I’m a financial & medical durable power of attorney for my aunt. My siblings now want to take her checkbook away from me. She was discharged from hospital and siblings decided to take her to their house to set up home health care. I’ve been her DPOA for 20 years & her only caregiver for the past five years. They are coercing me to give them the checkbook so they can buy supplies for her. I am ignoring their request because I’ve been overseeing her finances & everything else for years & now all of a sudden, the siblings are trying to take over her finances. How can I protect myself & my aunt from them? How can I say ‘no’ without causing dissent?
In short, your Aunt, if capable can ask for her checkbook if she wishes to have it and can write checks using it as she chooses to do so . IF she is not competent to do this, then you may need guardianship, and accounts may need to be set up so that you, as her guardian pay all bills, including for supplies and care.
If this is a family fight for custody of this elder, no longer competent, this could turn into a real mess; I would consult and elder law attorney. As your Aunt's POA and the one paying her bills all this time the attorney can be paid out of your Aunt's accounts, as this is in the interest of protecting your aunt from possible predatory family.
I am sorry you are going through this, because a war over a failing elder often ends in 1,000s of dollars in a Lawyer's pocket, and no good answers for the poor elder.
Get Counsel.
If your siblings are so eager to help out all of a sudden, then give them something to do. Tell them you don't need any help with the shopping because you've got that handled well enough already, but you'd really appreciate it if they came and sat with her a few hours a week. Or took on some of the household chores like the laundry. Or brought her to some of her doctor's appointments. See how fast they are not willing to help out when it has nothing to do with the handling of money.
Aunt chose you for a reason, you are about to find out why. Is aunt considered competent? If so, she can change her POA's any time she wants. It is your job to protect aunt from her own children, keep her information private and assist with anything she needs.
It sounds like you need an elder law attorney, if you want to continue as POA. Ask attorney to send a "cease and desist" letter to aunt's family. If they want the power, if aunt is not competent, they will have to pursue guardianship. You can decide you want nothing to do with this and resign, legal notification to her family, then give it to her family to figure out.
Good luck.