Harry Gross: Brother may be swindling sick mother
DEAR HARRY: My mother has dementia, and her doctor says she needs to have someone there 24 hours a day. My teenage son lives with her now. My brother has taken my mother to her bank and had her withdraw all her money ($35,000) and deposit it at another ba
DEAR HARRY: My mother has dementia, and her doctor says she needs to have someone there 24 hours a day. My teenage son lives with her now. My brother has taken my mother to her bank and had her withdraw all her money ($35,000) and deposit it at another bank with him having power-of-attorney. She has no idea that she did this. As of the end of June, that account was down to $6,000. I have no idea where the money went. I have just discovered that my brother took my mother to a notary to get signatures to have him appointed as her guardian. When I asked to see all the papers and find out where the money went, my brother told me that my mother wants nothing to do with me. Meanwhile, my son takes care of all her physical needs. My brother is unemployed, living with his girlfriend and not looking for work. There has to be something I can do.
WHAT HARRY SAYS: You need a lawyer, and now. It would be best if you have one whose specialty is elder law. Unfortunately, there are too many situations like yours among our older population.