Safeguarding people with dementia from financial abuse
Jill Manthorpe (1), Kritika Samsi (1) and Karishma Chandaria (2)
(1) Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King’s College London
(2) Alzheimer’s Society, London
Our research
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EviDEM
www.evidem.org.uk
•EviDEM study with Alzheimer’s Society: explores problems faced by people with dementia and carers in the UK
in terms of money management and constructs of financial abuse in order to develop relevant policies and responses to these risks
Background to study:
Methods: Mixed Methodology
•Dementia can severely affect ability to manage money, due to confusion,
capacity issues, memory problems, problems with using technical financial
management tools
•Person with dementia may be isolated, trusting of strangers, capacity to
recognise danger may be impaired, not deemed a credible witness
•Carers may face barriers when helping, such as banks’ security systems,
password-protected tools
•Sensitivity of topic may leave financial abuse undetected, unreported
•Mental Capacity Act may provide safeguards: encourages people to plan in
advance through appointing Lasting Power of Attorney, overseen by Office of
the Public Guardian
Qualitative
• 192interviews +12 dyads
•6 focus groups
Thematic analysis
Quantitative
•150 online questionnaires
•Survey of 86 Alzheimer’s
Society staff
Statistical calculations
to determine trends
Experiences of Respondents
Frequency of money management
issues in day-to-day work?
Frequency of suspected financial
abuse involving a person with
dementia
Response count
Who would you report a suspected
case of financial abuse to?
Response count
Response count
45
50
100
40
45
90
35
40
80
30
35
70
30
60
25
Response count
20
15
10
5
0
25
Response count
40
15
30
10
20
5
10
(18%) Rarely (< 3
(29%)
(48%) Frequently
cases/year)
Occasionally (3-6 (>6 cases/year)
cases/year)
Response count
30
25
20
50
20
0
(5%) Never
How would you rate your knowledge of
the Mental Capacity Act?
Response count
15
Response count
10
5
0
(17%) Never
(51%) Rarely (< 3
(27%)
(5%) Frequently
cases/year)
Occasionally (3-6 (>6 cases/year)
cases/year)
(61%) Your line
manager
(39%) Local authority (0%) Not report it as the
responsible for local person asked you not to
safeguarding procedures
0
(13%) Very
good
(41%) Good
(38%)
Adequate
(8%) Poor
(0%) Non
existent
Signs of financial abuse
Change in relationship with money:
leaving it unattended, not shielding pin number, no understanding of how much things cost
Personal situation:
living alone, isolated, open access to strangers, trusting
Evidence of internal or external influence:
withdrawal of large sums, changes in structures in home, change in legal documentation, presence of strangers at home
PREVENTIVE
STRATEGIES
MICRO level: what clients and carers can
do to prevent abuse
•Draw up a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)
to manage their money when they were no
longer capable of doing so
•Place limits to frequency of withdrawals/
direct debit, but balance individual's rights
•Engage with community networks like
neighbours, bank staff
MESO level: what services/professionals can do to
identify abuse
•Practitioners should be accessible, with good interdisciplinary working relationships shared procedures with local
Police, family carers, and other services
•Training around financial capabilities in dementia
•Remain risk and abuse aware and raise safeguarding alerts
early
•Encourage early planning
MACRO level: what private agencies, banks, post offices and society can do
•Regular spot checks, regular auditing, paper trail of receipts, checking of accounts, and keeping finance and care decisions separate
•Banks, financial institutions and post offices to be more alert to suspicious behaviour, such as unusual withdrawals of money from accounts, and sudden
changes in joint account status.
•Better data sharing arrangements between different bodies, like banks and social services
This report/article presents independent research commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Programme Grants for Applied Research scheme (RP-PG0606-1005). The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.
For further information, please contact: Jill Manthorpe (jill.manthorpe@kcl.ac.uk) or Kritika Samsi (kritika.1.samsi@kcl.ac.uk) .