Respecting Client Money and Property
Published: 06 July 2020
Published: 06 July 2020
When receiving care from an external party, clients are putting themselves into a vulnerable position. As well as having to trust that the provider will deliver adequate, appropriate and safe care, the client may also need to trust the provider to respect their money, property and privacy.
This is especially true for clients receiving care in the home and who require a high level of day-to-day personal care and assistance for activities of daily living.
While there are cases of caregiver theft, managing clients’ finances and property means more than simply refraining from this behaviour. As an intruder into the client’s personal space or life, you must actively ensure they feel secure and can maintain autonomy regarding their assets.
Participant money and property is listed as a practice Standard under Provision of Supports Environment outlined in the NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators Core Module.
Under these standards, NDIS providers must meet the following quality indicators in order to ensure clients’ assets are secure and can be used under the client’s autonomy:
(NDIS 2020)
Exploitation (also known as financial or economic abuse) involves the unauthorised, improper or illegal use of a client’s money, property or assets for personal gain or the benefit of someone other than the client (CDC 2020; RACGP 2014).
In some cases, care staff may perpetrate financial abuse against clients. Providers should be aware of the signs of financial abuse and have appropriate policies and procedures in place to manage incidents involving their staff.
Be mindful of clients who are frail, isolated or lonely, as they may be particularly vulnerable to exploitation (Nursing Home Abuse Center 2019).
Examples of exploitation include:
(National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care 2018; RACGP 2014; Seniors Rights Victoria 2012)
Signs of exploitation include:
(Nursing Home Abuse Center 2019)
Providers should be particularly careful about gifts from clients, as this may blur the lines of their professional relationship and create ethical implications. For example, staff may be accused of exploitation, or clients (or their loved ones) may use gifts as an attempt to ‘buy’ a higher quality level of care from their provider (Hall & Willcox 2016).
Providers should consider enacting policies and procedures about gifts in order to minimise the risk of exploitation or boundary-crossing. It may be worth considering:
(Hall & Willcox 2016)
Providers are obligated to ensure clients’ assets are secure and investigate any allegations made towards their staff. They should:
(National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care 2018; Croner-i Limited 2012)
Clients may be encouraged to take protective measures such as:
(Johnston 2017)
Despite this, it is important to remember that providers are responsible for ensuring staff respect clients’ money and property.
Rumours or allegations of theft or exploitation should never be disregarded, even if the client is confused or providing unreliable information (Croner-i Limited 2012).
Clients form a relationship with their care staff built upon the expectation that themselves and their assets will be safe and respected. Providers have the responsibility to maintain this trust and appropriately train their staff to ensure clients have full autonomy of their money and property and do not fall victim to exploitation.
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Question 1 of 3
Sue's mother, Jan, has recently been admitted into a residential aged care facility. Sue worries about whether her mother will receive an adequate level of care, so she often gifts the nurses chocolates and flowers to ensure they will be friendly towards Jan. As a result of the frequent gifts, the nurses spend more time with Jan than any of the other residents. Who is at fault in this situation?
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