Legal advice for widow with dementia

[RobinEllacotStrike]

(NC as potentially outing)

I need some help/advice for my neighbour who is recently widowed.

She has mild(?) dementia and is elderly. She has lived in UK for decades but really only speaks her original language (very little English).

She ownes her home (with deceased husband) and she would like to sell her house and move back to her original country to live with her siblings. If she can do this she will be adequately provided for for the rest of her life & be with her extended family.

She has had zero involvement in finances etc as her DH did everything. Now she doesn't even know about bank accounts, bills etc.

There is no POA in place.

She has no family in UK apart from her grown step children have very little involvement & have not visited since her DH died (nothing on her birthday or Xmas etc). They occassionally come and remove items from the home which upsets her.

Her DH changed his will in the hospital, but she has not got a copy of the new will - her DH's children do. In the earlier wills she and DH left everything to each other but she doesn't know now.

She doesn't know what her income is, what bank accounts there are etc. There are likely to be investments etc. We think relevant paperwork has all been removed.

She needs some legal advice & support but this is complicated by the language issue

She can sell up, move back to her home country, live with her siblings & be surrounded by people who she can talk with; or
She can live out her days in UK, isolated and alone, speaking with no one.

She has carers popping in to do meds/food etc but is pretty strong and healthy otherwise.

She doesn't know who to turn to for advice and support or how to get hold of basic financial information about her finances etc.

I'm trying to support her, but would ideally like her to have some professional support and advice. ATM we can't even establish if she could afford to pay a lawyer to advocate for her.

where to start?

[RobinEllacotStrike]

I've contacted Age Concern who directed me to "Dementia and Me" but I haven't talked with anyone there yet.

[HappyHamsters]

Is there an advocacy service in her language who could see her or a group/place of worship. Whereabouts in the country does she live and what languages does she speak.

[NotSuchASmugMarriedAnymore]

A good place to start is adult social services and Age UK.

[HappyHamsters]

Social services may help, she should see if she has any paperwork about banks, mortgage, utility bills.

[RobinEllacotStrike]

she is in SE.
She has lived very isolated life with her DH - no social groups, church or anything.

I didn't know about advocacy services - I will look into that thank you.

[RobinEllacotStrike]

@HappyHamsters

Social services may help, she should see if she has any paperwork about banks, mortgage, utility bills.

she can't find any of this paperwork - I think it has been removed

[NotSuchASmugMarriedAnymore]

Who could remove the paperwork? Some of those are bills that come monthly so they should be there

[HappyHamsters]

Can you narrow SE down a bit, what language. Who arranged the funeral. Does she not have utility bills or council tax info.

[RobinEllacotStrike]

@HappyHamsters

Can you narrow SE down a bit, what language. Who arranged the funeral. Does she not have utility bills or council tax info.

I PM'd you x

[RobinEllacotStrike]

DH children arranged the funeral.
She has a council tax bill but I don't think utility bills. - maybe on DD still?
Her GSH is on 24/7 and I fear will be costing her a fortune

[RobinEllacotStrike]

@NotSuchASmugMarriedAnymore

Who could remove the paperwork? Some of those are bills that come monthly so they should be there

I think it was all set up via email and DD so no she doesn't seem to be getting monthly bills

[NotSuchASmugMarriedAnymore]

How does she shop for food?

[RobinEllacotStrike]

@HappyHamsters

Social services may help, she should see if she has any paperwork about banks, mortgage, utility bills.

I have some time cleared this weekend to help her go through everything again, but she shows me everything. Can't find bank statements etc.

[RobinEllacotStrike]

@NotSuchASmugMarriedAnymore

How does she shop for food?

She had carers 3 times a day.

The other day she walked to local shops for food which I thought was strange.

Now I find out the carers have been cancelled so I don't know what is happening now.

I have always been happy to take her shopping with me before the carers were arranged.
The family have my number and know she comes to me/I support her but they didn't let me know about canceling the carers and what is in place now.

[ThePoshUns]

I would contact social services in the first instance as she may be open to them.
If bills are being paid then I would assume her next of kin have POA or social services have deputy ship via the court of protection? Someone must have put all this into place for her? Who is paying for the carers?

[NotSuchASmugMarriedAnymore]

So are you saying that unless you take her to buy food she won't have any food? Because that's a safeguarding issue and needs to be reported to social services.

[HappyHamsters]

Have pm you. I agree that social services need to know especially if the carers have stopped, they should have an advocate/translator available.

[RobinEllacotStrike]

@NotSuchASmugMarriedAnymore

So are you saying that unless you take her to buy food she won't have any food? Because that's a safeguarding issue and needs to be reported to social services.

I THINK the carers were cancelled and SS took over.
But she doesn't know what is going on.

Will SS take her shopping?

[HappyHamsters]

You could also try looking up his will on line thru gov.uk and his death must have been registered with the council, she could speak to them for advice and a copy of the death certificate. Was her husband a UK resident.

[NotSuchASmugMarriedAnymore]

SS will arrange shopping for her via a care company but they won't take her themselves.

[Retrievemysanity]

If the house was owned jointly as joint tenants then her DH’s half passes to her automatically regardless of the Will. I’d get office copy entries off the Land Registry as a starting point as this would tell you.

[RobinEllacotStrike]

@HappyHamsters

You could also try looking up his will on line thru gov.uk and his death must have been registered with the council, she could speak to them for advice and a copy of the death certificate. Was her husband a UK resident.

wills are only online after probate - its not up there yet. It can take quite a while.

DH was a UK resident.

She can't speak to council etc due to language issues. language is a huge part of her problem with doing anything for herself.

[RobinEllacotStrike]

@Retrievemysanity

If the house was owned jointly as joint tenants then her DH’s half passes to her automatically regardless of the Will. I’d get office copy entries off the Land Registry as a starting point as this would tell you.

I have accessed the land registry information.

Its states they were/are both "registerd owners" and "proprieters" but doesn't say if they were joint tenants or otherwise.

[HappyHamsters]

They have translation and advocacy services. How did she pay for her recent shopping and pay you when you shopped with her. SS won't take her shopping but they or her doctor can refer her for food banks and vouchers if she can't access money, the carers can also put in a safeguarding concern.

[NoBinturongsHereMate]

Contact adult.social services and raise a safeguarding concern. Say you think there may be financial abuse, as well as the lack of carers etc.

Who is executing the will - the children?