Alzheimer’s and dementia patients are, among many other weaknesses they endure throughout the duration of their illness, easily manipulated. Caretakers to these very sick individuals are depended upon, not only by patients, but also by the families and friends of those patients. This dependence puts them in a position of great power, and as always, with power comes responsibility. Unfortunately, many of these caretakers use their position of power to take advantage of their patients. This kind of elder abuse is far too common. Our elders should be respected. Instead, some are being forced to live in inhumane conditions while their life savings are being ripped out from underneath them.
Caretaker Arrested for Theft, Elder Abuse and False Imprisonment
Milagros Angeles, 62, is being accused of theft by a caretaker, elder abuse, false imprisonment, and being in possession of altered checks. If she is found guilty, Milagros may be facing more than six years in prison. She worked as the caretaker of Navy veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor Arnold “Max” Bauer, 93, since 2009. When employees at Bauer’s bank noticed a series of suspicious checks drawn on his account during a 6 month period of absence, they contacted Adult Protective Services. Investigators were sent to check on him. Once in the home, they found that the elderly man was living in “filth and squalor,” with trash, rotting food and rat feces covering the house. According to San Diego Sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Varnau, Bauer was found disoriented and dehydrated and “It appears he has advanced Alzheimer’s … He can engage in conversation for a very short period of time and then he drifts off. He is very vulnerable and very much open to being victimized and manipulated.”
They also found $9,000 in cash in Milagros’ bedroom and after further investigation found that she had written 56 checks, totaling $5,600, to herself and her family in the Philippines. Milagros Angeles is being charged with elder abuse and neglect while stealing from the elderly man’s life savings. The exact amount she has taken is unknown, but considering she lived and worked with the man for almost three years, the total could be as much as $100,000.
Elder Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia
If your loved one is currently being taken advantage of financially or physically, or they are a resident of a nursing home and you are worried that the care they are receiving is negligent, abusive, or inadequate, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. You may also call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.
Kelvin Washington, 47, who works as an administrator at a Sugar Land nursing home in Texas, was arrested on August 4, 2011 and is being charged with conspiracy, health care fraud and violations of the anti-kickback statute. He is being accused of creating a plan where he billed federal health care programs for ambulance transport and received payments totaling approximately $20,000 for referring the dialysis patients to a Houston ambulance transport service between 2003 and 2007. He allegedly conspired to have unknowing doctors sign transport prescriptions for patients who were never even admitted to the nursing home. Medicare and Medicaid were billed almost $1 million in false health care claims. The maximum penalties for a violation of the health care fraud statue in Texas is a maximum of 10 years in prison. The maximum sentence for a violation of the conspiracy statue or the anti-kickback statute is five years. Each of the 10 counts charged also carry a maximum $250,000 fine as punishment upon conviction.
Marisa Robles, 31, faced 92 counts related to theft, fraud and elder abuse and pleaded guilty to 32 counts of fraud and elder abuse this month. Robles used her access to the 81-year-old man’s financial documents to write checks to herself and sign his name. According to Deputy District Attorney Barrie Pink, “She started small to see if she could get away with it,” first forging checks for $500 but then quickly began writing them for larger amounts up to $10,000. Robles stole up to $300,000 from the elderly man.
Even though he is claiming that she died of natural causes, the investigators are saying that she died of starvation while covered in bed sores. The autopsy showed she died of severe pneumonia, malnutrition and possibly dehydration. They are also saying that the house was messy and the only food was two cans in the cabinet. According to her driver’s license, Ms. Rogers weighed 140 pounds, but at the time of her death, she weighed only 70 pounds. The coroner said the bed sores were severe and all over her body and that the sores on her feet meant that she was too weak to move her legs. More than a third of the home’s combined monthly income of $3,500< came from Connie’s social security. According to bank records, that money was usually withdrawn as cash days after it was deposited.
Mr. Rogers may have had good intentions for his mother’s care, but this is no excuse for the severe elder abuse that occurred. Even if she refused to eat or was difficult to care for, he should have known the point where he needed the professional help. There is no record of Ms. Rogers applying for or receiving any Medicare benefits. This means that he did not take advantage of a service that could have improved her condition drastically and allowed her to live much longer.
On June 11, 2011 Juan David Hernandez, 28, who is a Colombian citizen and a resident of Florida, was arrested in Vancouver for obstruction of justice after he gave a false name when he was pulled over for an illegal turn by a police officer. According to Vancouver Police Det. Rick Stewart, “When they looked inside the vehicle’s front seat, they saw bags and bags of mail.” The bags were full of letters from all over the world containing checks for $30. After an investigation, they discovered that Hernandez was guilty of 
With a growing elderly population, we are seeing an increase in 
On April 17, Grove called an ambulance to her home because she believed she was overdosing on drugs. While in the home, police found the elderly couple injured and in unsanitary conditions. The 77 year old husband was found in his urine soaked bed with blood and feces smeared on the bed and bed frame. Both victims were taken to the hospital. the husband was taken for facial bruises, broken ribs, and a partially collapsed lung, and his 82 year old wife was taken for a hand and wrist injury which she said she received when Grove pushed her wheelchair across the room and pinned her hand against the wall. The wife also told the police she heard Grove beating her husband on several occasions. The couple is bedridden/confined to wheelchairs, the husband has had part of his leg amputated, and the wife recently had hip surgery. The husband was in the hospital several weeks prior to this when he had to have one of his eyes surgically removed after a TV set fell on him, which his wife believes was an injury from Grove.
– Physical Abuse is the non-accidental use of physical force that may result in injury, physical pain or impairment of an elderly person. Physical abuse includes acts of violence such as hitting, beating, shaking, shoving, kicking and burning as well as inappropriate use of medications, physical restraints, depriving basic needs and force-feeding.
