Placing your loved one into the care of professional caregivers, whether they come to the residence, or your loved one is placed in a nursing home, can be a nerve-wracking affair. It is a tough decision that you have to make, but you only want the best for their care. You did your research and found a service or facility that meets your loved one's needs. You met with the caregiver and signed the paper, confident that the professionals can do it competently. However, the people you sign with may not ultimately be the caregivers that work with the patient.
While there are many caregiver professionals who go above and beyond, unfortunately, there are those who do not have the best intentions. The National Center on Elder Abuse reported in 2011 that 1 in 13 older adults (age 60+) were victims of elder abuse. Elder abuse can include physical, psychological, verbal, or sexual abuse, financial exploration, and neglect.
Earlier this year, a man in Michigan suspected that his father was being abused in the nursing home: Mr. Hussein Younes had bruising, cuts, and significant weight loss. His son, Salim Younes, placed a hidden camera in an alarm clock by his father's bedside. He was horrified to find over 100 clips documenting neglectful behavior towards Salim's father. The family removed Hussein from the nursing home and has filed a lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that caretakers physically abused Hussein and verbally abused him with ethnic slurs. The nursing home in question gave a statement that the employees in the video clips were fired and the remaining staff underwent additional training.
Hidden cameras can help you gather evidence of elder abuse, but it is not the only effective way. Covert cameras are ideal for cases of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse, but it can be hard to prove financial exploitation and psychological abuse without the help of a professional. A licensed private investigator that specializes in elder abuse can help you gather evidence.
A quality private investigator can do the following:
Inspect the nursing home. As a representative of your family, a private investigator has the right to visit and check on the care of your loved one. A private investigator who specializes in elder abuse cases knows what to look for: The condition of the room, including the bedsheets and linens, the cleanliness and order of the space. The investigator will observe how the patient interacts with the staff: Is the patient scared, nervous, or timid?
Interview your loved one. Private investigators will check on the physical condition of your loved one, noting any weight loss, checking for bruises, cuts, broken bones, missing patches of hair, or bite marks. They will speak to the patient and assess their well-being: Have they eaten today? Did they take their medication? Are they feeling well?
Conduct surveillance. Do you suspect your caregivers are not arriving as scheduled for your loved one's home? A private investigator can conduct surveillance to confirm that caregivers are adhering to their schedule and best practices. A licensed private investigator can also assist you in finding the right hidden cameras that you can place in the home or nursing homeroom.
Asset search and financial investigations. Licensed private investigators can perform background investigations, including searches into a person's finances. If you suspect someone is exploiting your loved one's finances, a private investigator can see what assets are available and if any have been transferred to the person in question.
Make sure you look for the following when retaining a private investigator:
- Are they licensed? In New York, you can use their state search portal to find the license of a private investigation agency or investigator
- Can they testify in a court of law? All evidence and reports from a licensed private investigator must be admissible in court
- Does the private investigator clearly define the fees? Most elder abuse cases operate on a retainer. Note that if more services or work is needed for your case, you may need to add more to the retainer.
- Is the investigator trustworthy? Use your gut: If it doesn't feel right, move on.
Do You Suspect Elder Abuse?
Our compassionate and licensed private investigators can help you make an informed decision and get peace of mind.
Our private investigators are available 24/7 at 1-888-698-0077
As the most heavily populated city in the country, New York is home to all kinds of people – and all kinds of situations. That's a big part of why residents here rely on private investigators on a regular basis to help them overcome different issues that may have arisen in their lives. While private detectives often focus on things like insurance fraud, workers compensation suits, or even domestic infidelity cases, another area that they can help with is in child-related investigations. (more…)
The private detectives at Radius Investigations can perform a variety of phone searches for a multitude of reasons, including to locate missing persons or a missing child.
Below is the services we provide along with what information we need from you in each type of service.
