Strangers in your house

Well, I had an incident happen the other day, and feel the need to share it here with my friends. As you all know (by now) I'm a cleaning lady, this is my 5th year in business. I'm well trusted and have keys and alarm codes to nearly all my clients homes. As I'm in peoples homes, I know where their safes are, where the cash is kept, where their pills are, in some cases - where their "personal toys" are.
All my clients can trust that not only is their stuff completely safe with me, but that I take a personal interest in making sure that they keep safe about it. I have chided clients for leaving PIN's to their credit cards laying in plain sight of glass doors. I have asked clients to remove hand guns from the cleaning area (OMG I hate guns). And in the past few days a new problem has surfaced: One client now has caregivers in their home round-the-clock.
What's the problem you might wonder, well, lemme tell you: They are in their early 80's, wealthy people in a very big house, just the two of them. Their kids live in other states, so they are alone here in town. Last winter she fell outside a restaurant on ice and whacked her head, and has been going downhill since then (no lawyers, and no lawsuit- please don't get me started, as that's not my point). Ok, she has several large bottles of prescription pain medication in the house. Her husband doesn't know what drugs she has, what she takes, or when. They have cash, credit cards, cell phones, checks, jewelry, etc.,etc.,etc. just laying around their house.
Now here comes 3 or 4 strangers round-the-clock. The woman is not aware most of the time of what's going on, and her husband is playing Ostrich. I know the company that these care-givers come from does not drug test or background check their employees unless there is some concern. Well, honey, I'm concerned as HECK!!! Not (of course) that a drug test or a background check is going to show anything. In this day and age a former employer can't tell a prospective employer anything, including that someone was fired for refusing to take a drug test.
Reading Claudia's blog gave me pause for concern because her mother-in-law is in her 90's and might need in-home care in the future.
So what do you do? Well, as I told Mr. Client: Don't assume that everyone is a thief and is out to take advantage of a situation, but know exactly what you have and where it is. Put away the cash, credit cards, cell phones, checks, jewelry and drugs!!! Don't give someone the opportunity to take what doesn't belong to them. Another client said the caregiver for her blind brother was stealing linens and jewelry (for Gosh sake!!!). A caregiver for my grandmother was stealing booze, and some jewelry mysteriously disappeared. The diamond from her wedding ring vanished in the nursing home.
Be aware, be realistic, know where great Aunt Melba's antique diamond ring is, know how many morphine pills are in the bottle, and know how much cash is in your house and lock it up. Lay out limits for the strangers in your house: They are allowed in this area of the house, not this area (in the case of these clients they have separate bedrooms and the caregivers have NO reason to be in his bedroom). Ask the company that hires the caregives to drug and background check every one that is in your home. CHECK REFERENCES on your own, do you have older friends that have in-home care? Who is it? What are the company's guidelines? Do they have any issues with the Better Business Bureau or the Department of Social and Health Services that you can check?
You don't leave your car unlocked, and you don't walk away from your purse in the grocery cart in the store. Protect yourself and your property, be smart, be aware, and when in doubt or if there's a problem, don't just ignore it, speak up!!!