Legal Question in Elder Law in Illinois

My mother is 80 and still working full time. will be having knee surgery in 2011, so may be forced to retire. Problem my sister and I have been dealing with is that we found out 2 yrs ago she has been "lending" money to the third sisters son(grandson) to the tune of over $25k. She has lied to us on sev. occasions about this and always makes up an excuse for him and believes he'll pay it back, since she has "stopped" lending. Just found out she again is giving money or should I say he is taking money. Can we "intervene" financially in anyway so this inappropriate behavior on both their parts will stop. She has no savings and this has been c.c. debt mostly. It is the reason she disclosed she can't retire. We are trying to help her even suggesting she needs professional help with her addiction to helping him. want to know what we can do legally. Thank you


Asked on 12/15/10, 8:44 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Gregory Turza Law Offices of Gregory P Turza

Elder financial abuse is a huge problem. It is especially difficult when the one being abused still has technical legal capacity. Estate lawyers such as myself can open a guardianship but if your mother told the guardian to take a hike there may be little he can do. I suggest that you contact the Illinois Department of Aging, Elder Abuse Prevention, for guidance. Here is their website: http://www.state.il.us/aging/1abuselegal/abuse_reporting.htm.

Here is their phone number: Elder Abuse Hotline: 1-866-800-1409. Good luck.

Read more
Answered on 12/21/10, 7:30 am


Related Questions & Answers

More Elder Law questions and answers in Illinois