Bev: “I like working with Mr. Kaye and Rob. Rob is so great to work with, I’m happy he lives so nearby.  He’s not like his sister Sally; I don’t trust her at all.  She treats her dad so badly.”

Ruby (with concern): What do you mean?

Bev: “Don’t worry – its not like she beats him or anything.  But I’m pretty sure she is stealing from him and it makes me so mad --- he’s such a sweet guy.”

Ruby: “What makes you think she steals?”

Bev: “One day while I was visiting Mr. Kaye Sally came by with a friend who has a notary license.  They practically forced him to sign a power of attorney giving Sally control over Mr. Kaye’s checking account.  They wanted me to sign as a witness but I refused – told them I wasn’t allowed to.”

Ruby: “So without a witness they couldn’t implement the agreement?”

Bev: “That’s what I was hoping.  But no, somehow they got the bank to accept it. I bet they just forged a signature”.

Ruby: “How do you know that?”

Bev: “Because the next week the bank statement came in the mail.   Mr. Kaye has a lot of limitations, but on most days his thinking is OK.  When he opened the statement he showed it to me and asked me to help him remember what some of the checks were for; he was concerned about his balance.  And sure enough, there were a bunch of checks written by Sally.”

Ruby: “Could they have been checks to pay for Mr. Kaye’s expenses?”

Bev: No way.  Sally lives all the way down in Medford and the checks were for things like a new stereo and lunch out at the Medford Mall. 

Ruby: “Did Mr. Kaye talk to Sally or Rob?”

Bev:  “Oh sure – he called Sally while I was there. I could hear Sally yelling at him and telling him it was none of his business.  And Sally’s no fool: the checking account statements don’t come to the house anymore. I bet she had the address changed. All Mr. Kaye has is his social security checks – makes me furious that Sally is taking his money”

Ruby: “Bev, did you report this to your supervisor or to Adult Protective Services?”

Bev: “No way. I’ve learned the hard way never to get involved in family politics”

Ruby: “Bev, you have no choice. It’s the law: you’re a mandated reporter in this state. In fact, you were required to report this within 24 hours.”

Bev:  “I know I’m a mandatory reporter.  But like I told you – they never beat him or abuse him or anything.”

Ruby: “That may be, but forcing him to sign a power of attorney and then taking his money against his will is exploitation.  Exploitation is a critical incident – you have to report exploitation just as you would if he were being abused”

Bev: “Oh no – I told you, I never get in the middle of family squabbles”