The Guardian Blog : Arizona Nursing Home Lawyer & Attorney : Solomon & Relihan Law Firm : AZ Assisted Living Neglect & Abuse : The Guardian Blog

A new law that has been implemented has increased the penalties for crimes against victims of domestic abuse and senior citizens. . These charges are a maximum of ten years for a Class B felony and five years for the Class C felony. The elderly man already had a restraining order against the attacker from the previous two offenses.  The attacker stole many valuable items from the man's home. 

It is unfortunate that this elderly man was taken advantage of regardless of the extra precautions he tried to take.  This elderly man was harassed for years by the same individual and did not receive justice until the man was caught.  It is lucky that the man escaped without being killed.  If this man had a caretaker who left him unattended and he was attacked, the caretaker could be held responsible for his negligence.  The charges brought on by police also do not factor in how much emotional damage this may have caused the elderly man with all the years of harassment and scare tactics.  The elderly are more susceptible to these types of heartless criminals because of their vulnerability and physical impairments.  If your loved one is being harassed by anyone or was neglected by a caretaker, then consulting a professional my be the best way to seek justice.                             

Beckerman was a bookkeeper at the facility. The report states that Beckerman forged the nursing home administrator’s name on several checks written for cash amounting to more than $14,500. Beckerman would then keep the money herself for personal use. The victims of these crimes were the Medicaid recipients residing at the Perry Oaks Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center. This incident had been occurring between September of 2006 and October of 2007. Beckerman faces sentencing on August 13^th.

Financial fraud of any sort is a very serious crime, but when it happens to someone in the care of an elder care facility, the crime seems far more disastrous. Forging checks and essentially stealing Medicaid funds from the nursing home prevents the nursing home from being able to provide the proper care for residents. It is stealing medical monetary resources that should be going to those individuals living in nursing homes and assisted living centers because they are the ones that truly need the financing for their medical care.

Mary Long, a second cousin of Merlene Black who is her new caretaker stated that the woman was far from trustworthy. Black’s financial documents show a string of cash withdrawals from credit cars and many checks written for cash. Black was unaware of the transactions until she had received her bank statement and received phone calls from her bank expressing concern over her account. The caregiver (whose identity has not been released by the police) had allegedly used Black’s funds for restaurants, car maintenance, sporting goods stores, ect. 

Financial exploitation is one of the most pervasive types of elder abuse. When you put your trust into a caregiver you never expect them to deceive you. Not only do you trust them into your house and around your most precious belongings, but you trust them with your life. In a case like this it is important to report any suspicious behavior to family member and especially to a professional. In order to prevent from finding out too late that your caregiver is deceiving you it is important to take precautions. For instance, monitor your bank accounts and keep valuables in a safe. You may not know what course of action to take when a caregiver is stealing for you. Contacting an Arizona personal injury attorney can aid in bringing these people to justice.