Elder abuse isn’t just physical — it can also be financial. Here is a horrible story about workers who stole over $600,000 from a resident. The woman had no living relatives and was diagnosed with dementia, leaving her unable to take care of her own affairs.
The 97-year-old woman needed help with her finances and often turned to Symphony Residences of Lincoln Park for assistance. She had been living there since 2010, so she trusted the facility.
The woman had build up a savings of over $600,000 while employed by the government. The group of workers who were supposed to help her manage her money are now accused of draining her assets down to nothing. The alleged yearlong scheme supposedly drained her assets by making transfers without her consent, ATM withdrawals without her knowledge and cashing checks of which she was unaware.
Today, virtually everything she had saved is gone. At least one of the employees is accused of stealing around $191,000. Another caretaker is accused of cashing two checks that total $50,000. There is some argument over the source of the funds, though.
The company alleges that the woman was giving money to employees. This is against company policy, but the employees took it anyway. The company opened an investigation and also contacted the police. Two workers continue to maintain that the woman gifted them money when she was lucid. Another said that she did not have a diagnosis of dementia. A doctor contracted by the public guardian did find that the woman had impaired cognitive skills and memory, which could mean that the workers illegally obtained money from the woman.