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Tina2010 Asked September 2019

Mother in law keeps changing address- How to stop!?

My mother and father in law are both in an Assisted Living Facility. My husband has both Medical and Durable POA. My MIL has Alzheimer's and FIL has FTD. No other sibilings. In laws were just moved to the AL facility last October. It has been a CONSTANT struggle to keep the mailing address of their investments and what few bills they have to our address. MIL keeps changing the addresses from our address to theirs, there at the facility. Is there anyway to stop this once and for all?


Also second question, is there any way to stop MIL from changing passwords to accounts (that are in her name)? Everytime we change them she goes back in and changes it again. It is exhausting and we cannot monitor their expenses. She forgets her passwords even though she writes it down. She forgets she writes it down, then resets the passwords. It is a vicious cycle.


Any suggestions.

NeedHelpWithMom Sep 2019
Prepaid card is smart! That would certainly regulate spending.

pamzimmrrt Sep 2019
You say they both have some sort of dementia.. can you get onto their online accounts and change the passwords yourself? Or the log in name? To something they don't know? So they can't log in and change it again? If I had sent the POA in, and they were refusing to honor it I would want to know why. Moms pharmacy mail company did this to me a few times ( put mom on the phone) but we got it figured out . Sometimes a firm " you have it on file" does the trick
NeedHelpWithMom Sep 2019
Yeah. there has to be some sort of way to regulate it. It’s a nightmare the way it stands. Mom can’t have free reign and order things over and over due to forgetting. It’s a shame. No one wants to control parents but sometimes it’s necessary.

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Isthisrealyreal Sep 2019
I think that talking to management of the brokerage account and putting the proper documentation in place that she can not make changes would be how I would address it. A letter from doctors and attorneys, their forms, just what ever it takes to get them to stop letting her make changes.

Can they send her a paper statement and you an electronic one?

I think that I would speak with a manager on a conference call with the attorney and let them know that their actions are putting her at financial risk. Consult with the attorney about verbiage to use that gets their attention. It's not like you are doing this without POAs in place. I would also contact the banking commission and SEC to find out if they can help you protect them.

There has to be a way. I am sure this is not the 1st time this has come up.

I always worry when an individual has the presence of mind to do those things how far do you take control. I know it is a fine line and it's already a pain to be running 2 more lives.

Let us know how it works out and how you got the brokerage company to step up and protect them.

I would take her credit card away and do a prepaid card so she doesn't have access to money to keep ordering unneeded items. Do an allowance and find out how to return extras. Amazon is usually really great about returns and now you can take items to local drop off locations, it is a hassle but easier than packing items up and shipping them. Unfortunately taking care of elderly parents is a big job.

Tina2010 Sep 2019
Isthisreallyreal.... to your response her having access to a computer in the room IS a nightmare for us. And if she were to look at it logically..... her too. In addition to this frustration I've asked about BECAUSE of her access she spends hundreds and hundreds per month by ordering on line. Amazon and Walmart no less. She says it is her money and she'll do what she wants with it. Even though what happens because of the Alzheimer's she forgets what she orders and orders it again and again....

To others yes she and dad spoke directly to the eldercare attorney about my husband handling finances. But how soon mom and dad forget that conversation. Fortunately the attorney has it documented and witnessed.

We tried to go paperless and when she didn't get a statement she called the various institutions to find they had been changed and she changed it back to theirs. We've done that several times. Just tired. Most of the ones we've dealt with want them on the phone with us.

We've not tried parental blocks. We will try that! We do have list of the passwords but they change almost daily. I'm not joking.

