Safeguarding and ARBD

[Merlin19]

Can someone please advise me. My father was diagnosed with ARBD approximately 5 years ago. In the last 2 years one of my sisters has been granted LPA and has put him in a care home - which he does need. However she has been living in the house that I partly own with my Father and using his money to pay the bills and for her own food. He will not be coming out of the care home so the house is ‘vacant’. In addition, large sums of mo eh have been moved from his bank account and into hers under the premise ‘he has too much money to get free care’. My other brothers and sisters are all against this and are exceptionally worried about his well being and estate. We want him to stay in the care home as he has absolutely no capacity to care for himself and has lost a significant part of his memory. But our sister has isolated him and we no longer have contact with our father.
We really don’t know what to do!

 

[Izzy]

Welcome to the forum @Merlin19.

I'm sorry to hear about the situation you find yourself in. I'm thinking it might be wise for you to take legal advice. You might also want to talk to someone at the Dementia Connect Support Line -

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

 

[Shedrech]

hello @Merlin19
a warm welcome to DTP

what a concern for you all ... the good part is that your dad is safely in a care home so receiving the care he needs

I guess there may be some family tensions which have resulted in her taking on the role of Attorney

I am assuming that your sister is the only Attorney ... maybe she needs to be reminded that an Attorney must act only in the best financial interests of the donor ie her father and must not benefit financially from being an Attorney

so, if she is living in a property the donor (partly) owns, she should be paying all the utiliity bills, full council tax, paying for her own food and expenses etc AND be paying rent at full market rate to her father and sister ie you, as owners of the property ... there should be a proper contract in place ... the property is not vacant while she is there, so I hope the Council know of her residence ... if the property is partly yours, did you give her permission to live there, or was she already there and living with your father (if she was and is over 60 then the property may have been disregarded in any financial assessment by the Local Authority) ... are you considering selling it?

it is wholly inappropriate for her to move any monies into an account in her name ... she is deliberately depriving your father of assets and the Local Authority will certainly take a dim view of this, expect it to be paid back or for HER to pay his care fees ... an Attorney can't simply hide monies and expect the Local Authority to pay care fees

I think your family will have to have a serious discussion with your sister for you all to get a clear view of the situation .... she has no right to isolate you from your father, though contact is very difficult given current restrictions

this may help you with paying for care

Paying for dementia care in England

Dementia care isn't free, and you may need to pay for some of the care you or someone you know needs. We help you understand the different ways to pay for care, and the amount you might be expected to pay.

www.alzheimers.org.uk

and you may want to ask the OPG for their thoughts on all this ... I suggest you keep an enquiry general and anonymous rather than jump in with any specific accusations ... if you call there may be a long wait in queue but I found it worth the wait to talk with someone and be able to ask questions immediately rather than send another email ... but an email will be evidence in print for your sister to reconsider what she is doing

Make, register or end a lasting power of attorney

How to make a lasting power of attorney (LPA): starting an application online, choosing an attorney, certifying a copy, changing an LPA.

www.gov.uk