Nursing Home Financial Abuse

The Central Florida Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers at Dean Burnetti Law provide professional Nursing Home Abuse, Nursing Home Negligence, and Nursing Home Injury Attorney Legal Services in Polk County, including: Lakeland, Auburndale, Bartow, Haines City, Lake Wales, Mulberry, Polk City, and Winter Haven; in Hillsborough County, including: Brandon, Tampa, Riverview, Valrico, and Plant City; in Pinellas County, including: Clearwater, St. Pete, Gulfport, Treasure Island, Largo, Oldsmar, Treasure Island; as well as in all of the surrounding Greater Central Florida Areas.

Nursing home financial abuse or exploitation of the elderly is when a caregiver or facility capitalizes on a resident's financial accounts or even steals from the resident.  This abuse can involve stealing money or other tangible objects in the resident's possession.  It can also involve identity theft where the pirate may apply for credit using the resident's identity.  While such theft is a violation of criminal law, the victim can also file a civil complaint against the perpetrator as well as the facility that employed the perpetrator.

Nursing home residents are often victimized by financial abuse or exploitation because they are threatened, manipulated, coerced, intimidated, tricked, or physically neglected or abused.  Many of these victims suffer from mental impairment; therefore, they can be easily manipulated into believing that they must comply with the perpetrator's demands.  Other victims are at the mercy of the perpetrator because the perpetrator may withhold food, help with the restroom, or even inflict physical torture until the resident complies.  This is never okay.

Nursing home financial abuse or exploitation can take on many forms including:

Cash Theft:

• Cashing a check made payable to the resident from their Social Security, Veterans’ Administration, Retirement Plan, Pension Plan, or other Benefit Provider
• Forcing a resident to endorse a check made payable to the resident from their Social Security, Veterans’ Administration, Retirement Plan, Pension Plan, or other Benefit Provider
• Forging a resident’s signature on a check made payable to the resident from their Social Security, Veterans’ Administration, Retirement Plan, Pension Plan, or other Benefit Provider
• Cashing a resident’s check from their personal checking account
• Forcing a resident to endorse a check from their personal checking account
• Forging a resident’s signature on a check from their personal checking account
• Misappropriating any money belonging to a resident

Credit Theft:

• Forcing a resident to sign credit applications, bank forms, contracts, or a last will and testament
• Forging a resident’s signature on credit applications, bank forms, contracts, or a last will and testament

Property Theft:

• Forcing a resident to sign over deeds or titles to houses, land, vehicles, etc.
• Forging a resident’s signature on deeds or titles to houses, land, vehicles, etc.
• Taking a resident’s personal possessions
• Stealing a resident’s cash, checkbook, credit cards, or debit cards

Estate Theft:

• Forcing a resident to sign a last will and testament
• Forging a resident’s signature on a last will and testament
• Altering a resident's last will and testament

Identity Theft:

• Stealing a resident's identity
• Using a resident's Social Security number for any reason other than customary nursing home protocol

Exploitation:

• Coercing a resident into giving gifts, tokens, cash, etc., to any nursing home staff member
• Taking advantage of a resident's impaired mental capacity in order to gain financial or tangible rewards

Besides financial abuse or exploitation in nursing facilities, other types of abuse common to nursing homes can be neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse.

If you were injured or if a loved one was injured or killed as a result of Nursing Home Abuse or Negligence, you have the right to a qualified attorney who is skilled in Florida's complex nursing home law and is knowledgeable about your type of injuries. Call (863) 287-6388 in Polk County or (813) 287-6388 in Hillsborough County or Pinellas County today to schedule a free confidential consultation with an experienced Nursing Home Abuse lawyer at Dean Burnetti Law.