The most daunting aspect for many victims is the prospect of having to tell their story in court. But Connors says that while this indeed can be scary, it can also be an empowering experience. "They get to come into a safe environment where they're believed."
In nearly all cases -- 90 to 95 percent -- the victim can avoid going to court altogether, as these cases end in a guilty plea. Very few criminal cases actually go to a jury trial. If your friend or relative's is the rare case that does go to trial, she'll have to testify about her loss in court, and about whom she believes committed the crime. This is the only time an older victim will have to appear to court.
Connors says many older adults are worried that they'll forget dates and details and become flustered while testifying. Most prosecutors will lead the victim through the process beforehand, so they know what to expect. Additionally, the victim can read her earlier statement to police and refresh her memory about details that may have later become confused.
Victims, of course, can attend other hearings, and if the person charged with the crime pleads guilty or is found guilty, the victim may be asked if she wants to participate in the sentencing phase. Often, she will have already been contacted by the county probation department, which draws up a report about the crime and its impact on the victim, and then makes sentencing recommendations to the court. At the time of sentencing, the victim can attend the court hearing and tell the court how the crime affected her. Many older victims choose to read a letter they had written to the court or have the prosecutor read the letter for them.
It is a great Ideal for everyone who is looking for someone to care for there love ones in there home to get a back ground check. In Los Angeles alone there are people who are comminting bank and check frauds in the elderly home. Please do not hire anyone into your home to take care of your parents unless you do a thourough background check and fingerprinting check on them. A good Dr. passed away in 09 Dr. Shneidman that had this done to him and the person is still on the run even after his death. She will be caught it is only a matter of time.
My mother passed away a few months ago and I needed to find a caregiver for my Dad. I posted several ads on Craigslist. I also contacted a background screening company I found online that provides background screening for In Home Services, called Protection Plus Solutions. One of the Caregivers had a criminal history several years back for writing bad checks. When I confronted the person they said it was over 5 years ago and that it was all cleared up, but I didn't take the chance. All I can say is that it pays to run the background on anyone who's working in your home, PERIOD. Even if it's a plummer or a caregiver you need to know who these people are.
After my mother passed away , I needed to find a caregiver for my Dad. He is pretty much self sufficient but needed help with grocery shopping, light cooking, cleaning and driving to and from doctors appointments. I found a few caregivers through Craigslist and was fortunate to have run them through a background check prior to hiring. One caregiver had a criminal history for bank fraud. If you're having anyone taking care of a family member you need to check them out. I did contact a company called Protection Plus Solutions that works only with home services and knew exactly what needed to be run on the caregiver. I can't imagine what could have happened if I didn't run a background check. So far the caregiver is doing a great job with my Dad.
A Care-giver robbed my family. She was from Guatemala. She worked for the county of Los Angeles. She was assigned to help my mother who was disabled and 76 years old when she died. She had lived there 17 years (my father died several weeks after they first moved in in 1992.). My mother and father lived in the Los Angeles area since they were born in L.A. they Lived in Inglewood then Hawthorne area since my birth 53 years ago. My mother who lived in an apartment in Hawthorne died January 4, 2008. My family and I did not find out about her death until January 20, 2008. The apartment she lived in was cleaned out. I had spent much of 2008 in the Veterans hospital fighting for my life. I was unable to pursue this problem until now. I contacted all many news organizations, newspapers, radio stations to tell my story. Not one of them would answer me. I also filed a police report when this first all occurred. Nothing happened. I contacted the L.A. Grand Jury, they replied later in a letter, they did not have enough evidence. I filed in small claims court. A representative of the apartment Management Company came for the apartment and present a handwritten letter that stated my mother signed over her belongings to the care-giver. She also said she had the power of attorney (that was no good after my mother death.. and was only for helping my mother..) The Apartment management said that she was in HUD Subsidized building (which means she was low income and had help from the county for lower rent..) and social standing should not have had anything to do with a person in the USA! But the judge allowed this testimony from this scumbag. This dirtbag also went on to say she was only on social security which was a lie, my mother was also on a US Navy pension that was from my father who was a disabled veteran. The apartment management representative also said the manager only had the care-giver's name and my brother's name. The apartment manager did not have my name and address, I am the oldest son of two surviving sons. The apartment management representative said that they tried to contact my brother and he had not responded. I told them that the care-giver had taken all the papers home and shredded them.. all bank records, all personal papers, all everything, and admitted to all this when I confronted her! She had even said her husband helped her! The court was in a hurry to get this case over and tell me to go away! The judge ordered the case to be ordered to be in the defendant's case and whisked us (myself, my daughter, nephew, and his wife) out of the courtroom! I saw thieves, murderer's and gang members get better deals there, while I waited for my case to be called! This was at the Inglewood court in Los Angeles County on January 13, 2009. I am very sick and the agony this has been causing me is beyond words. While I was awaiting surgery laying in bed, then laying in a hospital bed for much of 2008, then laying in a hospital bed back at home eating again after being tube fed for many months and learning to walk again, I had to deal this this huge injustice. My conclusion is the justice system is rotten to the core! My daughter has learned how rotten our justice system is now they she saw it first hand! I hope it gets dismantled. To Hell with it! Corrupt!
