Many seniors retire to Florida due to its weather as well as its relatively low cost of living. While many people think of elder abuse as something that occurs in nursing homes, elder abuse can occur anywhere, and it can happen in many different forms. It can be obvious and overt, or it can show up more subtly as undue influence. Knowing how to recognize undue influence can help save your loved ones from financial and mental anguish.
What is undue influence?
Undue influence takes place when a person exercise uses their influence or closeness to a vulnerable person to exert pressure or persuasion to get that person to do something they wouldn’t ordinarily do. This sort of elder abuse runs short of actual force, but it has many of the same devastating consequences. It takes advantage of someone’s vulnerability that may exist as a result of dementia, confusion, isolation, and any of the other factors that accompany the aging process.
The reason that predatory people exert undue influence on their elderly victims is usually because they want to scam them out of their assets. The perpetrator can be anyone from a relative to a family nurse.
What are some examples of undue influence to look for?
There are several different signs of undue influence. Being aware of them may help you protect someone you care about:
- A home healthcare attendant quickly becomes close to the person that they’re caring for, moving into their home or “managing” their mail, legal documents, banking, and other personal matters.
- Your loved one’s living environment is at a much lower level than what they should be able to afford. This could mean that someone is siphoning funds away from them.
- Checks that should be coming to your loved one have disappeared.
Who can people turn to if they suspect their loved one has been a victim of elder abuse?
Elder abuse has a devastating effect on the lives of elderly victims as well as the lives of their loved ones. People who need help with suspected elder abuse may benefit by working with attorneys who have experience working with this type of fraud.