The elderly and sick in and around the basin who have carers and nurses at their disposal are being urged to practise caution, be aware and avoid carelessness when it comes to safeguarding personal possessions and valuable items.
This follows isolated cases of theft and fraud, allegedly perpetrated by nurses, which has put a slight dent in the caregiving industry and significantly raised the alarm among nursing agencies and their clients.
Just last month multiple transactions from a Somerset West pensioner’s account was conducted fraudulently via eWallet, a system that allows anyone to send money to anyone with a valid South African cellphone number, even if they don’t have a bank account.
Somerset West police confirmed a case of fraud was being investigated, a suspect was brought in for questioning and an arrest was imminent.
According to Glynis Roman, her elderly 85-year-old mother had entrusted the carer with her banking or eWallet pin codes, which soon afterwards resulted in fraudulent transactions – amounting to R12 700 altogether.
“All the transactions occurred in a single month in which the carer worked for us,” she said. “My mum became suspicious as the carer would continuously lock herself in the bathroom, and we suspect this was when the transactions were made. We were shocked when the bank notified us the account was overdrawn and on investigation discovered the fraudulent transactions to cellphone numbers we didn’t recognise as well as the carer’s cellphone number.”
During the investigation it was also revealed that the carer in question had been making Tik Tik videos in the client’s home – showing dancing skills and lip-syncing to songs.
Management at the nursing agency in question related it had strict screening processes, which include polygraph testing, continuous training and getting nurses to improve their demeanour. The agency was shocked about the case when it first emerged.
“We have in place protocols which come into play in such situations, and have instituted an internal investigation and we have sought to rehabilitate the nurse in question,” said a manager, who asked that the name of the agency and nurse be protected due to the nature of the case which is at a sensitive stage.
“This particular case surprised us because the carer in question is actually a very sweet individual, and the client had specifically requested her. Additionally, we usually visit our patients regularly to check in on the nurse and patient, but the client refused visits which is very unusual. But the most alarming of it all was that the victim in this instance had actually given her banking pin code to the carer, which in the first place shouldn’t have happened as it definitely led her towards temptation.”
The manager stated that the agency had paid the full amount of money back to the elderly pensioner, the nurse had shown remorse and apologised, and a rehabilitation programme had been instituted. It was also revealed that the nurse in question was being harassed by her boyfriend and faced difficult circumstances, which most likely had led to the theft.
“We want to give the nurse a chance to rehabilitate as we sympathise with her circumstances,” the manager said, “but at the same time we obviously understand the theft is absolutely unacceptable. This situation has also exposed challenges within the industry, such as the low salaries nurses earned due to medical aid stipulations, the desperation of many people due to the longstanding effects of lockdown, in which many partners of nurses have lost their jobs, and also the number of unregistered nursing agencies in the Helderberg. These are not subject to the same protocols and requirements as those that are registered, bringing an influx of nurses without high standards of training.”
In a separate incident involving a different agency, Christo Meyer of Somerset West stated that at the beginning of this year he had hired a nurse to care for his wife, who was terminally ill with cancer.
“The nurse stole my bank cards, two Sassa cards and stole an amount of just under R4 000,” he related. “I contacted the agency and told them if they reimbursed my losses I will let it slide. The people there promised a meeting, which never materialised, and they never paid me back. My wife passed away soon after and as a result I just wanted to put it behind me and never opened a case.”
Meyer added that the nurse would even join the family for morning prayers.
“My advice is don’t trust too easily and too much,” he said. “With all the emotions during times of illness and old age we are all liable to trust, which can be seen as a weakness. Just be careful,” I’d say.”
