According to the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (NCPEA), more than 70% of wealth in the United States is owned by individuals elderly. (2008) This fact, in itself, shows one of the reasons why older people are often targets of abuse or financial exploitation. The Illinois Department of Aging (IDoA) defines financial abuse as “the misuse or withholding of an older person's resources to the detriment of the older person and/or for the benefit or benefit of the older person. another person.” (IDoA, 2012) Financial exploitation is the taking or withholding of money or property from an older person with or without authorization or where the older person does not have a reasonable level of cognitive capacity to make an informed decision regarding his finances. As a supervisor in a home care agency, it is important to know how to detect and stop financial exploitation of the elderly by home health aides because it can cause significant emotional, physical, and financial stress on the elderly person. . Theft or intentional abuse of a senior's money or property can cause them undue emotional, physical, and financial stress. “In Illinois, 58% of elder abuse reports involve financial exploitation” (IDoA, 2006), which represents a small percentage of actual cases. Many cases go unreported due to fear of retaliation from the perpetrator or fear of causing trouble for someone they know or love. According to Thomas L. Hafemeister, financial abuse can be as devastating to a senior as violent crime or physical abuse and can have a huge impact on the victim, both practically and psychologically. (Hafemeister, 2003) Many older adults rely on paid home health aides who come to their homes on a weekly or sometimes daily basis to help...... middle of paper ...... y people victims of financial exploitation. Works cited Hafemeister T., (2003), Financial abuse of elderly people in a domestic environment. In: National Research Council (United States) Committee to Examine the Risk and Prevalence of Elder Abuse and Neglect; Elder Abuse: Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation in an Aging America. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK98784/NCPEA, (2008) Financial Abuse. The National Committee on Elder Abuse. Retrieved from: http://www.preventelderabuse.org/elderabuse/fin_abuse.html TImmermann, S. (2009). Protecting the most vulnerable from financial abuse: what do we need to know?. Journal of Financial Service Professionals, (63)3, 23-25What is abuse?, (2013), Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA), Adult Protective Services, Illinois Elder Abuse Annual Report 2006, retrieved from: http://www. state.il.us/aging/1abuselegal/abuse_what-is.htm