My mother has recently moved to a memory care assisted living facility. She had and apparently still has a shopping obsession. She doesn't need anything, nor does she have room for more things or more clothes, but every time I talk to her, she has thought of something else (usually clothes) that she "needs". I have limited her credit card to $150 a day, and she is still able to go shopping if a friend takes her. I am trying to find a way to redirect her shopping obsession to something beneficial, or at least benign. Oh, and her vision is poor. Any suggestions?
Your mom living in MC has ability to spend $150 a day via her credit cards?
Not to sound harsh, but why, oh why would you even allow this to be something she can do? If your her DPOA, that has a required fiduciary duty to deal with her finances responsibly for her future and you can shut down those CC and instead give her perhaps 3 $100 gift cards each month for abit, then move it to 3 $75 then 3 $50.
$150 day = $ 4,500.00 a month. $55k a year.
If she’s wealthy and has $500k - 1M set aside, totally liquid to pay for her care for another 5+ years, then I take it all back and I sincerely apologize. Yes let your Empress spend to her hearts content but get her into an only private pay facility that has her in an en-suite room & does seasonal storage of clothes & mini safe deposit boxes for jewelry on site. If she’s gonna be spending $, it’s best she’s in a place that’s filled with lots of other equally wealthy old Empresses, so they get all dressed up for meals, have spa days, do shopping excursions. The type of place that has all sorts of perks, like car service, fur storage, lots of aides, etc for 11k-30k a mo or more depending on where you live.
But if she doesn't have right now $$$$ in the bank for her future care, you need to stop the spending so it’s there for her future needs. You think you’re hearing requests now, omg wait till she’s impoverished and on Medicaid having to share a room with a....STRANGER! I’ve known a couple of these, the type that could make the Empress Carlotta look sane. You have to take charge on this and set the fixed terms on her spending; since she just moved to MC it is as good a time as any as her life is being reset for her future and her spending is part of this.
if your are not her DPOA, please please meet with an attorney on her behalf to see about becoming her dpoa (if she’ll go along with it) or what you need to get guardianship. Otherwise it will be a train wreck if & when she runs out of $.