Any elder or dependent adult care custodian, health practitioner, or employee of a parish adult protective services agency or a local law enforcement agency is a mandated reporter. Actual bodily harm is not a necessary element of the crime. If such bodily harm is inflicted, its nature and extent are to be considered in connection with all the evidence in determining whether the means used and the manner in which it was used were such that they were likely to produce great bodily harm. Fiduciary Abuse Fiduciary or financial abuse, one of the most frequently reported forms of elder abuse, is the exploitation of someone's funds or other resources. Such abuse can range from the misuse of funds to the transfer or sale of personal or real property.
Perpetrators often have legal access to the victim's assets.
Victims generally are in poor health with diminished mental capacity, making them vulnerable to caregivers to strangers who befriend and persuade them to turn over control of their assets. Suspects' names are often listed on powers of attorney, quit claim deeds, wills, living trusts, and bank accounts. The suspects then may withdraw savings or obtain loans on property, sometimes making it subject to foreclosure. These swindles traditionally have remained hidden and silent crimes because in many instances the victims are unable to recognize that financial abuse has occurred, much less testify about it in a court of law. In St. Charles Parish, call 911.