She is a relative who needs the job and is loved by my parents, but we suspect she has been stealing his controlled substance pain killers. No way to prove this at this time, but we are receiving reports from the hired caregivers of missing meds. How should we handle this?
If you're on site (or perhaps you can create a cyber log that provides you with an update each time a pill is administered), you can tighten control. That might stop the theft, if it exists.
What the story on her access - is she in your father's home or caregiving full time with supplemental help from other caregivers?
Still, I think the idea of monitoring might help clarify who the culprit is.
I'm assuming that you're ruled out your father accidentally or intentionally taking an extra pill here and there for the condition for which the pills were prescribed?
I'm sure that in IL they offer "med assistance" and then the dosage and time of distribution is charted. If this is one of the staff, they will be caught quickly.
I think cameras are the answer to everything in caregiving lol. I wish I would've put them in years ago due to having different people in and out on different days. Just helps to keep track of things, including how my father is doing on any given day.
In this case, you don't want to accuse w/o proof...? I personally would want confirmation of a culprit before I say anything.
So maybe instead of focusing on what has already happened, which you don't have proof of, let that go and do as others suggested - blister packs, initials, logs, locked away. Or a camera. :-)
Lantz123 go to the Police and report this theft of Your Fathers pain killers and the Culpit will be caught RED HANDED.