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A senior resident is walking around in an assisted living facility, taking things, and passing them off as family heirlooms.

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I'd use a lockbox should I have to go to an ALF. I'd also shut my door and lock it whether I'm indoors or not. That way, none of my stuff would go missing and end up in someone else's room and have someone else pass it off as a family heirloom
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Each resident ought to be assigned a personal "lock box" that is mounted/affixed to a wall or cabinet. Only staff and/or family can open the box upon the resident's request. The momentary inconvenience experienced by the resident is small in comparison to the chaos, upset and more that comes from leaving items out which are likely to go missing in environments in which residents with dementia and Alzheimer's reside. The ability to discern between appreciating an object that belongs to another with respect and understanding that it is the property of someone else and just appreciating an object is dwindling or gone when someone sees something they like looking at. They may experience the "I want this" feeling however executive ability to think morally is lacking. I wish more Memory Care residences used the affixed lock boxes to protect everyone involved. An inventory list kept by the administrators for each resident with photos of each item in the lock box of each resident further secures property and protects everyone involved. Logical steps....
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Sounds like this person (if reports are accurate) has dementia. This is unfortunately a very common situation. Is your loved one a resident there? Is he/she missing something? If so, I'd start with that. Talk to staff. "Auntie's Mickey Mouse watch has gone missing. She cherishes it as a gift from a grandchild. Could you keep an eye out for it? Perhaps she loaned it to someone and they thought she meant them to keep it."

This is how we handled Mother's missing object. The staff did find it in another resident's room. (Turned out to be a plausible misunderstanding.) Start by working with staff to recover missing items.

"Creating Moments of Joy" has many instances of "theft" in memory care units. It is common and can be frustrating as well as comical. Staff are used to dealing with this.
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If I had seen it, I'd report it and not rely on hearsay.
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If you actually saw this and heard this, report it. If you are hearing this from your loved one who lives there, dismiss it as gossip and rumor.
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Perhaps the resident has dementia and doesn't realize what they are doing. I'd address the matter with the staff. Hopefully, they can take measures to get the items back if any of your loved one's was taken. From my experience, most assisted living facilities have things that go missing. It may be wise to lock any valuables in a closet or drawer. And take photos of any valuable so you can prove their are yours.
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