If The Stroke Doesn't Kill You, Your Family Might
There is an epidemic in the United State that is unknown to most of us, and is silently growing, costing our senior citizens 36.5 billion dollars per year, 6.7 billion to trusted family members and caregivers.
The Abuse of Muggie
In February, 2015, our 85-year-old mother suffered two strokes which affected her short-term memory and cognition.
Over the last year two of Muggie's daughters, one son, niece, and granddaughter have not only faced the challenge of helping her recover, but have had to exhaustively protect her from Financial Elder Abuse, and other actions on the part of several of our other siblings that have jeopardized her health.
Because of her cognitive challenges, she has been the victim of Undue Influence and neglect, but every attempt we have made to help protect her has been dismissed by Adult Protective Services and her bank representatives.
In April, 2015, three of my sisters attempted to sneak our mother to a law office to modify her trust. We learned of the meeting at the last minute and attended, and explained that our mother had suffered two strokes. Our sisters had no intention of disclosing our mother's cognitive challenges to the lawyer, who refused to change the trust and advised against making any future changes.
In July, 2015, on a day when the outside temperature was an unhealthy 98 degrees, one sister and her husband picked our mother up on the pretext of a Sunday drive, only to have her sign hand-written revocations and re-assignment of her designations.
In October, 2015, by signing and initialing a 38-page legal document that she neither understands nor remembers signing, our mother unknowingly turned over her modest estate to one of these sisters. To this day, our mother always names our cousin, whom she chose in 2001 when our parents wrote their trust, as her Power of Attorney, yet she has been coerced into signing many documents over the course of the year that allegedly override this.
In October, she also turned over her bank accounts, even though on the very day she signed the bank documents, she only remembered signing 6 pieces of paper, the impact of which she did not understand.
Each time she discusses these documents, she is confused about the contents and denies ever seeing the documents or signing them.
Instead of providing a positive environment, encouraging her to do her therapies that are vital to her recovery, eat properly and heal, these three sisters and one brother have spent their time with her bad-mouthing her niece, two daughters and son, bad-mouthing the professional caregivers, expressing inexplicable concern for the cost of these necessary professionals.
These sisters relentlessly attempt to instill mistrust of our mother's primary care physician, an internist, telling Mom that the doctor's sole purpose is to "certify her insane". They misinform her cardiologist and neurologists, reporting false information about her immobility and cognitive issues, making it nearly impossible for her to get proper medical treatment.
They have been denying her a healthy diet in favor of fast food, Oreos and ice cream. Her systolic BP was reaching the 180s and higher, yet in July our sisters intercepted and disposed of her blood pressure medication, against the advice of her cardiologist. These sisters allow our mother to sit in the same chair for hours during the day, making it difficult for her to walk and increasing her risk of another stroke, blood clot, bed sore, PAD.
In June, 2015, our mother developed a blood clot in her leg, requiring hospitalization and in-patient rehabilitation, causing a huge setback for her. We believe that had these sisters joined the rest of us in encouraging her physical therapy regimen, she would not have developed the clot.
One would think that this would be an open and shut case of Elder Abuse and that there are governmental and legal provisions in place to protect her.
We have contacted Adult Protective Services twice. The first report resulted in a letter stating that our mother was in need of protection. Adult Protective Services did nothing more. The second report to APS has yet to be acknowledged.
Left with no alternatives, in order to override this bogus trust and restore the original, per our parents' wishes, we have filed a petition for guardianship with Fairfax County court. Our attorney has estimated that the cost of this can range from $10,000 to $50,000.
We have spent hours upon hours researching the cause, effects and treatment of strokes, blood clots, parkinsonism, hypertension, hyperglycemia, dehydration, Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), Vascular Dementia.
We have also researched the Financial Elder Abuse and Undue Influence of the elderly, and have come to realize that it is an epidemic that is under-reported, mishandled by authorities and is growing.
We have developed a website, http://teammuggie.org to bring awareness to this world-wide plague.
Please take some time to visit our website.
We greatly appreciate any support.
Please share this website with friends, family and colleagues.
Thanks,
Team Muggie
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