Editorial: Victory Over Conservatorship

Can elderly persons with dementia be cured? Even if it was said likely to be of the Alzheimer’s type?

I want to share the amazing recovery of my mother.

After having been diagnosed as having dementia by more than one evaluator favored by professional conservators, the conservatorship of her person was finally lifted on December 16, 2010, after she went through a five-year struggle to obtain her freedom, her human rights, and her dignity. She has now been restored to being regarded by the court as a capable person. While before, Judge McLafferty refused to accept her positive mental evaluation and doctor’s letter, now the court has set her free. She is said to have recovered.

What has accomplished this miracle of healing? Publicity, and having a new probate judge, Colleen Sterne, certainly didn’t hurt.

My mother’s estate, or money, is still under conservatorship, as there are allegations of undue influence by a relative profiting off her as trustee.

The last judge accepted allegations as truth, without evidence, including allegations about my mother’s mental condition. Hopefully, Judge Sterne will pay heed to the words of County Supervisor Joni Gray, spoken at the June 6, 2010 Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting, that the word probate means to prove.

My mother’s already lost several hundred thousand dollars to professional conservators and their network. Imagine if all this money had gone to charities rather than predators. Conservators not infrequently claim to care about the elders whose estates they deplete and whose properties they acquire. I witnessed a homeless elderly woman walking the streets, mumbling. Why don’t these conservators and the court system care about this poor woman? Give her some large amount of money and they’ll care about her real fast. Instead, she is left to possibly die out there, like the 41 homeless persons in Santa Barbara who perished last year in the elements. If half the professional conservators’ profits went to help such people, so much could be accomplished.

Source:
Victory Over Conservatorship