Mom moved in with her sister who's using her money. What can the immediate family do in this situation?

If your mom ever needs to go on Medicaid, every cent of her money will need to be accounted for over the previous 5 years. There are special circumstances for "gifts" and they have to be proven as gifts, so you may need to have a talk with her sister about accounting for every penny spent and what it was spent on in case your mom does need to go on Medicaid. That's a federal requirement and I know some who have been refused Medicaid because they couldn't account for the money spent.

Also, in some states, it is a crime to spend the assets of a senior citizen as if they are your own. You may want to check with Adult Protective Services about that in her state.

Good Luck.

Take the concrete proof that your " sister is using mom's money like her own piggy bank" to the police and have her charged with theft. Do you have such proof?

A person can revolk a POA without telling the person.
The question is...was Mom competent to make these changes. If not, then you will need a lawyer who will need to show the court she wasn't. Probably will need to get guardianship. You didn't mention if financial compensation was discussed with the Aunt. Your Mom should be paying room and board. Like said, her sister has Mom 24/7. Is mm capable of fully taking care of herself? How old is the Aunt? If after considering all this, then you should call Aunts local Office of the aging and find out how you go about having Aunt investigated.

is there a chance that your mom might need Medicaid somewhere down the line? If so, someone needs to explain to her sister what kind of paperwork she would be facing.

This is just my opinion and I have no legal training, but if you are one of your mother's heirs, I would think your aunt would have to be accountable to someone for what she is doing with Mom's ( and potentially your) money. When my mom was on Medicaid and in a facility, I had to provide receipts for everything I bought and it had to be for her personal use. I would say if your aunt buys something for herself, she would have to prove your mom approved it as a "gift" to your aunt. But, if your mom is competent and she sees nothing wrong with what your aunt is doing, as long as Mom has all she needs and is well taken care of, there's not much you can do.

Why shouldn't your mother be paying her own way? My mother came to live with us, and it was astounding the uptick in expenses 1 additional person caused!

Do you think your Mom gets to live for free? I have to take care of my mom and her big house since my dad died last Nov. I pay a live in lady to be there with her and I do all the running for all there needs. You would be surprised at how much this all cost. My mom has me on her accounts because she is to lazy to right the checks to reimburse me my cost that I spend for all this. My brother does nothing but sure a can be he will be all over me about the checks written to myself for everything I run to buy for her and to pay the live in. I work a full time job and have my own home and husband and pets to take care of. I take none of her money to compensate all my time running to do stuff. You would be very wise to be careful before accusing someone of taking advantage of your mom. You might just end up having to take on her completely if you do.

since you are POA she should not have switched everything over without your permission.  Why don't you take care of her instead and see how it's like. that little bit of money she has is nothing compared to the daily grind of 24-7 back breaking highly stressful care. Seriously--YOU take care of her full time and see how it's like. Actually if I were your sister I would not have taken them in since you have all the POAs and stuff--so your parents would become your full-time responsibility. 

If your aunt has 24/7 responsibility for your mother and is providing her with a home she is entitled to compensation. AL facilities in my area charge $3500 a month and higher for a private room. You should have discussed finances prior to this arrangement or did you expect your aunt to provide care free of charge?

Just from your description, I suspect some form of abuse including financial. Anytime someone hands off a conversation to someone else, that's a big red flag right there. I would have your mom checked for competence and see if she's capable of making those kinds of decisions. If she's competent, there may not be much you can do except to alert her bank what's going on for at least someone knows. From some of the videos I've seen on YouTube regarding elder financial abuse, banks are actually trained to spot financial abuse signs. They may ask to speak with her alone if she comes in for a large withdrawal. You may also want to secretly snap a picture of the person in question who's using your mom's money and show it to the bank manager when you tell them what's going on. They'll be able to pull up their customers records for review. Now if your mom is not competent, someone will need to gain guardianship and take over all of her matters including financial but they must be very trustworthy. Be very wary of up their customers records for review. Now, if your mom is incompetent, someone will need to gain guardianship and take over all of her matters including financial but they must be very trustworthy. Be very wary of abusive guardianship, they are terrible and they're just coming out into the open and being exposed for what they really are. There is corruption in the guardianship system, especially in public guardianship where someone happens to be a professional guardian. This is all coming out in the open since so many elders loved ones have spotted signs and so many of them don't know where to turn after being isolated from their elderly love one. Whether you're a friend or family member, you should never be separated from your loved one. If by chance your mom doesn't really need a guardian, try to avoid that route if at all possible. Someone may just have to protect her money and assets if she doesn't need a guardian but just someone to protect what's hers

Joe, can you tell us more about your Mom? Is she 65 and in good health - mental and physical or is she 95 with dementia and a variety of other issues. How far away are yo and your sibs?

Dear Joe,

I'm very sorry to hear about this situation with your mom. Family dynamics are always so hard. I'm sure your mom is grateful to her sister and family for taking her in. If you are concerned about any financial abuse, I would contact Adult Protective Services. Or work with a social worker and call a family meeting.