What do I need to do?? Mom has Alzheimer’s Dementia and I’m lost on what legal steps I need to take.
My mother has Alzheimer’s dementia and I’m so lost on what steps I need to do on the legal side of this. I can handle the caregiving side due to that’s what I've done in the past. Any and all advice will be appreciated. Thanks
You should see an elder law attorney to decide if you can handle or need to hire a Licensed Fiduciary. There is a lot of work and record keeping to be done, the former takes about a year, the latter is easier once set up. You need to handle things for your parent or see that it gets done so at this point a conservator or guardianship is needed. As your Mom has dementia it is too late to do a POA, but be guided about what you CAN do by an elder law specialist. And decide if you are ready to take it on, learn all about it, and do it. Or not. I felt totally lost when my brother was diagnosed with probable early Lewy's Dementia, and asked me to take over his Trust, being Trustee for him, and to manage his estate. It was a huge learning curve, but I did it with the help of books and the internet, and in the end the worst of it was dealing with Spectrum Phone company getting his phone set up and keeping it set up, as we lived half a state away from one another. The rest of it flowed, even the record keeping. Start by seeing what you can research online, and seeing a lawyer. You can learn a lot on this forum by going to timeline above and typing in care topics. Under financial you will find a wealth of information.
What do you mean when you say in your profile that you "will be" moms POA? If you are not already, it's probably too late if she has the official diagnosis of Alzheimer's/dementia. Someone has to be of sound mind to sign any legal paperwork, so as you can see that will be an issue with your mom. You may end up having to apply for guardianship if you're wanting to make all the decisions regarding her care. Does your mom have her will and or trust, living will, advance directives, and DNR all in place? Again if she doesn't, it will be too late to for her to do any of those, because of her mental status. Now if you are already her durable and medical POA, then you will be able to make any and all medical and financial decisions regarding her care. I hope and pray that she does have all her legal paperwork lined up for you, as it will certainly make things much easier for you. Best wishes.
Your profile says you are "going to be" your mom's PoA...so are you currently her PoA? This is important information for the forum to know.
Also from your profile, others should know that you have a lot of prior experience caring for several other family members with ALZ/dementia so the disease is not new to you. You have a family to take care of as well.
What is going on right now that you feel you need help with specifically? Is your mom living with you? Do you need to manage her financial affairs? Or seek placement? Or something else? Thanks for the extra info.
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I felt totally lost when my brother was diagnosed with probable early Lewy's Dementia, and asked me to take over his Trust, being Trustee for him, and to manage his estate. It was a huge learning curve, but I did it with the help of books and the internet, and in the end the worst of it was dealing with Spectrum Phone company getting his phone set up and keeping it set up, as we lived half a state away from one another. The rest of it flowed, even the record keeping. Start by seeing what you can research online, and seeing a lawyer.
You can learn a lot on this forum by going to timeline above and typing in care topics. Under financial you will find a wealth of information.
Does your mom have her will and or trust, living will, advance directives, and DNR all in place? Again if she doesn't, it will be too late to for her to do any of those, because of her mental status.
Now if you are already her durable and medical POA, then you will be able to make any and all medical and financial decisions regarding her care. I hope and pray that she does have all her legal paperwork lined up for you, as it will certainly make things much easier for you. Best wishes.
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Also from your profile, others should know that you have a lot of prior experience caring for several other family members with ALZ/dementia so the disease is not new to you. You have a family to take care of as well.
What is going on right now that you feel you need help with specifically? Is your mom living with you? Do you need to manage her financial affairs? Or seek placement? Or something else? Thanks for the extra info.