As many individuals may be aware, the moment you place your elderly loved ones in the care of a nursing home, you must be vigilant to ensure they are properly cared for by the attendees and staff at the facility.While there are many signs of physical and emotional abuse that are present, not everyone recognizes when financial abuse occurs. It’s important to know what you can do to help prevent this injustice from occurring and report it should you notice any of the signs.
Make Yourself an Authorized User On Your Loved One’s Accounts
One of the most important things you can do to prevent financial elder abuse is be aware of the accounts your loved one has and ensure you’re an authorized user before placing your loved one in the nursing home facility.
By doing this and informing the institution to notify you of spending, you can identify any instances where the accounts are being used by someone other than your loved one. You can prevent any issues by simply being aware of what may seem as though it is suspicious activity on the accounts.
Keep Personal Information Private
Never share—and ensure your loved one never shares—personal information that individuals can use to access certain accounts. Keeping Social Security number (if possible) and account numbers private is imperative to preventing anyone from accessing the accounts.
Don’t Entrust Expenses with Someone You Can’t Trust
Caretakers often try to build trust with residents, many of them justified, but some try to take that trust and gain access to the elderly’s expenses. For instance, they may promise to do some shopping, but may spend additional amounts for their own personal gain using the elderly’s accounts.
Whenever this happens, the victim of financial elder abuse may have the right to file a lawsuit against the responsible party. As the family of someone vulnerable to this type of exploitation, you should recognize the signs of financial abuse and report it as soon as you recognize it.
At Brown & Barron, our Baltimore nursing home abuse lawyers work hard to help you when you need it most. If your elderly loved one has been the victim of any kind of abuse, we’re ready to advocate on your behalf and seek the compensation and justice you deserve.