She only uses the computer to shop and check on assets. No social networking. She really doesn't "need" one but the idea of taking it away...I get it she feels like it's one more thing that's being taken away. So we don't want to do that. If we could just get her to understand that WE'VE GOT IT. To let it go. To enjoy the activities at the community. It is a fantastic community. It's a CCRC. They do so much plus we are there for them. We want them to understand that we're going to take care of them - fully. It's our time. That we're going to do our best to see that their assets are protected. And that they receive the best possible care medicine can provide for the rest of their lives. But she doesn't understand any of that. The disease has left her angry and mean and unpleasant to be around. Which makes us frustrated and sad.
NeedHelpWithMom Sep 2019
That has to be so frustrating for you. Sorry that you have to deal with these issues on a daily basis. Ordering online or on the phone constantly would be terrible. What a pain! Changed passwords must be a pain also.
Geaton777 Sep 2019
I agree with others who suggest going as paperless as possible; setting up credit alert; diverting all their snail mail to your home; taking names off of mailing lists as much as possible; parental controls on computers; admin access to their email accts to see their activity and prevent fraud...whew! feels like a lot of work but eventually it will get under more control!

worriedinCali Sep 2019
You might not get anywhere with the financial institutions and her personal accounts because they may not accept your POA AND....the accounts are in her name.
Geaton777 Sep 2019
True. I'm my mom's DPoA and TDAmeriTrade insists she is always present on the phone calls with me to verify any changes or transactions even though I've sent them the PoA paperwork. It's a pain but I understand why they do it. Not sure how to get them to do otherwise...
DeeAnna Sep 2019
Many ALs and nursing homes have computer rooms where the residents can use computers whenever they want. Access to a computer provides social interaction for residents by allowing them to Skype with family members or use Facebook, etc. Also, computers allow the residents to watch a movie or TV show via streaming or other apps. So taking MIL's computer from her room or putting parental controls on MIL’s personal computer will not solve the problem.

If MIL is using the facility's computer(s) to make the address changes and password changes, your husband needs to talk to the Director of Nursing and/or the Social Services Director about the problems that you are having with your MIL changing passwords and mailing addresses. You will not be able to use parental controls on the facility’s computers since they are for ALL residents to use.  If the computers are in a room, I doubt that the facility staff will allow the computer room to be locked when not in use, as that could be considered a violation of the residents' rights. 

Your husband, as DPOA, might have to talk to the financial companies about his parents’ situation and see if the financial companies can limit his parents' access to their accounts. (It depends on what the Durable Power of Attorney document list as the responsibilities of the DPOA.)

I agree with Sendhelp that your husband needs to make sure that his Mom and Dad agree to allow him to act as DPOA and if his Mom does not, then your husband will have to prove that his Mom is incompetent in order to handle their finances.  Your husband might have to petition for guardianship or conservatorship of his parents if his Mom is incompetent, and she still wants to have control of the finances.

Isthisrealyreal Sep 2019
Is it possible to go paperless and have the statements emailed to both of you?

I would speak with the financial institutions and find out how they recommend stopping this push and pull. Most can set up alerts on accounts that prompt contact to you for any requests to change anything.
NeedHelpWithMom Sep 2019
Great suggestion but do you think she would request that she receive paper statements again?
Sendhelp Sep 2019
You are right to be concerned.
Because this is exactly what an identity thief would do to a vulnerable adult.

Can you find an ID Alert company and sign them both up using your address?

Can you obtain Mil' s login passwords to her computer so you can see what she sees?

Can you install child blocks on her computer so she cannot access her accounts?

Are you sure she agrees to the POA being activated and you taking over finances?

Just some ideas.
Sendhelp Sep 2019
Jim999 said it correctly, parental controls.
That is what I meant when I said child blocks.
jkm999 Sep 2019
Use parental controls on the computer to block the websites she keeps visiting to change the passwords. She won't be able to get to them and then when she complains to you just say that you don't know what's wrong but it still works on your home computer so it's not a problem.

For the mail how does she change the address? By computer or hard copy notification. If by computer the fix above should work. If she sends a global change of address you should get a notice from the post office asking you to confirm change and you can just report it as an error. If she sends a change of address with the bill payment you should take over bill paying and don't let her get her hands on the paper copies.

I can imagine you frustration at this.

JoAnn29 Sep 2019
Does she need a computer and phone in the AL? If not, take them away.
Isthisrealyreal Sep 2019
What? You can't just isolate someone because they are causing you frustration. Taking phones and computers from someone that still has the ability to utilize them is crossing lines.

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