An awareness drive to increase understanding of financial abuse has been launched by Safeguarding Ireland.
The initiative aims to highlight what people can do to "stay in control", even if they have reduced capacity to manage their own money.
Information resources include a guide, a summary, an issues paper and a video animation for stakeholder organisations, professionals and families or supporters that outline how people can stay in control of their money, benefits and assets.
Launching the measures, Safeguarding Ireland's Chairperson, Patricia Rickard-Clarke warned that those who don’t have control of their own money could be at risk of financial abuse.
"This is especially important for at-risk adults who have frailty, dementia, an acquired brain injury, a serious illness or a disability. The best way to keep your money safe is to stay in control of it," she said.
Ms Rickard-Clarke advised people to talk with their bank who will provide help, get support from an advocate, put in place a decision support arrangement and make an Enduring Power of Attorney.
"An important message is that no-one has the right to use our money without our permission. Family members, next-of-kin or carers have no automatic legal right to take charge of another person’s money," she said.
Last week, the Oireachtas Committee on Health published a report which highlighted "serious legal and policy gaps" around adult safeguarding.
It noted that those gaps extended beyond the Health and Social Care system into areas such as financial abuse, physical abuse, neglect, and the deprivation of liberty.
From a legal perspective, the report said adult safeguarding was "cross-sectional", bringing in several areas of law, such as criminal, tort, banking, and family law.
It said several groups should be involved in inter-agency cooperation, including the Central Bank of Ireland and the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman
More than 1,500 concerns of financial abuse are reported to the HSE every year. However, the actual level is believed to be much higher according to Safeguarding Ireland.
In response to a previous commissioned survey by the organisation, 10% of adults in Ireland said they had personally experienced financial abuse, and 80% said the abuser was known to them or to the person abused.
