My mom is 52 and homeless living in an Atlanta, GA park. She has 5 living children, and 3 of us live in IL in the town we were raised. She has never been happy and has always sought out happiness in men. She would disaggree. I have paid for her to come back home many times before and she always picks up and leaves again. My question is how do we legally do something to stop this behavior. She has been raped and beat up, and God only knows what all else. She is not rational. The only reason she wants to come back here now is cause it is getting cold. I fear for her life daily and do not know what to do. Other family members in different states seem to think it's very simple to have a person committed. And by the way she has zero insurance or money. Me and my siblings are barely making it ourselves so we don't have the money to pay for some mental institution. Do you have any kind of advice. And she is still married if that would matter.
Thanks for any help or advice.
Melissa

Sorry to hear about your mother.

Has anyone ever suggested she get tested for mental disorder? If her husband is still around, why is he not doing something for the mother of his children??

Has anyone ever really sat down and asked her why she is always 'running' away and from what? Maybe family therapy might help all of you.

Living elsewhere does not excuse siblings from some type of responsibility.

I'm 56 and I just tried to imagine what I would feel if I had so many children.. and I just can't imagine what would make me want to run. But I don't know all that your mother has been through. Maybe it's time for someone to get her to open up and tell her side of the story.

I sure wish you get help from a church group, or other social services.

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Can it be proven to a judge or psychologist that your mother is a danger to herself or others ? That's about the only way they'll commit someone.

What are you going to have her committed to? There would need to be a competency hearing for your Mother. One cannot just drive up to a state mental hospital and drop someone off - although it certainly was that way even up to the 1970's. Where is her husband in all this?

You need - or someone in your family needs - to get to an attorney and explain your Mom's erratic behavior and the fears you all have for her safety. Perhaps one of you would petition to be her guardian. Although since she is still married, I am not sure how the courts would view that. But in order to be committed, there would need to be a hearing. While her behavior may be erratic, she may still be judged competent.

I am so very sorry to hear you are going through this.

Let me ask if she has been diagnosed with Schizophrenia in the past. The behaviors you describe are very common in schizophrenics.

With that said... Unless she is a danger to herself or others (making threats) then there is really nothing that can be done. She can be admitted to the hospital on a 3-day hold. But if she proves herself competent, she cannot be kept.

If she is still married then her husband is considered her next of kin by medical legal standards.

It is hard, and I feel for you being in this position, but sometimes the only thing we can do is let go.

Have someone take her to Grady Hospital in downtown Atlanta. That is the state funded hospital that does medical care for the homeless.

If someone will take her or if she will go in herself and they are told she appears to be a threat to herself, they will commit her for a 36 hour evaluation, if they believe she needs to be committed, they will commit her for a several week introduction to be reviewed.
As police officers there those people who appeared to be a mental health threat to others were taken there.

But I will be honest, GA closed most of their mental health wards several years ago as a tax cut. What they do is try and stablise them with drugs over the few days they are held, and then require them to come into Grady every day or every few days to get more medication.

Normally the streets are filled with homless and about 1/2 are mental health from my guess ( police officer in downtown Atlanta for several years)

There are shelters in Atlanta, so if a homeless person wants, there are places to stay, even in the winter, but most prefer the streets to the rules of the shelters.

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Originally Posted by Fr_Chuck

Have someone take her to Grady Hospital in downtown Atlanta. That is the state funded hospital that does medical care for the homeless.

If someone will take her or if she will go in herself and they are told she appears to be a threat to herself, they will commit her for a 36 hour evaluation, if they beleive she needs to be committed, they will commit her for a several week introduction to be reviewed.
As police officers there those people who appeared to be a mental health threat to others were taken there.

But I will be honest, GA closed most of thier mental health wards several years ago as a tax cut. What they do is try and stablise them with drugs over the few days they are held, and then require them to come into Grady every day or every few days to get more medication.

Normally the streets are filled with homless and about 1/2 are mental health from my guess ( police officer in downtown Atlanta for several years)

There are shelters in Atlanta, so if a homeless person wants, there are places to stay, even in the winter, but most prefer the streets to the rules of the shelters.

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Thank You All for your responses and concerns. And she has been to the hospitals down there but for different medical reasons. She has also been to a few of the shelters but unfortunately does not want to abide by the curfew they have there. I just honestly do not know what else to do except to pray for her. There is no way of communicating with her except when someone lets her borrow their phone.
Once again, thank you to all that replied.

I have seen Miracles occur due to prayers. There are a group of doctor's in Memphis still scratching their heads over my brother's massive stroke and recovery in a period of hours. The massive blood clot that shows on the first set of x-rays is completely gone about 6 hours later with no resultant damage. And the docs were saying nothing they could do.

I know what happened - my Mom called her Church Prayer group and I called up my Alternative Energy healer friends and prayer group and they called their friends in to pray as well.

So when I suggest you continue to pray and call in your prayer group friends, prayer may seem to be a trivial thing to most of us but it has proven to be massive in its power.

Also realize that what your Mom is doing maybe exactly the role she picked for herself in this life. Pray about that and see if that is so. Sometimes a parent will have some catastrophic illness that serves to bring the rest of the family together and have them working as a family again or at least talking to each other and resolving old issues among them while trying to work out a good result for the parent. I have seen and read about that scenario a few times in my counseling life. What I've also noticed is that one of the family members will stand up and take the leadership of the family to hold it together during those times, almost becoming the de facto parent.

Her plight may also be serving to enhance your patience and compassion for others, something Christ spoke about at some length.

Best to you and your concern and efforts do you much credit.

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