An 84 year old demented, never married, no children and single living senior is a patient. He was financially exploited for over a mid 6-figure amount from an individual who made friends with him. Some family lived in the area, and those local, as well as long distance, called him periodically. Because of his history of living alone and caring for himself, his family was not aware of the financial issues until alerted by an acquaintance that became concerned. Nieces are now his powers of attorney for healthcare and finance.
He has 24/7 caregivers with him, and he now tolerates them after approximately one year. At 2:00 AM one morning he awakened and the caregiver heard him leave the house. The caregiver went after him, but he was very confused and was running down the street yelling that the caregiver was trying to kill him. Neighbors heard the noise and called the police. The police were able to convince him to come back to his house since he remembered the address of his home. However, the caregiver was a suspect since he was a young male, African American and the patient was telling the police that he was trying to kill him.
The care manager was called and went to the home. The patient recognized the care manager and was at ease with her arrival. The police understood the situation and left the home. The home is now secured so that this patent cannot get out of the door without the door alarming. The door is secured with a lock, so the senior is not able to leave without the caregiver unlocking the door. The senior is most upset that he does not have a key to his home, but the care manager is able to redirect when the caregiver calls and when the care manager visits weekly to set up his meds, go grocery shopping and to supervise the home for the patient and his family.
If you have concerns about your loved one, don't hesitate to reach out, either to your healthcare provider or a company like Charism for help. There are resources available to you.