'Promise Me You Won't Tell Anyone'

Do not make the promise. You cannot keep it, and a promise you break costs her more trust than an honest answer given now.

Sit down, lower your voice, and be plain and kind: 'I hear you, and this is hard. I can't keep it just between us - I'm responsible for your safety, so I have to tell the nurse. I'll tell her, and I'm not going anywhere.'

• Do not declare that her son is a thief, and do not say 'he shouldn't be allowed in here.' You do not know what happened, and you are not the investigator.
• Do not interrogate her. No 'how much exactly,' 'did you see him do it,' 'has this happened before.' Ask only what you need to keep her safe right now.
• Do not say 'let me think about it' or imply you might not report. Ambiguity now becomes a betrayal later.
• Do not tell her she is wrong to protect him. She is afraid of losing her only visitor, and that is a real loss.

The reasoning: a request for secrecy after a disclosure of possible financial exploitation is common and does not change your duty. Nevada, like every state, requires reporting of suspected elder abuse, including financial exploitation. An aide who stays quiet becomes part of the problem.

Report first, document second, both promptly.

1. Go to the charge nurse immediately - before the next round, before the end of the shift. Use her words.
2. Document objectively: date and time of the conversation, her exact statement in quotation marks, her emotional state, that she asked you not to tell, and that the nurse was notified and at what time.
3. Do not investigate. No calling the son, no counting the money in her purse, no asking the roommate, no canvassing coworkers for their opinion of him.
4. Do not discuss it with other aides, other residents, your family, or on social media. That is a confidentiality breach and it can compromise the investigation.
5. Do not call the police or Adult Protective Services yourself. The nurse and facility administration make the mandated report; you confirm that it was made.
6. Treat her normally afterward. Do not avoid her or act suspicious - she will read that as being blamed.

The reasoning: your value here is a clean, immediate, accurate report. Everything past that - investigating, deciding, confronting - belongs to someone else and risks both the case and your certification.

Report it anyway. The original report stands.

• Tell the nurse immediately that Mrs. Lindqvist retracted, with her exact words and the time.
• Chart the retraction next to the original statement, not instead of it. Do not erase, backdate, or 'fix' the earlier note.
• Do not agree that it never happened, and do not say 'okay, I won't say anything.' It is already reported; there is nothing to un-say.
• Credibility is not your decision. Retractions are extremely common in financial exploitation - the person depends on that family member for visits, help, or money and is frightened of the consequences. The nurse, social worker, and Adult Protective Services weigh the whole picture.
• Reassure her that she is not in trouble, then continue her care as usual.

The reasoning: if an aide could cancel a report by accepting a retraction, no report would survive a day. Your duty is triggered by what you heard, not by what she later wishes she had said. Document both statements and let the people whose job it is decide what is true.