How to Handle Situation With Old Friend?

[carybosse]

I work in this area in Texas. There are a few options to consider.

1. Adult Protective Services (APS) - This should be the route taken, but depends on the case manager assigned, they may work wonders or be useless. Rarely in-between. A really good case manager can sometimes persuade the person to take steps to help themselves. (I wish Danielle was assigned in every situation I was ever involved with.)

2. In Texas, in large counties with a statutory probate court, you can notify the court of the issue and they have a duty to investigate. I think there are 250 counties in Texas, only about 13 of them have one of these courts.

3. In Texas, anyone can file an application for a guardianship, which ultimately may be the only solution. Note, this is not cheap, can have varying degrees of success, and will likely destroy any relationship between the applicant and the person needing help.

4. Call the police to do a welfare check. Law Enforcement may have better luck getting APS involvement than you or I. I had a situation where LE picked up a little old lady and took her to a mental health hospital. Was that optimum? No, but the woman survived and eventually received the help she needed via a guardian.

5. There may be some other elder resource in the area that can be called upon to help out. That is going to be city/county specific, but an elder law attorney, some sort of home health care provider, or others may be able to point out these resources.

In Texas, and I would hope most other places, any provider of services to the elderly has a duty to report an at risk person to the proper authorities, typically APS.

[mr. ed]

Again, let me say, I really appreciate all your advice and suggestions. Also, some of you think this situation is taking place in Texas. Armand and Mark are both in Tucson AZ. I had lived there, but moved to the TX panhandle, much too distant to be of any help. So, it's up to Mark to do what he can for Armand.