What the hell am I supposed to do?

I just found out that my brother who was my Dad’s POA purchased the family cottage from my Dad just 3 weeks before he died. My Dad died in July, 2010. I went in there this week, and the door key did not work. My brother had not only changed the keys, but forgot to tell me that he now owns our family jewel.

Lee

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Stealing

There seems to be odd things missing from my mother’s dresser in her bedroom – she lives in our hosue with us. Lately some of her jewellery and money have gone missing. I expect my cleaning lady is stealing from her.

Jan

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How To Talk About Money

I was honoured to contribute an article in the recent edition of a wonderful magazine called: “Solutions” I write about the challenges and the importance of talking with an aging parent about financial and legal issues. If you would like a copy of this magazine, please let me know.

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NUMB

My father-in-law is not doing well. Some say it will be less than a month before he dies. What should we do?

Jon

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Every other year!

My mother-in-law just died and my husband came home and told me that he has made an arrangement with his sister about their mother’s ashes. Here is what they have decided (all without opinions of other, of course).

Each will keep the urn for one year. On the anniversary of their mother’s death, they will transfer the urn to the other person. So, it will start that my sister-in-law gets the urn first – for the first year. Then we get it for the second year, and so on.

I think that they should have talked to us (their families) before the two of them decided this. What do you think?

RB

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Call Your Mother!

It is Mother’s Day this weekend and once again I have to remind my husband to call his mother. Honestly, this happens every year. Without me reminding him, I swear he would never call her. Why do I have to do this? What should I do?

Judy

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Caregiver Survey

To all caregivers: During the next two months we will celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. These can be joyous occasions for many. Sad for those who have lost loved ones. And for caregivers, it can be a time of mixed emotions. Help for caregivers exists. But often that help is hard to locate and…

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Elder Rage

For eleven years I pleaded with my elderly father to allow a caregiver to help him with my ailing mother, but after 55 years of loving each other he adamantly insisted on taking care of her himself. Every caregiver I hired to help him sighed in exasperation, “Jacqueline, I just can’t work with your father–his temper is impossible to handle. I don’t think he’ll accept help until he’s on his knees himself.”

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Dividing Up the Ashes

My mom just passed the Wednesday before Easter and now we are having problems with a brother who showed up after 35 years of absence. He wants the ashes from mom. We are going to take her back to you home where the rest of the family is. Mom wanted us to the two daughters to do this. She also informed us not to let the boys( our brothers) to not do this. She has tried over the years to call , write letters to the one brother that has been gone but there has never been a response. He has started to cause problems within the family by saying hurtful things. I do not know him personally since I have never even seen him as a child growing up or even talked to him until out of the blue he shows up. I found out he knew all this time where we lived he has said but then showed up after mom had passed the day after. My sister and I are going to do what mom wanted us to do with her. Do I need to do anything like get a lawyer or something in order for this brother to leave us alone? I bought a little urn for him to put some of moms ashes in it to give so we can do what we are suppose to do for mom to take her home. That seems to be not good enough. I even asked him if he will take mom back home like she wished and he said no he wants her with him.

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Not Invited AGAIN.

Well it happened again this year. My sister and my parents got together for Easter Brunch today and I was not invited AGAIN!

I cannot tell you how many times that they have planned things and not even bothered to ask if I would like to be included. It’s as if I am not part of the family. It really hurts me that they either don’t want me around or they just have forgotten to ask me. What should I do?

Vince

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