The Most Frightening Abuse of Power

Dorothy Wilson is 85 years old and suffers from early dementia. She is not a stroke victim or in a wheelchair, and she does not need to be washed or bathed. She cleans and cooks for herself.

I applied for guardianship in December, 2008, but my siblings fought this. In March, 2009, a geriatric “care” manager and guardian were assigned to my mother and she was declared incapacitated. An order was issued for an aide in her home 24/7, but soon arrangements were made for Mom to stay with family on weekends. Restricted pickup and return times were ordered, and although I requested relief many times, but the judge refused to allow it. His decision was based on the care manager’s assertion that 9am on a Saturday to pickup and 9am on a Monday to return is the only time the agency, Home Companion Services of Port Jefferson, will allow.

One aide soon became Mom’s friend and confidant. On September 15, 2009, the care manager went to my mother’s house with a new aide that does not drive, and ordered the other aide to leave or she would call the police. Mom insisted she did not want Cheri to leave and she was threatened as well. The guardian claimed she did this for my mother’s “safety” although nothing had happened.

The court has refused to allow my mother to stay with family additional days when someone is available, which is what she wants, and would save her thousands of dollars in agency fees. No one listens to her or respects her wishes. After Mom complained to me and her attorney about the violation of her privacy and HIPPA rights, her attorney advised the judge via letter on October 30, 2009. False allegations were then made against me by the guardian and the care manager. On November 10, 2009, the guardian mailed a letter to me stating that I violated the court orders prohibiting anyone from discussing costs with Mom and she imposed supervised visitation.

Mom’s attorney requested a hearing, which was scheduled for Thanksgiving Eve. Despite the fact that I told the truth, the judge believed the lies of my siblings, the aide and the attorney. Since I was acting pro se, my witness was not allowed to testify. The guardian arranged for my siblings to take Mom for the Thanksgiving holiday and weekend, preventing my family and I from seeing her for the holiday. On December 3, the judge ruled that while there would be no supervised visitation, he stated that I had absolutely no credibility. This was based on the fact that my mother wrote letters pleading her case and I was accused of dictating them to her because my sister advised the guardian that my mother “cannot write.”

My mother was unhappy with the “visitation” arrangements that the guardian made for Christmas. She wrote a letter and called her. After my mother did that, the guardian sent me a letter refusing to allow my mother to visit with me and her grandchildren until 5PM on Christmas Day, instead allowing my siblings to take her for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

This is the most frightening abuse of power I have ever seen. It is virtually impossible to fight people like this unless you are very wealthy.

Source:
Dorothy Wilson, NY Victim