To need immediate help.

[RobinEllacotStrike]

I’m at the bank with my elderly neighbour.
bank says she’s been declared mentally unfit and won’t let her get money out.

she wants £140 FFS.

this feels inhumane. Also her family know me & knows she comes to me. So why didn’t they tell me?

I’m uncomfortable about this too. Especially as OP has another thread a while back when she was trying to find her neighbours financial details, including searching for bank statements etc. in her neighbours house.

If you feel that those who have been given Power of Attorney or Deputyship are not acting in your neighbour's best interests you can object.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/looking-after-people/managing-affairs-for-someone-else/#:~:text=What%20can%20you%20do%20if,to%20involve%20social%20services%20too.

I believe i read that thread aswell.
Something dodgy about it all starting with op.

There's no way you can determine that from the information given. And this isn't an assessment that would normally be made by her GP, the assessment of capacity is undertaken by a social care or psychiatric professional.

It’s quite a process to get this in place with a criteria to met so it’s been done with good reason
please please please don’t be telling her it wrong it will just confuse her more

you clearly don’t know all the details

Clearly the family do not want you to know

Well that's not clear at all. The family may not have factored in OP's involvement in the slightest.

There's not enough information here for us to be clear about anything.

It's always weird when someone posts asking for 'immediate help' but doesn't return to the thread.

Well, the GP determined my mum‘s capacity. And I just went on the government‘s website and it says exactly that GP.

What, exactly your mum's GP?

Or could you lose the "GP" at the end of your post?

To make it clearer for you the government website says the GP is the person who can ascertain whether someone has capacity to make such decisions. In my case, it was my mother‘s GP, but obviously in someone else’s case it would be their own GP.

Oh dear ...

Why are you with your elderly neighbour, who is lacking mental capacity, trying to facilitate her withdrawing £140 cash over the counter, when you have no power of attorney or any other stake in her affairs?

She has family.

So are you just randomly accompanying said elderly mentally vulnerable neighbour to the bank as a kind of “social activity”? Do you not have any friends to hang out with? I cannot think of a single legit reason you’d be doing this.

and it says exactly that: "GP".

Happy now?

Much better. Thank you.

I'm confused as to what immediate help you're after?

Assistance to work out how to inappropriately “assist” an elderly, confused non-family member to “acquire” them £140 for dubious reasons unknown.

Dealers don’t have time to burn. 🤨

Sorry everyone it all went a bit busy.

I do not think she is mentally unfit but perhaps she is. She lives alone with support from carers.

she is vulnerable as she is elderly but she is also very fit & physically well. Mentally she has some dementia but still she is mostly sharp & switched on. Her current account is growing as she spends very little.

as for those asking why she needs £140? Seriously? They have taken her card away and then saying she can’t have a bit of cash? She likes to walk to local shops. & buy herself bits. Occasionally her careers take her to supermarket. Why on earth shouldn’t she have a few quid to spend?

the bank know her. I’ve been in with her a few times. I’m probably the closest person to her & she always brings me her post etc. comes to us at Christmas etc.

I was shocked that they were saying they couldn’t give her any of her own money. Eventually they let her withdraw some cash - it’s the same amount she withdraws every month.

then I took her for coffee & cake & she had a wonderful time.

the main problem is we both speak different languages.

Oh please. Get a life.

Her “family” are very arms length, in-laws, not very interested & hours away.

yes I’ve been helping my widowed neighbour, who doesn’t speak English & who basically has no family support of her own, helping her out for years so one day I can get my hands on £140.

I guess half the people on this thread would just tell her to fuck off if she knocked on your door asking for help.

@RobinEllacotStrike

Who is the 'they' who controls her money? Is it family?

I think you may need to step back from this relationship. It sounds like you have been a good neighbour to her, but there are now things happening 'behind the scenes' that are going to continue to cause issues.

It's quite possible that her family are happy for you to provide her with companionship but actually view you suspiciously in some ways and so want to limit your contact with her - this does happen.

Make sure you don't lend her money or buy things for her as it would be difficult to get paid back.

I wouldn't tell her to fuck off, but I would expect the bank to be very wary of me taking her to get a pretty large amount of cash out.

If she's been declared unfit, then it's to protect her from scams/exploitation.

I did help her out a lot when her DH died but I’ve had to step back.

I don’t have any financial involvement with her other than taking her to a cafe occasionally. I used to take her to the supermarket but she had carers now.

I didn’t know they had taken her card. She is furious and has always thought her DH’s kids were taking money. I don’t know.

I was genuinely shocked yesterday that she could be kept without any access to her money. I understand safeguarding very well. She is is a very difficult position. I don’t think there is POA in place but possibly. If so someone should still make sure she has access to some money.

apart from going out for cake or visit her husbands grave with me, she only goes out to walk to shops and buy chocolate. She’s nearly 90. She should be able to do this.

Sorry @Womblingmerrily
family is her dead husband’s family.
she never had kids & all her family live in her home country.

she would love to visit her siblings in Europe (& could afford to do so) but no one will take her.

The family & I are in contact & they have relied on my helping out a lot over the years.

bizarre they didn’t tell me. Bizarre they think she doest need any money. She’s never been frivolous at all.

she doesn’t like them much.

Thanks for clarifying.