Making the decision to place a family member or loved one in a nursing home can be a difficult decision. You want to ensure that your loved one will be receiving top-notch care and will be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. Unfortunately, sometimes nursing home neglect and abuse occurs. The abuses that someone in a nursing home facility range from physical to emotional. One way that those living nursing homes can be abused is through financial extortion.

There are several types of financial extortion. Almost all financial extortion is committed by people that are close to the victim. Because it may be difficult for an elderly nursing home resident to care for their finances by themselves, they may rely on someone at the nursing home to help them. Unfortunately, this action sometimes leads to the nursing home resident being financially exploited by their caregivers, nurses or doctors.

There are some ways in which caregivers may financially exploit residents. If the caregiver or nursing home employee has direct access to the resident’s finances, it is possible for direct theft to occur. Also, people may try to convince the resident to loan them money with no intention of repaying the money loaned to them. Doctors and nurses could potentially exploit patients by convincing the patient to purchase unnecessary medication or overcharge for medical services provided.

If patients or residents are being extorted financially, it can affect their well-being and emotional health. Because of financial exploitation, the patient could be left without enough money to pay for their care and their necessities. Inadequate money to may for the care they need, can lead to serious health repercussions for the resident. This exploitation can also affect the resident emotionally. If a trusted individual, such as a well-liked caregiver, is the one who is extorting the money, the resident may develop issues with trust and paranoia. Residents may also feel guilty and ashamed that they did not realize this was happening to them.

If you believe that you or a loved one in a nursing home is being financially extorted by someone in charge of care, you may want to call an attorney to see what your options are. Attorney’s are helpful in providing advice and potentially assisting residents to recover the money that has been lost.