ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Fatal Caregiver Abuse
Kidnapping and Neglect of Seniors for Financial Gain
Caregiver abuse of the elderly and other dependent adults can be gruesome and deadly. In one horrific case, caregiver was sentenced recently to 13 years in state prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and false imprisonment of two seniors in Southern California. [1] The motive, according to authorities, was financial gain. According to the complaint, the caregiver allegedly stole the seniors’ identity and funds and forged documents to pay her personal expenses and gambling debts. The Alameda County and California elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. represent seniors and their loved ones victimized by physical and financial elder abuse by caregivers and others. If you or someone you know is a victim of elder abuse in Alameda County or elsewhere in California, call us today at 415-441-8669, and we can help.
Physical elder abuse such as occurred in the recent reported case can be deadly. Financial elder abuse can be devastating to an elderly person’s quality of life as well. Financial elder abuse includes unauthorized use of credit and ATM cards; access to bank accounts and identity information; undue influence to force gifts, Powers of Attorney, or Will changes; embezzlement; coerced transfers of property; changing a life insurance beneficiary designation, and more. Caregivers may impersonate their victim over the phone with customer service agents to access bank accounts. They can take advantage of a senior’s isolation to ingratiate themselves to the senior, gaining access to accounts, cash, important papers and personal records. While seniors sleep, in-home caregivers have time to hunt for cash, search through paperwork, forge checks and other documents, use phone or online connections to manipulate accounts and sort and block important mail.
Protecting Your Senior Loved One From Abuse and Fraud
The best protection for a senior is to stay active in his or her life and regularly visit and review statements, records and the mail. Always run a background check and contact references for any in-home caregiver before hiring them. Keep valuables and important papers like a Will or Power of Attorney in a safe place. Never grant a Power of Attorney to a caregiver; caregivers should be limited to providing care and have no involvement whatsoever in financial or other personal matters. Make an inventory of property in the home or with a senior in a care facility. Report suspicions of elder abuse to the police and Adult Protective Services immediately and call qualified elder abuse counsel. While official reporting is important, you should pursue all civil remedies available to senior victims under California elder abuse laws. Our lawyers handle elder abuse cases of all varieties and know the remedies and extra damages to which you and your victimized loved one are entitled. Bringing a timely civil action against abusers can secure justice for an injured senior. California courts award attorneys’ fees to victimized seniors in certain cases and this can ease the burden of bringing a suit.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. was not involved in the case in any way.