- Reverse Landline Phone Number- You provide phone number, results in name and physical address;
- Reverse Cell Phone Number- You provide phone number, results in billing name and address;
- Find Phone Number- You provide physical address/ Old Non Pub, results in current phone number at the address provided;
- Find Cell Phone Number- You provide name/ssn/current or last known address/ home phone, results in cell phone number;
- Reverse Canadian Landline Number- You provide phone number, results in cell phone number;
- Reverse Canadian Cell Phone Number- You provide phone number, results in name and address;
- Reverse Toll Free Number- You provide toll free number, results in name/address;
- Full Locate (Verified)- You provide name/ssn/dob/last known address/phone, results in verified current address/ contact number;
- Reverse PO box- You provide name/PO box address, results in name and physical address; and
- Private Mail box/ Post Mail Box- You provide name/mail box address, results in name and physical address.
Radius Investigations offers comprehensive background checks for individuals nationwide and worldwide. Our expert private investigators have the resources and know-how to gather accurate and verified information
What information do I need to conduct a background check on someone?
Any information you have on someone will help us in our research. More information is better, but we understand that you may not have all the details. (which is usually why you are doing a background check in the first place!) Here are some common pieces of information we will ask for. Keep in mind this list is not exclusive, and just because you may not know the answer to items on this list, does not mean we can't perform a background check:
- First and Last Name (Ideally a middle name as well if they have a common name)
- State where they were born
- Last known address or state of residence
- Date of Birth
- Date of Death (if applicable. We usually encounter this in estate cases or in clients who want to research their family tree)
- Name of parents or siblings
- Name of Spouse
- Last known employer and address of employer
Do I need to be a company or business to conduct a background check?
Radius Investigations offers complete personal background investigation services that do not require you to be a hiring manager or business. Individual clients can inquire for personal background checks on a person of interest.
Why do I need a personal background check?
Proper personal background checks are vital tools that can be used for situations such as legal cases, dating/relationships, tenants, or checking individuals you hire. (eg. nannies, caretakers, home care services, house cleaners, freelancers) Hiring a private investigator to conduct a background investigation can bring peace of mind, safety, and confidence that those you work or live with have integrity.
Can I do a background check on myself?
Our background check can be performed on any individual, including the client themselves. Requesting a background check on yourself is an excellent resource in verifying that your personal, financial, criminal, and legal information is correct. Inconsistencies or inaccurate information in a background check is a serious concern that can affect employment and applications for financial or legal affairs.
How can I obtain a background check?
Our Long Island and NYC private investigators can provide a comprehensive background check on a person of interest. Our team works around the world to find the best and most accurate information for our clients. We work with you in obtaining the information you need, whether it is educational, employment, criminal, legal, or financial records.
You can call Radius Investigations 1-888-698-0077 to receive a free consultation on what background investigative services are best for your situation.
We have seen it all during our more than 30 years of experience as private investigators. New York, like most other states, has its share of people who take advantage of the elderly, and we are eager to identify and stop these people from preying on older victims.
If you suspect an elderly relative is being abused by a caretaker, let us know so we can find out for sure, providing you with the tools to stop the abuse for good. There are various types of elderly abuse, and your relative could unfortunately be a victim of them all.
One example is physical abuse. This may occur when a caretaker hits, kicks, or pushes the victim. In fact, any instance in which the victim ends up physically injured as a result of the caretaker may count as physical abuse. If your loved one frequently has bruises, broken bones, or scratches, and his or her stories do not add up, you should suspect abuse by the caretaker. Of course, if your relative flat out tells you he or she has been abused, you need to hire competent private investigators. New York is the home of Radius Investigations, and we know just how to proceed with this type of case.
Another type of elderly abuse is mental, not physical. This usually consists of a caretaker insulting the victim, or telling the elderly person that no one loves him or her. This can lead to isolation, feelings of unhappiness, or even depression, so you need to get your loved one out of this situation fast.
Some caretakers abuse their victims financially. They do so by convincing elderly people to let them handle their accounts. In some cases, there is no convincing needed since the government may require someone else to handle the finances of someone too sick or elderly to do the job alone. In this way, some caretakers defraud victims out of thousands of dollars of hard-earned money.
If your relative is suddenly broke, with no idea of where his or her money went, you owe it to the victim to hire some private investigators. New York residents who are elderly may also be constantly abused, either physically or mentally, by their caretakers. When you want to get to the bottom of this issue, contact Radius Investigations.