My family member has dementia and cannot handle money. She spends money fast and gives it away. She complained to you that she has no cash and now you call me at 5pm on a Friday and tell us you are investigating the way her money is handled? Before she came to your home more than 5 yrs. ago she was scammed out of $ 420,000.00. The person then took more.
She went through 100.00 in cash in 4 days this month alone and scammed a friend into buying her 200.00 worth of items, which she already had in her room. The staff at your nursing home should have met with our family and her doctor before creating an investigation into how her money is handled.
To whom are you addressing this post? This is a forum for family caregivers.
Perhaps you are just venting which is fine. Vent away.
I would question how and why your mom is able to spends money fast and give it away. If you are supposed to care for her financial wellbeing you are legally responsible to control how her money is spent or distributed.
Does your family member have a medical diagnosis of cognitive impairment/memory loss? If not, it's possible a staff member with not enough experience and little working knowledge of what dementia and memory loss looks like in their residence was acting on what s/he saw. Not excusing it, but this also would need a discussion with the admins.
It's none of the nursing home's business how your mother's money is handled. If their bill gets paid every month they have no business investigating anything. Talk to a lawyer about this.
I hope you also know that if you are her POA, conservator, guardian you under under NO OBLIGATION to allow the nursing home or anyone respresenting them access to her bank accounts or financial information.
Talk to whoever is her POA (I don't know if it's you). Transfer all of her money to new accounts. Do not allow her or anyone else to have access to them.
Pay her bills every month. The nursing home bill and any other bills that arise to cover her needs.
DO NOT allow the nursing home access to her funds. They will also very likely attempt at applying for conservatorship over her on the down-low behind your back. They are not even obligated to tell her family. Keep in touch with the probate court weekly to see if her name appears on their docket. This is the only way you'll even be informed that they're doing it.
Nursing homes sneak around like this because if the current POA, conservator, guardian doesn't show up they lose by default.
Stay on top of this.
You cannot be in charge of your mother's finances UNTIL and unless you are her legal financial POA or guardian.
This will not happen until your mother is judged incompetent to act in her own behalf, which is a court action, OR your mother makes papers in an attorney's office asking that you be in charge of her finances.
If you ARE the POA and guardian you must keep meticulous records of ever single cent into and out of your principle's accounts. You should consult an attorney if an investigation is now opened.
If you have been accused of financial abuse know that is a very serious offense under the law, especially where an elder is concerned. You need to get all records out that you kept now
It sounds like Lisa, as POA, is handling things. Sounds like Cousin Joanne is quite difficult, and at some point she will have to be told that she can have a spending allowance of so much, and when that is gone it is gone. Someone no longer competent to handle money due to the deficits of dementia needs protection for her own good.
Most ALF don't allow money to be around in client's rooms due to the risk, and this is a good excuse to use with explaining the new "facts of life" to your cousin.
Now you mention that someone is investigating the management of the your Aunt Joanne's money (by Lisa, her POA). You say you two don't know what to do.
Quite honestly, this isn't your problem, but if you are connected and a support to both Cousin Joanne and her daughter Lisa, you are trying to help.
Whoever is POA is LEGALLY LIABLE to keep meticulous records of money into and out of the accounts of an appointing principle (the mom). This is Lisa. If this has been done, then these records should be presented when asked for by the investigating authorities. If they are in order there will be no problem.
IF, however, no records have been kept, or they have been poorly kept, then the POA clearly has no understanding of her obligations under the law, and it would be likely that management of an incompetent (if she is) principle could be taken over by the State Courts with guardianship or conservatorship provided by the state.
I hope this helps. I hope you just sit tight with Lisa and await word of who would like to see her, when and where, and that Lisa brings her records at that time. Things will go on from there.
You will have to wait and see how the investigation goes on. Meanwhile gather all records that the POA has kept. Wishing you the best and hoping you will update us.