Abuse and neglect affect more than 20,000 elderly Californians each year, and that number is expected to increase as the population continues to age, according to the State Office of the Attorney General. Although many Californians know the signs of physical or emotional abuse, fewer are prepared to identify and address financial abuse, a type of abuse that is particularly likely to harm elderly individuals.
Financial abuse includes the theft, embezzlement, or taking of property from an elderly person in any improper manner, including by coercion or under duress. It can involve tangible property like cash or jewelry, or property like investments or real estate. In all cases, financial abuse harms elderly people by robbing them of their assets, leaving them vulnerable in the face of uncertainty.
Financial abuse can occur whether an elderly person lives at home or is cared for in a nursing home or similar setting. Signs of financial abuse include:
- Unusual bank account or other financial activity,
- Checks and other financial documents with unusual signatures, or signed when the elderly person was not capable of understanding what he or she was signing,
- Missing cash, jewelry, or other valuables,
- Unpaid bills piling up when it is a caretaker’s job to pay them, and
- Unusual cash, asset, or valuable gifts made to a caretaker or other individual, especially if that person is a relatively recent addition to the elderly person’s life.
If an elderly person you love has been hurt, the dedicated San Diego elderly abuse lawyers at Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers can help. Contact us today for a free and confidential consultation.
