Caretaker Steals From Elderly Woman for Cocaine
Most people do not realize that even when they hire through a professional service to receive a caretaker for your loved one, they can still be deceived. A live-in caretaker has the access to all your loved one’s personal belongings and the most intimate possessions. It is crucial that you do appropriate background checks when choosing a caretaker for your loved one and to make sure that they can be trusted.
A 39-year-old caretaker in Kentucky was hired through Home Instead Senior care to care for an elderly female. Police records have stated that the caretaker was cashing checks totaling $677 from the victim. The caretaker worked in the victim’s house Monday through Friday and had access to her financial documents and all her financial matters. In a statement to police, the caretaker told police that she used the money she stole in order to buy cocaine. The woman is now charged with exploitation of an adult. The owner of the Home Instead franchise told reporters that the caretaker is no longer employed with them and that they have reimbursed the elderly woman for her losses. They also stated that she was given a drug screening prior to her hiring.
Although the company who had employed the woman to care for the elderly woman stated she had received a drug screening, there was still no mention of how often employees are required to submit to these drug tests. When you are employing someone to care for another individual and you are aware of how much access they will have to their financial matters, there should be extra steps like mandatory drug testing before they are placed in a home that could prevent these types of situations.
