Crooked Caregiver

Sheila Renee Land’s fall from grace is a lesson in making a #WiseChoice for an in-home caregiver (photo courtesy WLBT).

A family hired Land of Clinton, MS, to care for their elderly loved one in his home. He warmed to her kindness. She earned his trust.

Then she stole his debit cards.

“…She stole (his) money by making withdrawals and purchases using (his) debit cards to two different banks for more than two years,” said Margaret Ann Morgan, communications director for the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office. Morgan said Land’s two-year take from the senior’s accounts totaled $20,342.94.

Hinds County, MS, deputies arrested Land May 7 after a grand jury indicted her on one count of felony exploitation of a vulnerable person. If convicted, she faces up to $10,000 in fines, just a dent in what she stole from the elderly man whose family paid her to be his personal caregiver.

“Unfortunately, these cases of theft and abuse are becoming more common in our society,” said Ken Cope, president of Home Instead Senior Care of Memphis, Southaven and Oxford, your #WiseChoice for in-home senior care. “We suggest the best way to minimize the risk of theft and other abuse is to hire a reputable company who is covered with liability insurance and who also has stringent procedures to screen, hire, train and manage those caregivers.”

Land’s victim’s family failed to consider a trustworthy, vetted company like Home Instead Senior Care or to check into Land’s past. If they had, they would have discovered Land carries a criminal record and a history of civil lawsuits and liens, according to MyLife.com.

Home Instead Senior Care runs its caregivers through CAREGiverSM, a rigorous training program that includes criminal and civil background checks. Cope said the program ensures compassionate caregivers who offer 24-hour, live-in and hospice support care, as well as light housekeeping, meal prep, transportation and companionship.

“Everything we do at Home Instead Senior Care is designed around protecting the safety and integrity of the seniors we serve,” Cope said.

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