Mom's caregiver tried to move all of mom's money from her bank account last year. The caregiver wants her car now, so why would senior services who is in place to protect my mother, be ordering me to give these things over so that the caregiver can steal them? I can't afford an elder attorney, but isn't it illegal for senior services to demand me to do that? I know that the caregiver has told them I only see my mom once or twice a month, but I actually go pick up mom several times a week to take her for car rides or to dinner. Is the lady lying to try to get POA? My mom isn't wealthy, so I don't understand why a caregiver would do this to begin with.
Is this caregiver provided through "senior services?" And why does she want your mother's car?
Unfortunately, over 75% of the theft and fraud that the elderly experience is done by their own families. So Social Service workers and Social Workers and other caregivers are “taught” to look for “SIGNS of ELDERLY ABUSE” even when there is no abuse or fraud. Some of the caregivers and Social Services workers take this TOO seriously and they “WITNESS” things that are not really abuse---just normal family interactions.
If your Mom's caregiver is NOT a family member, then she/he has a “conflict of interest” because she/he is trying to get control of her CLIENT’S money and car. You need to hire an Elder Care Attorney ASAP. Contact Legal Aid or a local College of Law to see if they can assist you.
Have you seen an eldercare attorney about getting mom qualified for Medicaid? How long ago was the gift of monies to you made?
Is the caregiver paid under a legally set up "caregiver contract" or do you simply 'give " her the money?
The niece may want you to pay back the money so that your mom CAN get qualified for Medicaid.
There are cases where unscrupulous people have gotten legal guardianship of elders. Has a legal guardian been appointed for your mom? That is the only way someone could get POA from you, I think.
The niece is mad because a few years ago my mom gave me $10,000 towards getting my own house and the niece wants me to pay it back (so her mom can get her hands on it I think). This gift happened before my mom got dementia). My nieces mom was never married to my brother, she was raised by my brother so her mother isn't related to my mom at all. The caregiver is nice to my mom, so I let her take care of her and pay her mom's social security and veterans assistance money.
If I were retired I would take mom to live with me, but mom is a night roamer who gets into things; I would never get enough sleep to function at work during the day. I couldn't find anywhere else to put her that would take so little money. Since she makes over 1,100 a month she doesn't qualify for Medicaid to go into a memory care center :-(