Dementia - Trying to sort out finance

K

kkilkenny

Registered User
Messages
16
I was not in contact with my father for about 10 years, live in a different county, until a year ago when got a phone call saying his short term memory was going a bit and he was withdrawing all his money before it was going to the supported accomodation where he was staying. I was asked to bring him into bank and go joint on his account and to make it 2 signatures so he couldnt withdraw on his own. I agreed to this.

At christmas he has has a series of mini strokes and looks like he has full blown dementia now. We have applied for fair deal scheme and have just been approved for funding. I have found him a nursing home near where I live as previously he was a 2 hr drive away. The staff in the supported accomodation basically are saying he doesnt have mental capacity to know where he is or what he is doing.

Obviously I feel like Ive slightly been dragged in to all this as the supported accomodation have put my name down everywhere as the person who is dealing with financial and taking him to hospital appointments.

He no longer leaves the place to go to the bank. I am concerned he will no longer be able to sign his name soon and is being moved to nursing home within the next 10 days. So basically Im at the stage where I think I should be arranging some sort of attorney or something so I can sign for anything on his bank account ie standing order for nursing home and the other extra costs involved ie laundry, chiropodist etc. Also his uk pension will not deal with me as ive not got power of attorney.

He lived in a hostel for the 10 years I hadnt spoken to him as he split with my mother (now passed away). I have a sister who is not really able to contribute any time/help as she has other things going on. He has no assets or savings or anything of any value at all. He has a uk widowers pension and irish pension, both add up to 220 a week i think, 199 of this will be going towards nursing home. He has accrued about 2000 in his account since Ive been on the account, I was hoping this could be saved for any funeral expenses etc.

Looking for legal advice on the easiest way to arrange it so i can deal with his bank account and pensions, theres nothing else there financially so im hoping it might be straight forward. If i could get this sorted out it would ease any worry i have.
 
That is a very difficult situation.

When families are close, it is just a no-brainer that the offspring ( or rather some (rather than all) of the offspring) take on the not insignificant burden of dealing with their parents/family. There is an expression that each person chooses to take on the level of responsibility that they feel comfortable with - for some people that is everything and for others its enough to make the occasional, casual enquiry.

It is, of course, possible to simply refuse to have anything, at all, to do with your father. I'm not sure that anyone can, legally, compel you to take any interest at all. It is a fairly ghastly reminder of how badly we all need support from family and/or friends when it all hits the fan. I suspect , were you to do that, that your father would be moved to a hospital bed with responsiblity, ultimately, ending with the HSE.

If you are accepting responsibility then, unless the UK pension people change their minds and will deal with you, your only course of action now is to have him made a Ward of Court with you as the appointed Committee i.e. you have authority to deal with matters on his behalf under the watchful eye of the High Court.

As your father is not compos mentis, it is not possible for him to appoint you his Attorney.

mf
 
He is my dad and I do want to make sure he is looked after regardless of the fact I was not in touch with him. He is delighted to be in touch with me and trusts me with everything. I suppose its just a shock as I was not expecting such large responsibility so quickly.

Im also not in a position to be a carer for him personally as I have two young children, and am slightly concerned that I might end up in this position if I take on all of his affairs. However I feel that both myself and my dad would prefer me rather than a stranger dealing with his finances and welfare decisions. I could be wrong though, maybe he would be well taken care off if I stood back and let hse deal with it. I dont have enough experience with situations like this to know.

I have read a small amount about ward of court. Would anyone know about the charges involved with this process. He only has 2000 euro and a combined uk and irish pension of 220 per week, no house, assets nothing else. He has never had any thing else.

Basically what needs to happen is the 2000 put somewhere for any future expenses or clothes maybe, then the 199 euro to the nursing home and that would leave about 30 euro per week for cigarettes. As far as i can see it said something about ward of court costs yearly of €750:eek: I dont want to put him out of any money as the little he has he will need. Are there cheaper options or do we have to just pay this money just so I can deal with 2 or 3 very simple tasks. He would still say at the moment that he wants me to deal with everything, however I would be concerned that a solicitor may not accept this.
 
Dont worry about the lump sum, the HSE won't touch that. He is allowed a much larger amount.
You should talk to Paricia McEvoy, co-ordinator of Services for Older People. I am assuming you are in Kilkenny.
Patricia will not mislead you she is most helpful. She is used to dealing with these issues every day and will tell you approx. the legal costs.
Also the Alzheimsers Assoc. in Waterford Road, Kilkenny are used to dealing with these issues. Do trust the staff they are on your side. Good luck Browtal
 
I cant really help but the Alzheimers Assoc is excellent and you should give them a call.
My mother also has Alzheimers - we have control over everything - but informally at the moment anyway.
We have access to her bank accounts online, statements come to us, her carers deal with us, we pay her bills, her pension gets paid directly into her bank etc
We found that everybody we dealt with was very helpful from the bank to the HSE.

I suppose the time might come when we may have to formalise her affairs but this is working for us. Her affairs were also more complicated than your Dads as she has 2 personal pensions, and a widows pension.

Would the UK pension people deal with you if you Dad signed a letter stating that he is authorising you to speak to them on his behalf?
 
many thanks i will contact these people. if we can just set it up a way he has his nursing home paid and access to money for toiletries/cigarettes that would be a big load off my mind. already the nursing home is invoicing me for the month of march so ive to try get dad to sign to take out this as i just couldnt afford to bear the costs.
 
kkilkenny,
please email me privately and I may be able to help. I am in kilkenny city and I work in this area.
you can get my details if you look at my profile Browtal
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top