Can the caregiver use my mom's debit care for groceries if my mom can't sign checks anymore?

She'll still need to sign, so that likely wouldn't work. However, I agree that having a separate account for the caregiver to use is better. There's less of a chance for problems.
Carol

Can you set up a separate account for the care giver to use? It would not be associated with your mother's main funds so there would never be a way for anyone to steal from your mom. In fact, maybe it would be better for you to do it from your own bank if it's different. You could deposit money online into that account on a regular basis or whatever and the caregiver would be able to pay for your mom's groceries etc from that.

My mom was burned by a caregiver who had her debit card number (before I took over full-time). I agree with our expert, a seperate account is best. Be sure to check that account often, and report fraud to the bank for prosecution. I did.