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View Full Version : Extortion of elderly?


equislee
Oct 21, 2008, 03:25 AM
Thanks for all the great replys to my last post. A lot has happened since the post. And I will try to keep this short.

My mother who I believe is suffering from early onset of alzimers, got into a fight with my 18yr old Wednesday, over horse blankets in the wash, she had my daughter pinned against the wall and was screaming in her face, when she let go my daughter in anger swept her hand across the counter making the pan fly into my mothers leg. She ended up kicking my two daughers out. The 16 year old witnessed everything. The next door neighbors convinced her that it was assault and battery and took her to her attorney, though they didn't file charges, they did change the locks on the house, the neighbors did, and told us that we had basically that night to get all of our stuff (the remains of our house that was in the polebarn), the horses and every thing gone. My husband sat down with my mother and got her to write down and agree to letting the 16 year old back in (she did at the time say the 18 year old could come back with an appology) and that we could keep all of our stuff at the farm until we found a place or she sold the farm.

My 16 went back to live with her. She had permission and we had discussed with my mother that she was spending the night Saturday night with friends. She didn't have a key to the house because the next door neighbors had not given her one. When she asked my mother for a key, she said she would ask but didn't think the neighbors would approve, and told her to knock on the front door Sunday morning so she would hear her. We went to the farm Sunday to take care of the animals and the neighbors have totally brain washed my mother, she doesn't remember making any agreements, she doesn't remember being told that the 16 year old would be gone Saturday, and the neighbors were in the background couching her on what to say, saying that the 16 year old was out all night partying,etc,etc... they talked my mother into kicking the 16 year old out of the house and we were given till the 26th to remove all personal belongings including our two dogs and 7 horses. When we get mother alone without the neighbors there she is very confused doesn't know what is going on and remembers nothing.

The neighbors seem to have an undue amount of knowledge about her financial affairs, and seemed to have an undue amount of influence on her. I believe they are after something and I had a friend tell me that they are using similar tactics as religious cults to gain control over someone, distorting the truth, separating them from family... and they use very similar language, when my daughters were there getting the balance of their stuff they have repeately said... we aren't doing this to harm you or punish you , we are doing this for your own good.

I have called social services, and am persueing a ppo for my mother against the neighbors on suspision of extortion and will seek a quardianship over her. They have threatened us with calling animal control and hauling all of our horses away if we didn't have them off before the 26th, they have also, have called the humane society and said we had a bunch of sick animals out there. These are expensive show horses they are in top notch health.

I am really really scared, I know they are using "brain washing" techniques to gain control, she has jewelry, antiques, and land bording theirs so they have a lot of interest in gaining control over her. I am fighting this tooth and nail, Please if you have any other advise on what I can do to keep this under control until social services can do their thing, please let me know.

cdad
Oct 21, 2008, 02:15 PM
Im not sure about extortion because you hadn't mentioned anything that has changed hands. But has your mom been evaluated yet ? Do you know her true medical condition ?

equislee
Oct 22, 2008, 03:34 AM
No not yet, the Adult Social Services lady was suppose to go to her house yesterday afternoon. To update, I finally got someone that was very proactive about this situation (the social worker) and she is going out there to assess what is right for my mother regardless of what others are doing to her, which is what I wanted. She did advise us to get PPO's for every adult in the family barring them (the neighbors) from harming or demanding that we remove our property from my mothers farm. That has to come from a court order FROM MY MOTHER, and they have to give us 30 days. That's not to say that they won't take her down to the court and help her do something like that, but at least it buys us and social services time to find out what's going on.

stinawords
Oct 22, 2008, 06:58 AM
I would have your mother evaluated asap. But as far as the animals go I wouldn't worry too much because even if they do call animal control the officer will just come look at them and find out they are fine. If a judge will grant an order of protection for your mother (especially your mother) that would be great if not at least you tried but seriously get her checked out first so there is more to back up your story.

equislee
Oct 22, 2008, 09:59 AM
Social Services seemed very hot and heavy to look into this and were suppose to go out yesterday afternoon---I haven't heard anything yet, I not worried so much about animal control as I am worried about what they could be doing with her possessions, finances,etc... by daughers said when they were over to get the rest of her stuff that they already had her collectible bell collection packed up!! The social services lady seemed very intent on checking this out asap, and protecting my mother so I don't know how much to "bug" her in the line of doing her job.

this8384
Oct 22, 2008, 11:58 AM
I don't mean to be argumentative, but there seems to be quite a bit missing from the story.

First, you say that you believe your mother is suffering from Alzheimer's and the only example you give is that she claims not to remember saying and doing certain things. How old is your mother? Has she shown any other signs of forgetfulness and/or dementia?

Secondly, I'm sorry but an 18-year-old who throws things off a counter and causes her grandmother to be struck by a pan? That's not the neighbors' doing; that's your daughter making decisions of her own free will. From what you've posted, she sounds extremely disrespectful and childish. Your mother provided her with a place to stay but they're getting into juvenile arguments over horse blankets being in the wash; was it that your mother asked her not to do this and she continued? I'm just trying to understand the whole situation here.

You've mentioned that your mother's neighbors are "influential;" can you provide specific examples of what they have said and/or done to make you think they're extorting her?

equislee
Oct 23, 2008, 03:53 AM
I have many many examples of her memory and decision making skills being questionable but wanted to keep this thread shorter. She has extreme emotions shifts, increase violence and paranoia, I lumped this all into alzimers but of course I am not a doctor and just grabbed this label because it is better known one, even the social worker said she could have nothing more then severe depression and stress in her life. The juvenile arguments are just the start----my mother would tell the 18 year old she could put her clothes in a dresser and then when the 18 year old came home all of her clothes were in a pile on the floor, with my mother saying " I didn't know you were going to use the whole dresser", some really weird off the wall stuff that I could go on and on about. Granted the 18 year old shouldn't have reacted this way but is just punishment total eviction---actually I shouldn't say that my mother said she could come back with an apology, it was the neighbors that said she couldn't. I have no concrete proof of extortion and really would like to have her mental and judgement capabilites assessed and she (my mother) protected BEFORE I have proof. I mentioned the neighbors changed all the locks on the doors, when asked about keys my mother won't give any one keys to the house because the locks belong to the neighbors, we said but this is your house... but the locks belong to the neighbors and she doesn't understand or differnetiate between the two. She is under the impresson that her house is sold and she is moving to another house, when less then a week ago she said she had an offer on the house but hadn't accepted it and there was a house that she liked but her attorney advised her not to buy it. BUT as of this very moment the neighbors are packing all of her antiques and moving her out and she telling us everything has to be gone by the 26th?? I know home purchasing doesn't move that fast... my next step is to call probate court and get a court order to have her evaluated, and I am going to contact the real estate office and see what has really happened, and I am going to contact her church to see if anyone knows why after many years she has quit all of her volunteer work there. Plus check in with social services. I also know that her eating habits are really off the wall and unhealthy which is also a sign of decrease mental capacity. I really just wanted answers of how I could protect her as fast as I could so if they are stealing from her I could nip it before anything major happens.

this8384
Oct 23, 2008, 10:09 AM
equislee disagrees: Any no, I could have many many people tell you what a great child my daugher is, yes if she were older and more mature she may have not reacted that way, and I do not defend her actions, but my mother actions have been increasingly violent

While I understand that you're concerned for your mother and probably under a lot of stress right now, giving people negative ratings doesn't change your situation. The rating system is meant for people who are factually correct or incorrect. I was trying to find out more about your situation and you chose to rate my questions rather than explain yourself first. Please use more discretion next time.