Financial abuse

[6demandingchildren]

My husband's nan is 97 years old she has dementia, we used to take her to the post office to collect her pension then her nephew used to take her shopping, in the past 10 years dh's father has been shopping for her and taking money directly, she used to save the odd bit of money each week and this used to add up to roughly £300 per year for her holiday, obviously she has not been on holiday for the past 10+ years, she has no money now despite not using taxis buying presents or going on holiday, who do we get to look at her finances as we are worried that she is being robbed.

Are her costs definitely comparable?

Assuming they are, I know when there’s power of attorney is the Office of the Public Guardian but if there’s no PA then I think it’s straight to the police.

Have you seen her bank account and the cash that's been withdrawn?

Do the costs look reasonable, or do you think DHs father has been taking more money out than has been spent on shopping or other costs for Nan, and 'keeping the change'?

Have any of her other costs risen? Council tax, utilities, insurance etc? Utlities have gone up quite a lot over the past 10 years, and you often hear stories of insurance companies repeatedly autorenewing and bumping the premium up to extortionate levels. If she only has a small surplus, increased costs there could use it up.

Does she get all the benefits she is entitled to? State pension, any occupational pension and possibly pension credit/attendance allowance? Is there a budget of incomings and outgoings and should there be a surplus building up if she has spare money that she's not spending? What else does she spend her money on - clothes, presents, anything like that? She hasn't been conned elsewhere has she? People coming to the door and 'fixing the roof' or similar and charging a fortune.

Or does she keep money in the house at all - if she's putting cash away in the house, could it be stashed in a drawer etc?

Costs are definitely not comparable to her living and also she spent some months in respite not requiring her pension or savings whatsoever so there must be some considerable amount in her account my fears are that he might have used some of her money for his own costs because he was in financial difficulty for nearly 2 years and managed to pay for 2 houses and a caravan site with just one wage, one of his houses was left empty for over 18 months with a sizable mortgage to pay

She does not keep money in the house, she only takes from her pension what she would need like to have her hair done £7 every month and her chiropodist £25 every 2 months, as she no longer goes out to her social clubs or bingo and she no longer goes on holiday let alone gets any of her many great grandchildren a card let alone the £5 she used to put in it, and no more lunches or dinners out. It just does not seem to add up.
Would social services look into this? Our would we have to take our suspicions to another authority and if so whom?

I would probably try contacting the charity

www.elderabuse.org.uk/

No experience of their services, just what came up with googling.

You can raise your concerns with Adult Social Work. They will be able to look into things. I hope you get to the bottom off it

Thank you as she obviously needs every penny and you know how the elderly like to have a bit put aside, but knowing she has nothing is alarming.