Studies of care in nursing homes in the USA have discovered a terrible statistic: one in twenty-five nursing home residents have been the victim of financial abuse. Many elderly persons no longer have the ability to take care of their own finances, and become victims of those who prey on the elderly. The financial abuse can be extensive, and an entire estate drained of all value before the family becomes aware of the problem. Valuable personal items can be stolen, such as jewelry or other keepsakes. Technology has created many unfortunate possibilities for nursing home residents to become victims of abuse, through stolen identities, the use of credit cards without authorization, unauthorized access to bank accounts and other types of financial crime.
If your loved one has been the victim of any form of financial abuse in a nursing home or by a caregiver, legal action must be taken. Cases in which a will was changed and a caregiver now listed as a main beneficiary are often the result of undue influence. An elderly person may be in a condition in which he or she doesn’t realize the consequences of these actions, and is asked to sign papers that he or she may not even fully understand. Signatures can be forged, and entire estates taken from the family and directed toward the benefit of the caregiver. Whether the financial abuse to your relative occurred in a nursing home or while being cared for in the home by a professional caregiver, our firm is ready to assist you to take action.
Any time an elderly resident has their property taken without authorization, or becomes a victim of fraud, this is financial exploitation. Checks can be cashed without the knowledge of the resident, signed with a forged signature and paid to the perpetrator by the bank. Checks made out to “cash” for large amounts can be put directly in the pocket of a criminal caregiver. As the staff in nursing homes are in daily close contact with the elderly person, there are a number of strategies employed to gain access to the assets of the victim.
The victims in these cases have been subjected to a huge range of behavior that is both illegal and immoral. A person’s retirement funds, bank accounts, stock accounts and other assets were saved through hard work during his or her lifetime, and set aside to provide in the latter years. Unscrupulous individuals can deplete an entire estate over a short period if the finances of the resident are not carefully monitored. If your loved one has been the victim of financial abuse, call our firm immediately so that legal action can be initiated to hold the guilty party accountable.
The recovery of stolen money acquired through financial abuse is an important issue. You can be confident that our team has the experience, knowledge and trial skills to pursue justice and full compensation for financial abuse. Call today for a free case evaluation.