ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Caregivers and Financial Elder Abuse
Keep Valuables and Important Papers in a Safe Place
Whenever a stranger is in an elderly person’s home, the senior’s identity, valuables, credit cards, bank accounts and important papers are all at risk. Unscrupulous caregivers strike quickly and it may be some time before the senior or family members realize things are missing. Cash, jewelry, identity information, and important papers can disappear in an instant. The San Francisco and California elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. know how devastating financial elder abuse and theft from seniors can be and represent seniors and their loved ones victimized by caregiver theft and abuse. If you or someone you know is a victim of financial elder abuse in San Francisco or elsewhere in California, call us today at 415-441-8669, and we can help.
In one recently reported case[1], a woman arrived at a senior’s home and announced that she had been sent as the senior’s caregiver for the day. While the senior was in the shower, the supposed caregiver stole the senior’s cash and took off. The woman posing as a caregiver was a fraud; she had not been assigned to care for the woman by any care agency. Care agencies report they are seeing more and more thefts like this one. Never allow a stranger in your home without checking with your agency first and check the person’s ID badge to confirm it is the caregiver assigned to you. Even with assigned caregivers take precautions against theft. Caregivers who get your Social Security number and other identifiers and access your bank accounts, benefits, and more. Never ever give your Social Security number or account numbers to a caregiver. Never ever grant them a Power of Attorney over your finances either. Our litigators have represented seniors victimized by the caregivers assigned to them by their home care agency.
Protecting Yourself or a Senior Loved One From Abuse and Fraud
Protection can never be absolute but there are steps that will significantly reduce the chances of financial elder abuse. Keep valuables and important papers like a Will or Power of Attorney in a secure place, off limits to caregivers and other strangers. Never grant a Power of Attorney to a caregiver or show them a trust, Will or other financial papers. Make an inventory of property in the home. Always run a background check and contact references for any in-home caregiver before hiring them. If you are the loved one of a senior, visit regularly, often unannounced, and review statements, records and the mail. Report suspicions 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 law. Our lawyers handle elder abuse cases of all varieties and know the remedies, extra damages, and awards of attorneys’ fees and costs to which you or your victimized loved one is entitled. We fight for seniors every day.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one been the victim of elder abuse in San Francisco or elsewhere in California, contact Ingrid M. Evans and the other Evans Law Firm elder abuse attorneys at (415) 441-8669, or by email at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>. We can help guide your case through investigation, discovery, through a jury trial or toward an equitable settlement. We handle cases involving physical and financial elder abuse, qui tam and whistleblower law, nursing home abuse, whole life insurance and universal life insurance, and indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. was not involved in the case in any way.
