I am legally responsible if Mom gets hurt, since I moved out, after being told - by her ANP Cardiologist - I had to move in with her? 2 weeks ago, moms cardiologist ANP said to her she had issues with erratic BP. Her BP could drop quickly upon standing from laying down or even sitting. After conferring with the doctor, the ANP told mom that she could no longer live alone. The ANP told her I was moving in until she found live in help or found an assisted living. Mom was in denial and my being there did not help. She made no moves toward finding help or a place to live. We took her to a few places, but needed time to decide, No matter what I tried, said or did, it was wrong. My sister, via a text, basically said the situation was not sustainable and I needed to move out, so I did. I am feeling horrible guilt, yet I agree there was tension in the house. That was not good for either of us. My question is one of legality. Since I was told by her doctor to move in with her - can I be held responsible if she falls and gets hurt? I am her Durable Power of Healthcare Attorney , but (as pointed out) that does not take effect until she is declared with having diminished mental capacity. While she has early dementia, my sibling feel she is sound of mind. If you do not have the answer, perhaps you could guide me to a website I can learn from.
That being said, if you know your mother is at risk, but is not amenable or cooperative with your help, and you care about your mother, you should probably contact your local adult protective services office to let them know her situation.
I know about this very well since I am my mom's DPOA. I called adult protective services about my mom since she was refusing any live-in help or relocation to an assisted living facility.
DPOA does NOT require you to move in with your mom. But since you have control of her finances, it makes it easier for you to make living arrangements for her.
You ask about a fall. If you leave her alone and she falls, yes you are responsible. If you are there with her and she falls despite your efforts to prevent a fall, that is just an accident that can happen anywhere.
About your only option is to get a court order moving her to a safe facility.
Please see an attorney as soon as possible.
Then I realized I could not make him do them. I could not sit on his chest and force food into him or drag him out the door to enjoy the sunshine. It would have been seen as elder abuse if I had forced him to do things against his will.
He had reached his final years and wanted to sit in his chair and look out the window. He didn't want to live forever. He sometimes said that he was ready to die. The only thing we can do is to make sure they get reasonable care for their stage in life and otherwise let them live in peace. Since your mother and you don't live well together, the Life Alert sounds like a very good idea. They also have pill boxes that have alarms on them.
We do what we can. Many times they won't let us do more.
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