Finding a Caring Caregiver

If an elderly loved one needs at-home care, how do you select a professional caregiver? With careful screening of the person or agency before making your choice.

Tragically, some caregivers physically or verbally abuse their patients — or simply neglect them. And financial exploitation, which leaves no visible marks, can be just as devastating.

Unfortunately, one does not need to look far for examples:

• A Georgia homecare nurse caught on an ATM camera using her elderly patient's debit card, was indicted on charges of elder abuse and financial transaction card fraud for swiping more than $7,500 from the 86-year-old victim, $2 to $300 at a time.
• In Illinois, a hospital nursing assistant befriended her 89-year-old dementia patient, and upon his discharge became his round-the-clock caregiver. Prosecutors say she obtained a power-of-attorney, allowing her to steal over $350,000 from his estate which she used to buy a new Mercedes, remodel her home, and enrich herself and her family. The caregiver was held on $350,000 bail and faces up to 15 years in prison on charges of felony financial exploitation of a senior.

Lack of caregiver screening, training, and experience accounts for many cases of elder abuse. As the Huffington Post reports, the Journal of American Geriatrics Society published a study finding that, nationwide, many caregivers are dangerously unqualified because agencies fail to conduct background checks, drug testing, or to require experience or training of new hires. Researchers conducting the study surveyed 180 agencies, but found that only 55 percent conducted federal background checks, and one-third administered drug tests.

The article includes these tips for choosing a caregiver:

• Use a checklist to review the candidate or agency (click here and here for checklists).
• Set clear expectations before interviewing candidates, and create a daily activity timeline.
• Involve the senior in the interview.
• Assess the caregiver's degree of specialty and training.
• Check references and conduct an independent background check.

ABCs of Elder Abuse

It started with Rodney Chapman mowing Gwendolyn Swank's lawn and doing handyman jobs around her mobile home. They lived across the street from each other in a mobile home park in Pemaquid, Maine, which has the oldest median age in the country. Chapman became Gwendolyn Swank's best friend and worst enemy.

Gwendolyn worked her whole life as a bookkeeper and accumulated over $300,000 in assets. Six years after Chapman befriended her, the balance in Swank's retirement nest egg was 37 cents. On June 12th, 85-year-old Gwendolyn was awarded $1.3 million against Chapman who is serving a five-year sentence for theft and has no ability to pay the judgment.

According to Detective Robert McFetridge who specializes in elder abuse cases, this case followed the ABCs of how to steal money from an elderly person, "A, befriend them. B, slowly start making them dependent on you. C, isolate them from other people. D, take everything they own."

After befriending her, Chapman convinced Gwendolyn to invest in an auto repair and recovery business which she's not sure ever existed. Then Chapman learned that Gwendolyn was scared about illegal drug activity in the area so he fed her fear by pounding on her trailer at night, telling her to stay inside, took her phone away, and restricted visitors and the use of her car, telling her it was for her own safety.

McFetridge investigated the case and said, "In my opinion, it's just as serious as if he had beaten her within an inch of her life … By the time we intervened, she was down to living on peanut butter and rice cakes. She was really a prisoner in her own home."

Tips for protecting yourself against elder abuse:

• Stay socially active and engaged
• Do not let anyone rush or pressure you into signing a document, purchasing something, or giving away your money or property
• Build relationships with the professionals who advise you or handle your money
• Avoid joint accounts
• Powers of attorney are useful and important tools, but can be misused

Click here for a directory of state helplines and elder abuse prevention resources.

Another "Gray" Area

In our last post, we discussed what is a "reasonable" suspicion for reporting child abuse. This is the same standard used for reporting elder abuse, which can be an equally difficult judgment call.

A case in point involves Mr. Dowdall, a 70-year-old man who suffers from an advanced form of dementia and was not supposed to be driving. However, when he was left at home alone one day, he drove his older model car down to the dealership and traded it in on a brand new convertible. Described as a "frugal man" before the onset of dementia, Dowdall signed a purchase contract for $62,130, including $10,000 of dealer add-ons, without negotiating.

The dealership helped him finance the purchase, obligating Mr. Dowdall to make $923 monthly payments that his wife said he could not afford. So, she hired an attorney to determine if her husband was the victim of elder abuse.

The salesman "acknowledged that something had seemed amiss with the man," but said there was nothing he could do once the sale was completed.

Later, the dealership agreed to take back the car after being "inundated with angry phone calls and emails" in response to media reports of this incident.

Abused Actor Sues Stepson

With a boyish face and 5'3" frame, it seemed like Mickey Rooney would never grow old. But, the 90-year-old Hollywood legend filed an elder abuse lawsuit against Rooney's stepson, Chris Aber, and Aber's wife, Christina, alleging financial exploitation and verbal abuse over the past ten years.

In March 2011, Rooney testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging imploring Senators to take action against elder abuse because "if it happened to me, it can happen to anyone."

According to the complaint, Aber became a signatory on all of Rooney's personal and business financial accounts and then diverted Rooney's mail to a post office box to allow him to fund an extravagant lifestyle without Rooney's knowledge.  Under Aber's threats of financial collapse, Rooney continued to perform, earning income for unpaid taxes and credit card bills Aber incurred under Rooney's name.

Rooney's complaint also names co-conspirators, including Jessie Heuer who ran the website mickeyrooneyfanclub.com to market and sell unauthorized copies of items belonging to Rooney, without Rooney's consent.