Police recently arrested and charged a 19-year-old former employee of an Alabama nursing home after serving a search warrant on the woman’s home. Police said the woman is accused of financially exploiting at least four residents in the nursing home where the defendant worked for a short period.
The woman was charged with two felony counts and two misdemeanor counts of financial exploitation of the elderly. She was also charged with two felony counts of theft of property and one felony count of possessing a forged instrument.
The accused woman was already out on bond for other alleged financial crimes, and that bond was revoked. She is still being held by authorities.
According to the police, more victims may have been discovered in the search, and the woman will soon be charged with additional counts.
Compliance Perspective
Failure by a facility to safeguard residents’ financial resources and prevent employees from stealing them may be considered abuse, neglect, misappropriation, and exploitation and deemed provision of substandard quality of care, in violation of state and federal regulations.
Discussion Points
- Review policies and procedures regarding the facility’s responsibility to safeguard residents’ financial property, especially personal resources like cash, bank and credit cards, and valuable items like jewelry kept in residents’ possession.
- Train staff on abuse, neglect, misappropriation, and exploitation and their required responsibility to report any instances of suspected financial theft to their supervisor or through the Hotline.
- Periodically audit to determine if residents are being provided with personal lock boxes and that they understand the importance of using them to store their valuables.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC: IDENTITY THEFT FROM RESIDENTS BY EMPLOYEES
