According to the National Committee to Prevent Elder Abuse (NCPEA), more than 70% of wealth in the United States is owned by seniors. (2008) This fact, in itself, shows one reason why older adults are often targets of abuse or financial exploitation. The Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) defines financial exploitation as “the misuse or withholding of an older person's resources to the detriment of the older person and/or to the profit or advantage of another person.” (IDoA, 2012) Financial exploitation involves taking or withholding money or property from an older person with or without permission or when the older person does not have a reasonable level of cognitive capacity to make an informed decision regarding his or her finances. As a home health agency supervisor, knowing how to spot and stop financial exploitation of seniors by home health aides is important because it can cause severe emotional, physical, and financial distress for the senior. The theft or intentional exploitation of a senior's money or possessions can cause them undue emotional, physical, and financial distress. “In Illinois, 58% of elder abuse reports involve financial exploitation” (IDoA, 2006), which represents a small percentage of actual cases. Many cases go unreported for fear of retaliation from the perpetrator or because they don't want to get someone they know or love in trouble. According to Thomas L. Hafemeister, financial abuse can be just as devastating to an older person as violent crime or physical abuse and can have a huge impact on the victim on both a practical and psychological level. (Hafemeister, 2003)Large numbers of older adults have paid home aides who come into their homes weekly or sometimes daily to assist...... middle of paper......y people from financial exploitation .Works CitedHafemeister T., (2003), Financial abuse of the elderly in the home. In: National Research Council (United States) Panel Reviewing 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.htmlTImmermann, S. (2009). Protecting the most vulnerable from financial abuse: what should we 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