Am not sure where to start here but does anyone have any experience of how the system works practically and legally when there is no next of kin left for a dementia sufferer? Someone who I have a great fondness for and who had an enormous influence on my life is living on her own in her own home with diagnosed Alzheimers. Her husband died about a year ago but she maintains he is in hospital. Her sister in law was keeping an eye on her but she too has recently died of cancer though my friend says she is on holiday. As she has no next of kin left various people have been popping in but the situation is totally uncoordinated. She isn't feeding herself (or her cat) but often there is no food in the house that she can eat. There is a freezer full of food but she has lost the ability to know how to cook it. One of the people who visits took a solicitor with them and got her to sign over power of attorney but is being very secretive about this which makes me suspicious. Is there any system to check that everything is kosher? I live abroad and can only visit every couple of months but am in contact with someone who visits weekly. He was there yesterday but she had no bread and no milk and she can barely walk due to an infected sore on her foot. The whole situation is a bit of a mess. Like many older people she maintains she is fine and doesn't need any help. But she really does. Or do we all just have to wait for a disaster to occur? She has no emergency buzzer so if she fell she could lay there undiscovered for a week or so. I wish only the best for her but I feel very helpless. Is there anything I can do?