{"id":7171,"date":"2018-10-09T12:30:32","date_gmt":"2018-10-09T12:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/diagnosing-financial-abuse\/"},"modified":"2018-10-09T12:30:32","modified_gmt":"2018-10-09T12:30:32","slug":"diagnosing-financial-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/diagnosing-financial-abuse\/","title":{"rendered":"Diagnosing Financial Abuse"},"content":{"rendered":"

To fight financial abuse, you must first identify it — but as you\u2019d imagine, identifying it is the hardest part. Read on to find out what to look for!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Like damage done by a virus or a parasite, the acts and effects of elder abuse are often hidden in secrecy and silence.<\/p>\n

To end it you must first identify it — but as you\u2019d imagine, identifying it is the hardest part.<\/p>\n

As it is the case with hard-to-diagnose diseases and ailments, the way to uncover abuse is to look for signs, symptoms, and patterns.<\/p>\n

Given enough time, the warning signs\u00a0are inevitable, but because abuse can come in all forms, you must look for the\u00a0abuse-specific signs. For instance, financial abuse is the illegal or improper use of another person’s funds, property or assets without their express permission or knowledge, by a person in a position of trust.<\/p>\n

What are some signs of financial abuse?<\/p>\n

For one, a substantial increase in account activity, particularly when someone is assisting the individual with their finances a common sign of financial abuse.<\/p>\n

For this, we can look to the Reginald Keith<\/a>‘s case and the $90,000 he stole from his 89-year-old adoptive father. Authorities in Georgia were able to eventually uncover his abuse, but only after people notice the pattern forged checks over the course of four years. He was using the checks to pay for his personal expenses, even going as far as to buy himself a luxury car.<\/p>\n

Another common sign of abuse is when a caretaker or family member isolates the individual from their friends and family. This is especially suspicious when the individual is known for being a friendly or outgoing and social person.<\/p>\n

This particular sign was one of the main reasons a grandson filed an abuse complaint against his own father. The victim in this story was famous New York socialite Brooke Astor<\/a>, and the abuser was her son and guardian, Anthony D. Marshall.<\/p>\n

Marshall was eventually convicted in 2009 for financial abuse. He had given himself over a million dollars while acting as his mother\u2019s guardian.<\/p>\n

Here are some other common signs of financial abuse according to Mass.gov<\/a>:<\/p>\n