Nursing home abuse is not only physical. Financial abuse is becoming more prevalent as the economy worsens. The elderly are a vulnerable and often trusting population and are therefore easy targets for financial abuse. Frequently checking into your loved ones accounts is vital in identity or other theft prevention. Be careful who you grant access to to these accounts. Even nursing home employees can have ill intentions.
Staff Member Steals $28,000 from 94 Residents
A Connecticut nursing home is being fined $3,000 after $27,472 was stolen from 94 residents by a staff member. The administrators of the Village Green of Waterbury discovered the theft in October. According to administrator Linda Garcia, the nursing home’s account manager had full access to the resident’s accounts. When a resident requested a withdrawal, she would make the withdrawal for more than the amount requested and keep the difference.
“We asked her for an explanation. When she couldn’t provide one, we terminated her,” said Garcia.
The nursing home is currently in the process of reimbursing all of the residents. According to an inspection report by the state Department of Health, “money was withdrawn from cognitively impaired residents’ accounts without the responsible parties’ consent.”
The facility is also guilty for another incident of nursing home abuse. In June of 2011, a nurse’s aide slapped a resident on the shoulder in order to wake him up and yelled “get out!” The resident happened to be the president of the resident’s council and reported the incident. There was an internal investigation held by the nursing home and the nurse’s aide was fired.
Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia
We recommend that you monitor your elderly loved ones finances closely to avoid financial abuse. If your loved one is currently a resident of a nursing home or care facility 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.
The Colonial Hills Nursing Center in Tennessee has undergone an investigation after two certified nursing assistants took an unauthorized photo on a cell phone of a resident and then forwarded the photo to “an undisclosed number of staff members” and one of the CNA’s teenage daughter. On July 22, the shoulders-up, fully clothed photo was taken after a clean brief fell on the resident’s head. They took the photo because they found the incident “humorous” and “endearing.” The picture was said to be blurry and the resident was not clearly identifiable. Both CNAs were fired and the facility was fined $6,000 from the state and $4,550 a day from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services until the violations are corrected. According to the report, the incident was “a violation of dignity” and the facility failed to 
52-year-old Lynda S. Hutcheson is being accused of stealing almost $12,000 from her 100-year-old grandmother’s bank accounts in just a few months. She is being charged with 
The Regency Heights of Danielson nursing home facility in Connecticut is facing a $3,000 fine after multiple cases of 
Unfortunately, even though she was away from her abusers and getting the medical attention that she needed, Jacox died at the Tucson Medical Center on November 8, 2011. Authorities are now saying that the couple also cleared the woman’s bank accounts and credit cards. But Peralta is saying that the stories about what happened to Jacox are not true. He says that both Hughes and himself loved Jacox as if she was family and did not abuse or neglect her. He said he cannot speak for the 12 to 15 hours a day he spent at work and cannot comment on her diet, but he used to make her egg sandwiches in the morning until she told him that she preferred that Hughes care for her. He did notice the weight loss but assumed that it was a result of the multiple sclerosis. He says that he was the one that saw the sores on her back and made the decision to go to the hospital. “I seen the wound and I said ‘Get the wheelchair. We’re going to take her in (to the hospital) right now,” Peralta said. He then wheeled Jacox to the car and Hughes drove her to the hospital while he stayed home with Hughes’ kids. He also said that they never stole from Jacox, she would give him $40 or $60 for gas money occasionally but he says he always paid her back. He also claims that Hughes would give him Jacox’s ATM card and tell him to withdraw money, but that they were given permission and he always gave the card back. “It was nothing damaging like they’re trying to say…Ruthann was my best friend. I took care of her as much as I could,” Peralta said.
Denise D’Sant- Angelo, 56, was sentenced to 11 years in California state prison after stealing thousands of dollars from the elderly. On June 8, 2010 she was found guilty of 
A 70 year old woman who was a resident of the University Place Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Charlotte, North Carolina was rushed to the Carolinas Medical Center University on the morning of Sunday, August 29, 2011 with a big bruise on her face and a broken pelvis. When the family asked the nursing home what caused the injuries, they told her that the elderly woman had fallen, but emergency room staff at the hospital said that the 
Unknown to Garcia, a resident physician performed the procedure and dilated Garcia’s cervix and the uterus was then perforated. Dr. Gove did not properly supervise the resident. When ring forceps were inserted through the perforated uterus in order to remove the fetal remains, he grabbed a piece of bowel that snapped back. As a result of the mistake Garcia’s rectum and bowel were torn. Garcia then required an 
Baker’s 63-year-old daughter, Sherry Lynn Mundy, has been convicted of severe neglect and sentenced to three years in prison. Judge Kathleen Beckstead suspended all but a year and a day of the Mundy’s sentence, which she will serve in state prison. According to prosecutor Joel Todd, “The fact that she imposed Division of Corrections time as opposed to local time should be a big deterrent to anyone else who might be thinking about a neglecting a vulnerable adult.” Mundy is also required to serve three years of supervised probation and is banned from being a caregiver for a vulnerable adult or anyone older than 65 years old.
According to the facility records, the employee who witnessed the fight wrote that the staff gave West