You lost how much?

Late Sunday night, not long before the shift changeover, the call bell went off in the room of Miss S.

Normally this resident gets up to go to the toilet and sets off her sensor mat several times in the night, so I wasn't expecting much drama when I went into her room. Boy, was I wrong. Miss S has a mild intellectual disability as well as dementia, but is usually a quite placid individual.

When I went in she was shaking with agitation. I asked what was wrong.

"I'm the victim of a burglary! I've been robbed! Someone came into my room and stole my money!" she replied.

Now, I know that Miss S doesn't have money in her room - our policy is that residents (especially those with dementia) should keep their money held at the office in trust unless they are actually going out somewhere. Miss S's family keep her trust fund well topped up for her needs. Late last year she had withdrawn some money and kept it in her wallet for several months, and on being asked why by a family member, she didn't even recognise the notes as money. That money was redeposited to her trust fund in early December. She hasn't asked about it since.


Nevertheless, I asked "How much money?"
"Three hundred thousand dollars! I had it in my purse!" she waved a tiny zip-top change purse at me - you'd be hard pressed to put a folded $20 note in it, it was so small.
"I don't think you could fit $300,000 in that," I said. "Where'd you get $300,000 from?"
"Oh, you know! from superannuation and stuff!"

Eventually I got her calmed down and back into bed.

"You better tell the police!" she said as I turned off the light.
"I'll do better than that, I'll tell the boss." I told her. "Good night."