Do Adult Children Really Steal from Their Elderly Parents?

Not all parents can trust their children.

Family members should be trusted.

They should folks with whom we feel safe and loved.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

According to a recent Fox 43 article titled “Son charged for stealing $153,168 from 86-year-old father, officials talk elder abuse warning signs,” this was an unfortunate reality for one Pennsylvania man.

What happened?

The son and daughter-in-law of the victim stole more than $100,000 from him over a period of four years.

Yikes!

Reports of elder abuse are on the rise.

What can you do to help?

Understand what qualifies as elder abuse.

Elder abuse can take many forms.

These include actively bringing physical, emotional or sexual harm to a senior.

Elder abuse also can come through passive neglect.

Financial abuse most commonly manifests as stealing the funds of the elderly for your own benefit.

Finally, there can be fraud and abuse in the health care profession.

How can you prevent such abuses?

One way is to have a power of attorney signed for financial matters.

This can provide a legal safeguard and accountability—even if family will be the ones providing care.

When it comes to protecting your loved ones, do not give others the benefit-of-the-doubt.

Be aware.

If you feel something is amiss, report it and seek help.

Trust, but verify.

Reference: Fox 43 (October 22, 2018) “Son charged for stealing $153,168 from 86-year-old father, officials talk elder abuse warning signs”