I found a great resource especially for those who are providing elder care at a distance.  It is a book titled Paradise Costs by Irene Masiello.  Irene describes what she went through when she tried to take care of her father who, years before, moved from New York City to a small town in South Carolina.

The book reads like an exciting crime novel.  A novel that puts you at the scene of a crime, you watch what is happening and when you want to scream STOP you find that you have no voice and that you are powerless.

In many ways Irene found herself having to fight the very people who should have been helping her.  In addition to the normal stress of elder care, the legal issues she had to deal with made everything so much more difficult.

Irene’s book points out a larger concern that is common place in elder care and that is who can determine if an elderly person is competent to execute the proper legal documents.  It is an issue that has not been adequately addressed.  Protecting your loved one from exploitation can have huge repercussions both financially, legally, and relationship wise.

Irene’s book is more than a great story.  She has added resources, petitions, and an afterword by Dr. Bennett Blum.  Dr. Blum is an internationally acclaimed expert in geriatric and forensic psychiatry.

In the afterword, he includes a list of behaviors to analyze whether an elderly person is or has been a victim of undue influence.  He also gives a list of behaviors that will help you to recognize changes in your loved one’s mental abilities.

Irene’s website is ParadiseCosts.com.