of Aging and local bankers to train bank tellers, customer representatives, and managers how to identify older customers who might be having difficulties that could lead to financial abuse and how to report it. The partnership expanded to include the police, other businesses and educational settings.

At this time, Pennsylvania did not have an adult protective services law that would guarantee anonymity of reporters (such a law was enacted in 1987). Banks were concerned that if they developed policies and procedures to protect elderly from exploitation, they might violate these customers' rights to privacy, autonomy, and confidentiality. It was imperative that the program be built on a foundation of trust so that financial institutions and other professionals would feel comfortable in reporting their concerns and confident about how reports would be handled.

Training on Needs of Older Customers

The training began as a series of 3-hour workshops sponsored by the local branch of the American Institute of Banking (AIB). Initially, the Berks County Office of Aging brought in professionals from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry to sensitize bank employees to vision and sensory losses that many older people experience. Now the agency is capable of providing the training on its own. At the same time, the AIB understood the importance of the older customer and developed a 9-hour curriculum called "The Older Bank Customer." In most cases, banking personnel teach the course, which is optional, but given the ongoing relationship with the Office of Aging, this curriculum is also taught by the Office of Aging in Berks County. Though the emphasis changes depending on the need of the group, the course generally covers the following areas:

Session 1: Demographics of Aging in American Society. This session looks at the national, state, and local demographics relating to the elderly. It provides information about the elderly themselves, who cares for them, and the mobility and employment issues of their caregivers. It sets the stage for the following sessions.

Session 2: The Aging Process. This session explores the normal changes that occur with aging, such as social and sensory changes, and how they affect the independence of older people. Participants undergo experiential training with adaptive aids to simulate hearing and vision loss, such as writing with their fingers taped together to simulate loss of manual dexterity due to arthritis and trying to walk with popcorn in their shoes. Participants say they never really understood the physical problems older people face before this, and that this training has sensitized them not only to the special needs of their older customers but to the needs of their older relatives as well.

Tellers and customer service representatives learn how to communicate effectively with visually or hearing impaired customers. They also get tips on how to inform older customers of bank services such as direct deposit, power of attorney, pay-by-phone, and automated teller machine cards. In addition, bank managers are shown how to make the bank environment more accessible to elderly customers, such as setting aside certain hours of the day for seniors, having one teller line devoted to cashing Social Security checks, and using templates to write checks. One bank is even setting up courier service to an elderly housing facility being constructed across the street.