Are there procedures in place to protect caregivers of DEMENTIA patients who claim that the caregivers of stealing from them or

Accusations like this arise quite often. The response depends upon who is asked to investigate. If the person lives in an assisted living or nursing home facility, the facility itself will likely perform its own investigation. The local police and the regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman (which exist to advocate and troubleshoot for long-term facility residents) may also play a role. If the dementia patient is in the community at large rather than in an institutional setting of any sort, Adult Protective Services will often investigate claims involving: Physical abuse; Mental, emotional, or verbal abuse; Sexual abuse; Neglect; Self Neglect; and Financial Exploitation. While the LTCO, APS, and local police will likely be more concerned about the best interests of the dementia patient, your best hope of "protection" is that any investigation by any of these groups will not result in a finding that may have stolen from the patient. If you are accused of a crime, you should consult a criminal defense attorney licensed in Georgia.

The facility or company that is providing the caregiver for the dementia patient likely has protocols and procedures in place that it's employees must follow when dealing with patients. This can vary from location to location. If you are in business for yourself, it will be up to you to put certain procedures and protocols in place when dealing with patients, particularly those with delusional and mental problems. For example, strict a strict inventory of personal items can be done and checked, verified daily. If you work for someone else, I would take a look at the procedure manual. If there is none, I would ask for some guidance. If you work for yourself, I would create some protocols and implement immediately. There are also likely training programs for those who work with the mentally ill. The police department likely has it's own internal protocol for scrutinizing most claims, in general. Without more information and details from you, it's hard to provide a more comprehensive response.

The bottom line is that you do not want to work in a setting where there are valuables (or cash) laying around that could be stolen. If one were to be stolen, how could you prove it was not you?