Predator Home health aides: Protect Yourself

Most home health aides provide wonderful caring service, but there are bad actors. You should take steps to protect yourself or your loved one who has an aide. Be mindful that a home health aid often has secluded time with an elderly or infirm individual and can subject them to undue influence. That means that they have the individual alone and can exert emotional or sometimes physical pressure to make the person they are caring for take steps they otherwise would not agree to. The bad actor home health aid may name themselves as agent under a financial power of attorney then change bank accounts to their name misusing that power. They might take an elderly individual to the bank cash machine and withdraw funds every day. They might take someone with some cognitive issues to a new attorney the predator aid picked and have a new will made naming them as beneficiary. Have checks and balances such as using an agency that monitor the health aides. Have different aids for different days or times. Have someone independent monitor financial accounts. Protect yourself.