My aging parents are still living in the home they raised me in. They are both 73 years old. My mama has dementia stage 3 and my dad doesn’t drive and the the start to dementia. I have begged them to down size for years. I am the only caregiver. Because there is not enough money to hire someone else. And I am depleted so, my younger brother has created a plan with my dad.
My younger brother and his 1 yr old boy and 5 yr old girl and wife are all moving in my parents home to be care givers. But they are to needy to be caregivers. They are really moving in because of money trouble and bringing their burden into my parents home. I am the poa .
How do protect my parents money and assets?
My mom and dad live in a 4500 sq ft home in the middle of 10 acres . They need everything. Grass mowed, meals prepped, neither of them drive , so all transportation I do. I take them to all doctor appointments fill all medications and pill boxes. I am the only one that calls regularly.
My husband does not want to live with my parents. I don’t want to leave my husband and 17 year old for my parents .
Is there anyway I can make them sell and move to assisted living?
Who's mowing the lawn and taking care of maintenance of that large house? Who's doing the housecleaning, laundry, billpaying, etc?
What does your brother think?
I take it your parents are still deemed competent? (If so, you can't make them do anything, BUT you don't have to do anything, either, to enable them to keep their "independence."
What are your parents' finances? Would the selling of this home be what is required for them to move to Assisted Living?
Whatever happens, do not DARE leave your home and spouse to move in with your parents!
yes I would talk to brother but even though they say they were moving in . They have only stayed the night 2 times.
no caregiving has happened yet.
and yes , it’s just not right .... leave my husband and son for my parents .... no way .... thank you for your reply
If you have a Power of Attorney that gives you such authority; then, I supposed you can "force" the issue. However, if they are truly competent, they may choose to revoke the POA they've given you.
Personally, I'd seek a lawyer's advise.
Agree with PP, have a consultation with a lawyer. You may also want to make a list for them of what has to get done, and possibly, if brother tries to fight you, ask him to sit down and talk with a social worker or geriatric care manager as to how things will progress.
thank you so much for your reply.
Now, we are having problems forcing my FIL to downsize, and my husband does not want to force the issue because his dad is too frail and feeble and will land in the hospital with a panic attack. So now FIL's money is being spent at an alarming rate and when it runs out, he will get moved to whatever his social security and pension will afford.
I’m sure more posters will be along soon this morning to give you more advice.
After incompetency has been established according to the terms of the POA, you can act against the principal's current wishes; however, you are required to act in the principal's best interest. To have complete control and be able to force an action like downsizing you need guardianship of both parents which is an expensive and possibly family fracturing court ordeal.
If your father and brother have developed this plan, it should be documented in a caregiver plan which includes language stating what conditions will require your brother to move out. What are your brother's care giving duties? What is his compensation? What happens when Mom needs placement? Does this brother realize ALZ patients reach a stage where they require 24/7 supervision and not only become completely incontinent but often become unable to assist with incontinence products, removing the incontinence briefs and even spreading contents over walls and surfaces? Your brother needs to realize at some point your parents will need placement.
Your description of the property indicates selling would most likely generate the funds needed to care for your parents for several years, depending on AL costs in your area and your parents' monthly income. Living at home with family support for as long as possible can preserve funds for the time frame LTC is really needed. During the period your mother can safely live at home, having your brother and his family live in and maintain the home while providing basic care giving could be beneficial to any long term care plan _provided_ your brother works to get/maintain the home into salable condition and realizes the situation is temporary and he must move his family out at some point. My father had the monthly income to pay about 65% of his MC fees, so when he needed placement we used his income and drew down each month from the home sale funds to cover the difference. My mother moved in with me because although her SS met her personal needs, she didn't have enough to maintain a residence and she didn't want to live alone anyway. My thinking was to maintain my parents in the home or AL/MC facilities as long as possible before Medicaid NH care would be the only option.
I encourage you investigate AL/MC fees in your area, as well as fair market price of your parents home and develop a long term care plan based on selling the home when your mother needs placement. Consider facilities with joint placement where your parents could share an MC room. Your father may not need MC when your mother does, but staying together can be both emotionally and financially beneficial.
Once you have your plan options together (Mom in MC, Dad in apartment; Mom & Dad in MC, Mom in MC while Dad lives with a child), discuss it with your parents, or at least your father. If you can trust them, sharing it with your brothers is a good idea too. First meeting should be a discussion of options and costs, decisions should wait for a later meeting after everyone has some thinking it over time. I used spreadsheets to show how long the money lasts in the various options. This meeting is also a good opportunity to discuss Medicaid's five year look-back for "gifts" and Medicaid Recovery placing a lien on the home if Mom goes on Medicaid while Dad still lives in the home. Sometimes you can get a sibling out of the inheritance mindset when he/she realizes Medicaid Recovery is going to get the home if NH care is required. If you can build a consensus plan things will work out much easier.
As far as caring for impaired parents in huge home with a huge lot, your brother has no idea what he's getting into. I bet that set up will last for a very limited amount of time before that family decides they are overwhelmed and it's more than they bargained for. At that time, your parents, if they both have dementia, should sell the home and move to AL or Memory Care, using home sale proceeds to finance it along with SS and any other investments. That's what happened in our parent's case when caring for them at home was just too much for my brother and I.
Hugs 🤗
The plan is to move his family in and live rent free in exchange for caregiving duties.
i do the caretaking, house maintenance, house cleaning, chasing my mother around 10 acres .
i look at the finances but my dad screams that he has the bills under control. And I just shut down and can’t continue.
yes the only money dad has left is in his estate.