vulnerable old lady wwyd

[MrsBucketxx]

my dh rents a room in a home (bed and breakfast) with an old lady, who is increasingly worrying me,

D (old lady) is old and deaf, she cant use things like the phone etc cause she cant hear who is on the othe end, and asks dh for help around the home doing bits of maintenance, which he does.

yesterday she had problems with her phone after dh checked her bill he realised the name was wrong with loads in arrears, bt wont speak to dh and only D and there was a final demand saying they where going to cut her off.

i feel that soneone might be defrauding her and because of the way D is might not understand how serious the situation is,

i want to contact her family but dont know how without digging around this ladys home or phone ss which could result in her losing her home which i knew she fought hard to keep after the death of her husband.

i feel sick about it wwyd.

[ladymariner]

How terribly sad.

I think you have to have a dig around, not nice I know, and try and find her family's details to let them know what is going on. The alternative is, as you say, for her to sink deeper and deeper and eventually end up losing her home. The poor lady....

[diddl]

Sorry, I don´t get what you mean by the name is wrong-it´s not her bill?

I´m sure that they won´t discuss specifics, but in general terms I would have thought.

She certainly needs help if it isn´t her bill & she hasn´t realised or if the amount of usage is wrong.

(My Dad makes a list of who he phones & how long for & checks it against the itemised bill)

If she can´t use the phone-why have it?

[MagiMingeWassailsAgain]

Age UK may be able to help her sort out the finances

Or you can ring SS and refer her as a vulnerable adult, it doesn't mean she would lose her home? If someone is financially abusing her she needs help.

[msrisotto]

You could contact social services safeguarding team, they're there for vulnerable adults.

[fluffygal]

Yep I am on placement at an over 65s care management team, definitely report to SS they will investigate.

[MrsBucketxx]

diddle. she needs is for the customers calling to rent rooms and wi fi.

she can barely hear anything :( he is only there for another week so need to act quickly.

[MrsBucketxx]

the bill is addressed to the house but is for another name.

[diddl]

Of course, I had forgotten that she runs a B&B!

That´s really odd.

I would have thought if it´s not in her name then she´s not liable.

But then I´m also thinking that the telephone number on the bill is her number?

CAB & Age Concern?

[MrsBucketxx]

yes all matches except the name.

[SorryMyLollipop]

Where are you? There should be a local deaf club/association who can advise. I know lots of deaf people who need a hearing person to make phone calls on their behalf but companies are not really set up for this, it can be done though. Speak to customer services and ask what their policy is for providing access for deaf customers. Also, she may already have a social worker, many deaf people do. And there are ss teams for the deaf who will be able to help to. Try the RNID website

[Apocalypto]

I'd get in there and nick all the money now.

Someone else is bound to anyway so it might as well be me.

how is this your problem exactly??

[FellatioNelson]

To be honest she sounds as though she should not be running a B&B at this stage. Your husband is obviously a decent kind man but she is leaving herself wide open to be taken advantage of, stolen from and possibly attacked if she is as vulnerable as you say.

[KissMeCakes]

As others have suggested - you really do need to raise this with her local Social Services Team. They have a duty to investigate and can assess her needs and ensure that she is safe.

[helpyourself]

apocalypto
You're joking, I guess, but whether it's the OP's problem or not is irrelevant surely.

[MrsBucketxx]

i hope so too. going to contact ss. the deafness is down to old age apparently she is very independent, or she likes to think.

she isn't local to me either, i don't even know the woman but id hate it to be my mom,

[KissMeCakes]

You're doing the right thing MrsB. If you report it, it can be anonymous if you don't want to say who you are. It sounds like she is financially vulnerable and at risk - SS need to be aware so they can ensure she is safe.