I know of two caregives Teresita Garcia and Deric Garcia and the reason why i list there names is because Teresita Garcia is wanted by the police. She was working as a care giver in her late boss home Dr. Edwin Shneidman and stole and forged $100,000.00 worth of check and other things of value. care givers are people you are suppose to trust in your home and he was really sadden that this person came in and took advantage of him because he is a wealthy person. Police in west Los Angeles are encouring her to turn herself in but she snd he husband conitnue to work as caregivers in these poeples home and robbed them for what they have. They mostly work in the west los angeles area or Hollywood and must be stopped. She has been on the run for 2 years and still has not been caught and family and freinds cannot locate her. They continue to work in these home thinking that they will not get caught and it is Belived the Teresita is working under an alias to abaid police.
My father just passed away from cancer. I was his only child. A woman and her husband he meet 9 months earlier who started helping with basic household chores supposedly befriended him. Upon his death I found out that less than 2 months before his death the woman and a local lawyer had him create a new will which left everything, including family heirlooms, to her and her husband. None of this was mentioned in any phone conversation to family members as recent as a month before his death. Approximately 1 ½ years before his death he showed me a will that stated I was beneficiary and his bank account which was around 70k. I talking to a friend of my fathers, he believes there was a strong case of deception including missing records and large checks cashed by this woman from his banking account for items such as lottery tickets and non existing items. He has also mention that she has befriended another elderly gentleman in the area. I do not want to see this happen to someone else! This happened in a small town, therefore when my wife and I talked to a local detective he wrote nothing down and called the perpetrator by her first name. There is not a large some of money involved other than the bank account and a home bought several years ago at $145,000.00. The only things I am looking for from this action is, again, to make sure these people do not victimizes someone else. Were can I turn to get legal assistance. I am a family man on a limited income who can’t afford to pursue this on my own due to finances. Chuck Dayton,Ohio
I have done all these things! I finally decided yesterday to report it to all the local news stations and local newspapers. Here is a copy of what I sent. Headliner: Who protects the elderly?!?! I am looking for some answers and some help. I found my grandmother after 25 years stuck in a nursing home and brought her here to live close to me. While doing all this I have been trying to find out how she ended up there and what happened to everything she's ever owned. I found out that a woman that proclaimed to be her friend and help her gained my grandmother's trust and took her for EVERYTHING SHE OWNED! She even had gotten my grandmother to put her on her checking account where my grandmothers pension and SS checks had been direct deposited. I went and got legal guardian over her to be able to investigate and do anything to help her. What gets me is that this woman didn't have guardianship nor needed it. She closed out my grandmothers account and took all the money and had been spending it over the course of approximatly a year. The whole time my grandmother with dementia is in the nursing home and is blind and can't move! It REALLY disturbs me that the law is for the thieves! No one can help my grandmother by getting her money or her belongings unless she hires a attorney here and in Houston. My grandmother has NO money and I have provided everyone, Social Security, Houston Police Dept, and Adult protective services with all the evidence and proof and a address for this woman and NO ONE WILL DO A THING! PLEASE HELP!