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My sister refuses to respond to requests for information about where she has moved mom and she won't reveal any info about mom's condition. Last time I saw her, about 5 weeks ago, she did not look good, and I found out from the caregivers that my sister's husband had stopped several of mom's medications, which they believed was causing mom's rapid decline. What are my rights and isn't sis, as conservator, required to keep the immediate family members informed. I cannot believe they were able to remove mom from her home without notifying us.

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Your profile states that you're caring for your mother at home. How did this abduction occur, and when? Were you preset?

I assume your sister was appointed by a court as conservator? Contact the judge who appointed her - you'll likely be unable to speak with him or her, but speak with the clerk and provide an update. Ask the court to consider interviewing your sister, or even schedule a hearing, to address the issue of absconding with your mother. There may even have been some court support for this - it seems to be there's more to this situation than meets the eye.

Has there been friction between you and your sister before? How long has she been conservator? And how did you learn about the sister's actions?
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Sorry, that profile hasn't been updated. Yes, lots of friction, long history; nutshell: sibling jealously - like being "mom's favorite" is my fault. Shameful typical crap we see posted all the time here -- mostly motivated by greed from the people that never bothered to help taking care of mom. Same old familiar story. I stopped providing care and moved out of mom's home 4 months ago when we hired full-time live in caregivers. Sis was awarded conservatorship in May -- even though there was evidence of neglect and abuse while she was POA, the court disregarded the info and appointed her anyway, supposedly to "spare mom from having a court appointed county" conservator. I have moved hundreds of miles away and was not permitted to object and there was great effort made to keep the court investigator from contacting me, as the information I could have provided would have immediately disqualified sis. Sis' behaviour leads us all to conclude that she is intentionally speeding up mom's demise to gain control of her sizeable assets. She has already asked permission to sell mom's home, against mom's clearly defined wishes to remain in her own home -- and she has the assets to do that. Mom's court appointed attorney has contacted the court about this a few weeks ago. I have since found out that my brother has taken mom to his home in order to keep her from control by sis, and that he and his wife are caring for mom. I got a voicemail from a police detective late Friday night about a "family matter", but won't get a callback until Monday. It was that call that got me investigating what was going on. I found out from a former caregiver (that was fired by sis when she reported they were withholding medications) where mom was moved and what was going on. However, the point of my post was to ask what my sister's obligations are to her siblings regarding keeping us informed about mom's condition and whereabouts. Obviously my brother had his own reasons for not revealing his involvement, but sis should not be able to conceal this from us.
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Thanks for the explanation. I wish I could answer your question but can only suggest what I think might be appropriate.

I would think there are 2 issues in terms of obligations:

(1) what your sister should do as a daughter and
(2) what she's required to do pursuant to the order of conservatorship, which would include abiding by any statutory requirements.

Any of us can speak to the first, which is to be courteous and keep family informed.

As to the second, I believe that would turn on 2 other factors: (1) the terms of her appointment, and (2) statutory authority of the state in which the conservatorship appointment was made.

There may be specific terms incorporated in the order of appointment. If any of your siblings have a copy, perhaps they could check it.

I don't know your state, so I'll alternately make a suggestion.

1. Google your state to see if you can find any association of conservators; it might very well be a legal organization for attorneys appointed as conservators. They might be able to address the issue of your sister's obligations.

2. Also Google your state to determine if it has an elder law advisory service. Michigan has an Elder Law of Michigan group which provides free legal service. An intake person typically asks the nature of your inquiry, then locates an appropriate attorney with expertise in that area for call back advice, either the same day or within a few days.

3. Some cities and townships have free limited legal advice on certain days, often held at senior centers. You might get some limited guidance that way, most likely referrals to someone who can provide more detailed answers.

4. Some counties have free legal advice from local law school clinics.

5. Google "statutory responsibilities, [name of your state]," That should give you some hits. It make take awhile to wade through the statutes. Sometimes you can search within the statutes if the website provides that option. That might speed things up a bit.

I do suspect you could also ask the police officer when you speak with him tomorrow - he probably knows automatically what a conservator's rights are.

This is about the best I can suggest. I wish you success in your quest and hope that above all your mother is safe and as healthy as is possible under the circumstances.
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I hope that your brother has a very good lawyer. Not kidding.
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