Legal Question in Elder Law in California

Having a person with Alzheimer's declared incompetent

How do I go about having a parent with diagnosed advanced Alzheimer's

Disease (who is in my care 24/7) declared incompetent. We, unfortunately, did

not have my parent sign a power of attorney for legal issues prior to the

deterioration of their mental faculties (however, one does exist for medical

purposes). I am the trustee of our family trust and do have access to most of my

parent's finances; however, I cannot do the ''simple'' things like change of

address, stopping them from getting jury notices, stop closing credit card

accounts, etc without a legal power of attorney. Any assistance on how to

proceed would be appreciated.


Asked on 10/22/05, 12:30 am

3 Answers from Attorneys

Scott McMillan The McMillan Law Firm, APC

Re: Having a person with Alzheimer's declared incompetent

There is a conservatorship proceeding that you can follow. You need to be appointed conservator.

Read more
Answered on 10/22/05, 1:49 am
Terry A. Nelson Nelson & Lawless

Re: Having a person with Alzheimer's declared incompetent

The process is to seek a Conservatorship order from court. It is a technically demanding process that establishes a fiduciary relationship supervised by the court, and requires regular court filings and pleadings, so you probably need to have an experienced attorney to represent you. Contact me if interested in doing so.

Read more
Answered on 10/24/05, 1:12 pm
Scott Schomer Schomer Law Group

Re: Having a person with Alzheimer's declared incompetent

Having your parent declared incompetent isn't enough to give you authority to manage the "simple" things. Instead, you need to have someone appointed (and it could be you) to be your parent's conservator. Competency will be evaluated during the appointment process and if appropriate, the court will appoint a conservator and give him or her the power to manage all of these affairs. Without a power of attorney, many institutions will not recognize your authority unless you become a conservator.

Read more
Answered on 10/22/05, 12:11 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Elder Law questions and answers in California