By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or
[email protected] to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our
Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our
Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
If your mom has any cognitive issues that could be in her 'favor' as to getting the money back.
I worked Elder Care and did use my client's card to purchase things but she was always right there to see me do it. To take her card to a bank and get such a sum would have set off all kinds of alarms!!
I DO think the CG agency has some responsibility in this--they hired and bonded her, right?
Just my opinion, but when I worked in EC, we had to have receits and documents of all kinds for ANY money spent while with the client.
I assume these withdrawels took place over a period of time -- my bank wont let me tak out 5K at one time.
I agree, consult with attorney. The company may have bonded/insured employees so I would not let go without trying.
Most of the companies I interviewed stated (or claimed) that they performed background checks on potential employees. Raise this issue; if they did, and the caregiver has done this before, they had knowledge of this behavior and never should have sent him or her to care for your mother.
On another level, if your mother has any level of dementia, the caregiver could argue that she was authorized to withdraw an unlimited amount of funds. I assume no one else was present when your mother gave her the card?
I assume also that you've notified the card issuer and the bank to block any further withdrawals.
If you haven't already, contact one of the 3 credit reporting companies to report this fraud.
It's always sad to learn of someone exploiting an older person; I hope you're able to recover some of the funds, and certainly to let the agency know of this person's behavior.
My question is, did the detective send the case to the DAs office? It’s the DAs office that determines if charges will be filed. You need to find out if the DA declined to file charges.
Boy that stinks.
No DA would pursue this. The aide may get fired but it could be unlawful termination. All the CG has to say is she had permission from the family, which she did. The CG can even say her client asked her to do so and if the client has dementia this could have very well been the case.
Sad but true.
I’m with Midkid - bet you haven’t seen the CG since.
Worth a try going after her employer however but as stated go through the agency’s contract you signed.
Second, where are you located. Many state attorney generals are taking elder abuse and elder fraud very seriously. Crimes against "at risk adults" is one of the biggest problems today. You can go on-line and google state attorney general for your mom's state. See if they have a separate section dedicated to elder abuse or fraud. If not, just call and find out who they would suggest handle this.
Third, you can complain to the police department about the officer or detective who came out to investigate the crime against your mom. Some police departments have on-line complaint forms. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the bank probably has a video of caregiver taking out money. A $5000 handling fee is pretty darned excessive. It sounds like the officer just didn't care. Well, everyone has a boss. Keep working your way up chain of command until you find someone who will care.
Good luck and think about taking away mom's ATM card. If you have financial Power of Attorney (POA), then you could get the ATM card re-issued in your name. You can give mom a regular allowance every week and know that she's getting $200 a week or whatever she needs. If you have not nailed down POA authority for health and finances, you need to do that soon. Mom clearly can't handle her own finances and she needs to know someone she trusts is doing this for her.
1) The employee didn't give the $5000 to the OP or the elderly woman.
2) The employee didn't provide, or give evidence of having obtained, $5000 worth of goods and/or services of benefit to the elderly woman purchased with this money.
3) I'm not certain as to whether the employee has had contact with the OP or the elderly mother, but if not, then absconding with the money should be evidence of criminal intent.
Therefore, the employee should be found and prosecuted, and the agency should be considered at fault for having provided a criminal to provide care. Hopedly the agency has suitable insurance to cover this loss (assuming the agency wasn't complicit in any way).
Not making excuses if the CG did steal, but just tossing a possibility out there to be checked.
Secondly, caregivers must avoid getting involved with the client’s finances. In the absence of the children there will always be an authorized person or entity that takes care of money matters like a trustee or a fiduciary.
Bottom line, unless the caregiver has been legally given the authority to deal with the client’s finances, (which is very rare) there’s no way he/she should involve himself/herself in money matters.
If the mother isn’t complaining then, there’s no case. Unless the mom has cognitive impairment then it is another case.
Also, the daughter can actually talk to the caregiver about it without accusing her. Make it known subtlety, that she may not be with her mom but she knows what’s going on.
One day, my mom saw the caregiver leave work surprisingly early on a Tuesday morning, and then she didn't come back ever again. On Friday, my mom went to check on her old neighbor...you can guess what she found...and what was missing forever. The caregiver had even used a fake ID when she joined the agency, and she mysteriously quit the same day she got upwards of $40,000.