I Think We've Got Our Perp

I think we've got our perp - or at least our "person of interest."

As expected, the T-Mobile charge was the giveaway.

Let's say also that it takes a particular kind of genius to steal a credit card and use it to pay your cell phone bill - you know, the one with your name on it.

The name on the T-Mobile account matches the name of one of the attendants - the one who was assigned to my father's case the day of the T-Mobile charge.

Interestingly, this is the same attendant that was accused by her colleague of stealing.  A belated head nod to the colleague.

It's possible that someone else ran up the charges on the other card, but I know where I'll look first.

I spent yesterday talking to the agency and faxing them copies of the credit card bills.  On Monday morning they'll call the attendant it, question her, then fire her.  I'll talk to the credit card companies and figure out who gets to press charges - them or me.  There are going to be charges.  I'm not letting it pass.  Stealing from an Alzheimer's patient is about as low as you can get and there are going to be consequences.

The whole incident may turn out to be a blessing, though.  This morning the agency sent a nurse to visit my father and conduct an on-site investigation - apparently this is their standard procedure.  I could take a moment to wonder why they have a standard procedure - exactly how many of their attendants are stealing?  But I'll come back to that some other time.  The breaking news is that the nurse thinks the current coverage isn't adequate and that we should re-apply for split 12-hour shifts.  She told M, who attended, that the criteria aren't as strict as we were led to believe and the mere fact that my father is up and out of bed three or four times a night... and wanders into the hallway and gets locked out... and needs to have his food blended and be supervised while he eats so he won't choke... that all of that qualifies him for something more than live-in housekeeper.  Makes sense to me, especially now that I can see it written down in a single sentence...

M is going to start on a revised M11q and see if Dr. B will agree to sign it off.  If we can get it through, that means we can bring back E for the day shifts.  Apart from the quality of the relationship - which is worthwhile by itself - that'll be a de facto upgrade to aide coverage, even without any other change in status.  It also means I can do a thorough search for a nursing home - as opposed to an emergency program to get him placed somewhere, anywhere, as quickly as possible.

M told me that my father raved through the visit in his usual way - then, in a moment of lucidity, told the nurse that he was completely aware that the attendants were stealing, but that he'd decided to look the other way because "what can you do about it?"

I told her it's nice to know that whatever else is wrong, at least his reporter's instincts are still in play.

Monday morning I'll play my part in the criminal justice system, and then we'll get on with the program.

Comments

[Cathy]

So glad you got the thief! As if you don't have enough to deal with!

[Alan G. Ampolsk]

Thanks - but getting the thief turns out to be its own kind of complication. See the latest...