Elderly Woman Loses All Hope of Care

The words -- I'll take care of you -- must have been a relief to the woman, failing in her later years and falling and worrying what would become of her.

As people do when they are old and frail and basically alone.

So, she gave away her house to the owner of an assisted-living facility, a place she was taken after one of her falls.

Now, the owner of that facility, Maria Barbu, has been charged with theft, fraud and forgery. Phoenix police say Barbu took Pauline Balseiro's home, her antique furniture, her jewelry, her fur coats. She's also accused of forging checks on the old lady's accounts.

"She had my mother sleeping on the floor, on a mattress on the floor," said Becky Levy, who lives in California and for months has been sounding the alarm about Barbu and her Golden Creek Assisted Living Home.

Pauline is out of Barbu's hands now.

Last month, a Maricopa County probate commissioner appointed fiduciary Jane Anne Geisler to be Pauline's temporary guardian. Geisler immediately moved Pauline to another assisted-living home and filed a lawsuit to get the old lady's house back.

Commissioner David Cunanan will hold a hearing on Monday to determine whether Pauline needs a permanent guardian. I'm guessing that's a distinct possibility.

Three weeks ago, Pauline was diagnosed with dementia.

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Elderly Woman Loses All Promise of Care