“Fine! I’m fine! I don’t need your help.”
I hear this often. It’s common for people with dementia to not realize they have it. They don’t believe they’re forgetting to take their medication or pay their bills. They may even forget to eat or end up eating spoiled food.
Often, families reach out to Adult Protective Services (APS) for a welfare check. But APS can’t intervene if the person insists they’re okay, even when they’re not.
When it’s your mom, dad, aunt, or uncle, what do you do? In many cases, the only option is to go to court and file for a conservatorship. Unfortunately, this process is expensive and takes time. Even emergency conservatorships take 5–10 days.
You can’t always prevent a loved one from needing medical treatment or physical care, but you can protect their finances from being taken over by the court. The key is having a Living Trust that plans ahead for the possibility of losing the ability to manage one’s own financial affairs.
If your loved one insists they’re fine when they’re not, give me a call. I’ll do everything I can to keep your family out of court. But if court becomes necessary, I’ll guide you through every step of the process.
