My mother who stays at a nursing home has had suspicious credit ATM charges. We suspect its the workers, how do we prove it?

Abuse against the elderly is not only physical. It can also take the form of "financial exploitation." This includes the wrongful acquisition of money or property belonging to the elderly person.

Some of the signs of financial exploitation include:

• Suspicious activity on a senior's bank and/or credit card accounts;
• Unauthorized withdrawals from a senior's bank account;
• The senior is not aware of recently completed financial transactions;
• Suspicious signatures on the senior's checks or other documents.

You should consult a lawyer experienced with nursing home abuse. If the nursing home is illegally using your grandmother's ATM card and credit card, the attorney can advise you as to whether there are legal options available against the nursing home. He/she can also review your grandmother's financial documents to make sure that the nursing home has not committed other acts of financial exploitation.