Adult Safeguarding investigating me

[Embly8]

Hello everyone,
My mum has Alzheimer’s and chose to live in a care home last year which she loves and left me as her LPA to manage her finances. I have medical conditions meaning I can’t work and live in her house, in the last year lots of repairs have been needed to the house so I would get verbal permission from my mum and speak to her financial advisors who would approve withdrawals from my mum’s savings as they were repairs on her house.

I’ve now discovered that the social worker who was assessing mum for DoLs after the care home requested it, is now in touch with mum’s financial advisers and seems to be investigating me for defrauding my mum.

The financial advisors won’t speak to me, the care home aren’t able to tell me anything as they’re rightly just looking after mum and I don’t know if the social worker who is part of the adult safeguarding team would tell me what’s happening?

My mum has been so distressed and upset by it all showed me an email she’d been given from the financial advisors to the social worker detailing everything I’d taken from my mum’s savings but not saying what it was for (half was for the care home fees).

Does anyone know if the social worker would be allowed to talk to me? And if they or anyone will ask me for my input? At the moment, I just know I’m accused of something serious and hideous from what my mum has said but no one will talk to me or tell me why it’s happening.

Thank you

 

[Sarasa]

Welcome to Dementia Support Forum @Embly8, I'm sorry such a distressing situation brought you here.
I think it might be a good idea to call the Support Line tomorrow and talk through what to do next with them.

Dementia Support Line

If you need dementia support, we’re here for you. Get personalised information, support and advice by calling us on 0333 150 3456.

www.alzheimers.org.uk

This is a very friendly and supportive place and I'm sure others will be along soon with their suggestions and advice.

 

[SAP]

Are you paying rent whilst you live in your mums house? Also do you have receipts of all the work you have had done?
I think that until someone contacts you directly you won’t actually know what this is about . If there is an investigation, then someone will talk with you be that social service of the OPG. They might not be investigating you at all just gathering information and possible carrying out a financial assessment as all you have seen is an email to your mum about her finances. Just to note that if they are applying for DoLS then your mum is no longer considered to have capacity to make decisions for her own wellbeing.

 

[Violet Jane]

As you have an LPA for property and financial affairs I'm puzzled about why your mother's financial advisers have to approve routine spending on your mother's behalf. That seems to go beyond the role of a financial adviser. It's rather odd that the financial advisers who approved the sums for repairs are now refusing to speak to you.

I would put together a schedule of expenses and gather the invoices and receipts supporting the expenditure.

 

[Embly8]

As you have an LPA for property and financial affairs I'm puzzled about why your mother's financial advisers have to approve routine spending on your mother's behalf. That seems to go beyond the role of a financial adviser. It's rather odd that the financial advisers who approved the sums for repairs are now refusing to speak to you.

I would put together a schedule of expenses and gather the invoices and receipts supporting the expenditure.

Thank you, the whole thing is odd, particularly as the advisors have a copy of every receipt and I would always get a quote and run it past them first. I’m going to put together a timeline with everything in case I’m asked.

 

[Embly8]

Are you paying rent whilst you live in your mums house? Also do you have receipts of all the work you have had done?
I think that until someone contacts you directly you won’t actually know what this is about . If there is an investigation, then someone will talk with you be that social service of the OPG. They might not be investigating you at all just gathering information and possible carrying out a financial assessment as all you have seen is an email to your mum about her finances. Just to note that if they are applying for DoLS then your mum is no longer considered to have capacity to make decisions for her own wellbeing.

Thank you for this. The home told me mum was rejected from the DoLs application as she has enough capacity. It’s confusing as the home said they would apply as before she went there, I’d had neighbours finding her lost and confused on nearby streets, so I’ve always told the home that if she wants to go out, a member of staff need to go with her to keep her safe.

I don’t pay rent at my mum’s house and there’s never been any written agreement about my living here, we just took verbal advice from the financial advisors. The email my mum showed me has written statements from the financial advisors saying various accusatory things about me.

 

[Kevinl]

As far as I understand it as the holder of any power of attorney isn't allowed to benefit from their position (UK England) so living rent free could and I say this advisable be seen as benefitting.
If you are paying for work to be done to repair the property equal to a reasonable rental figure along with all the utility charges gas, electricity or whatever then something seems odd.
If the home can't get a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding then unless sectioned she's free to go anytime she wants.
Just based on my experience I have no issue with the social workers for mum and wife, maybe I was lucky, but I found them a blessing, maybe time or location matters. K