Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Pennsylvania
my mother is going into a nursing home. she has no assets and has lived with me for 23 yrs. What do I tell her creditors when they send her bills here.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Do you have power of attorney over your mother? As power of attorney, you can legitimately advise them of your mother's circumstances - tell them she is in a nursing home. Because you are power of attorney, you should direct any further correspondence to you. If someone else is power of attorney then he or she needs to write the letter. You also need to explain that you are not personally liable for your mother's debts (unless you signed as co-signer or co-borrower or otherwise agreed to be responsible) and that your mother has no assets with which to pay.
If you don't have power of attorney and your mother is not competent to grant you one, you can still write a letter. Provide your mother's name and address at the nursing home. Explain that your mother is in a home and they can write her there.