My mom own a rental house and let a 53 year old man move in because he was homeless. He has paid no money for this sleeping and she would not let me do a lease for him. Now he is driving her car and my deceased step father's truck. He also spends the night with her??? She has given him money for mowing the yard and now is giving him the power to take care of and collect rent from this rental house. She told my brothers and I to stay out of her business. We can't let this man keep doing this. What do we do? I have been in charge of paying her bills for four years or longer now she wants me to turn all my information over to him. I believe she has dementia. This is the second time in a year she has done this with a younger man. The last one took her for about three thousands dollers. Help, I need answers.
Sure enough before long my mom actually thought this guy that was 15 years younger than her wanted a relationship and companionship. She gave him some furniture and I think he had his eyes on her house and car but I managed to catch him at her house one day and indirectly let him know that I was the sole handler of her money and that it was out of mom's reach and the house was in my name (which wasn't really true). My mom told me that he said he didn't like me! LOL
Then mom went into the hospital for a knee replacement and he used that excuse to get away from her off since she couldn't control the things he wanted. That was when I became very happy that I had jumped the gun and taken control before she could shoot herself in the foot!
Sadly she was very vulnerable and there are people that will destroy you and not even look back, so be very vigilant and try to protect her from herself.
If Mom has all her faculties, she can do whatever she pleases with her money. You say you suspect she has dementia? Would she be willing to see a doctor for a diagnosis? If not, would she be willing to allow you to give her one? The mini–mental state examination (MMSE) or Folstein test is a brief 30-point questionnaire test that is used to screen for cognitive impairment. It is commonly used in medicine to screen for dementia. You can find one of these online. (I still have the one I gave my Mom before her formal diagnosis).
If you do suspect dementia, you need to move quickly to protect your Mom and her assets. Call your county department of family and children's services and ask for their senior services department, or get the name of an elder law attorney and call him or her. There are multiple resources and links to resources on this site - look up top under Money and Legal.
Luck, dear. My Mom gave over $10,000 to a national political the year before her Alz diagnosis and we never even knew about it
Blessings, Bridget