Types of Financial Abuse in Nursing Homes
When people think of nursing home abuse, physical abuse is often the first thing that comes to mind. Sadly, this is not the only kind of abuse that happens in long-term care facilities. Among the many types of nursing home abuse, financial abuse is one that many people are becoming more aware of today. Sometimes, this type of abuse is perpetrated by strangers and even loved ones may take advantage of seniors by stealing from them.
Still, theft is a broad term and that includes the different types of financial abuse that occurs in nursing homes. Below are some of the most common types of financial abuse elders suffer that are important for anyone with a loved one in a facility to know.
Theft of Cash and Other Items
Although nursing home residents have rights that include the right to privacy, seniors have very little of it in nursing homes. The doors to residents’ rooms are generally open for the majority of the day and people go in and out of them regularly. These factors make it very easy for people to go into a room and steal cash and other items from residents. Unfortunately, this type of theft is also very difficult to prove.
Misusing Credit Cards and Checkbooks
Nursing home staff members sometimes have the authority to use an elder’s credit cards or checkbook to pay their bills or shop for them. Sometimes, these individuals will make purchases for themselves or use the money to pay their own bills. When a checkbook is misused, a staff member may write a check to themselves, essentially stealing the money from the elder.
Identity Theft
Nursing home staff members know a lot about the residents they care for, and they may even look for information they have no right to. They may then use the information to open credit card accounts and other financial accounts in the elder’s name without the elder’s knowledge. Those accounts are then used by the staff member until the account is maxed out or the staff member is caught.
Tricking Seniors Into Giving Up Property
Staff members in nursing homes sometimes earn a resident’s trust so they can later trick that senior into transferring assets without realizing it. Staff members may also trick a senior into signing important forms in their estate plan so they can benefit from it without the elder ever understanding what is happening.
Our Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer in Florida Can Assist with Your Case
No type of abuse should ever happen in a nursing home. If your family member has been the victim of financial abuse, or any other type of neglectful or abusive behavior, our knowledgeable Tampa nursing home abuse lawyer can assist with your case. At Kohn Law, we know how to hold nursing home staff members accountable when they have injured a resident or have caused them harm. We will put our knowledge to work for you. Call us at (813) 428-8504 or contact us online to arrange a free consultation with our skilled attorney.
Resource:
leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0400/0400.html
