I was medical POA for a friend in a nursing home (not a good one). I bought her a pistol safe for about $50 that fit in a drawer. It had a keypad lock (also had a key that I kept) & it had holes in the bottom where it could be bolted to the drawer, which I was prepared to do, but that extreme measure proved unnecessary. She kept her money, paperwork, watch & jewelry, & other items in there that she didn’t want stolen. She would have a CNA get it out of the drawer and put it in her lap, then leave the room. She’d get into the box, lock it back up, then have a CNA put it back in the drawer. The pistol safe was something I recommended to several other families.
Yes but who? Who in their right mind keeps money, Jewels and valuables worth thousands of dollars in a nursing home?
Perhaps the patients would not listen to their families.
Our family members had dementia, so using the lock boxes they had was problematic. But we could and did ask the nursing staff to lock up hearing aids, dentures and/or glasses. The resulting problem was that the staff the next morning would often neglect to take the time to return the items. So we’d track down whatever was missing. Of course, the nurse didn’t always have the items. But we’d sort that out. We had a good relationship with the staff, understood what was doable and what wasn’t, and were happy to help out when needed to get something done. But we had to be there.
Smart move!
Good idea. Thanks.