enjoy the ride
Sufficient Life
This is a topic that is not as simple as it sounds.
For years part of my work was to investigate whether a person was capable of managing their own money. Another part was to check to see if someone else could be found to manage their money if they were unable to do this. A third thing was to invesigate fraud where some one who was supposed to help them manage their money took it for their own use or did not do a proper job with it.
Now almost no time was alloted to do these things but anyway it was part of my duties.
One- it is very hard to determine in seeing a person a few minutes at a time, whether they really are incapable. I suspected they weren't, I'd try to get a doctor's report, if I could get a doctor's name and the doctor was willing to say. Then if the doctor did say they needed such assistance, I would try to find someone, sending letters to anyone who could be determined to be interested in the person- sometimes asking Social Services to go visit them. We are very lucky in this area that there is a public feduciary who is willing to do this if no one else can be found. But even then, it is not often that a person can actually be checked on physically. Too many demands, too little money.
But even if a relative can be found to do this and the incapable person does not make objections, there is always the issue of fraud or financial abuse. Too many times family feuds would cause endless problems- accusations of someone taking granny's money for themselves but no evidence- you couldn't tell who to believe. So you'd ask for documentation about what was paid and how granny is doing. You did this between the much more important things that matter to those who have the pull to get stuff done. Trying to sort out the truth among people of bad will is hard if it is at all possible. She said- he siad.
OK- now you have found someone reliable, have them handling the money and Granny calls you to say she didn't like the fact that niece with the money cancelled the thirty magazine subscriptions she just ordered from the telemarketer and wants her own money back again. When you say no after hours spent investigating that her money is being well spent, then she says she wants her new neighbor to handle her money (having caused such a disruption to niece that she won't do it anymore,)- you know the thirty year old man next door who is unemployed, has two felony convictions, and is on welfare and in a drug treatment plan.
And this is the mild version of what typically can happen.
So what will work? If I was very, very lucky, there would be a neighbor who would check on Granny every day or so, and would take the time and trouble to struggle with the social services network of overworked and underpaid and burnt out people to get help.
There are ways to have third party notification arranged if bills are not paid, direct payment from accounts can be done, a visit arranged weekly to check on needs and spend a little time.
But finding people to do these things when they are busy or confused themselves about paperwork, is not easy. It is time consumng and can be very upsetting. And this is with the coorperation of the old person themselves. Believe me- a person who was a jerk and pain in the rear at 50 is probably still one at 80.
I would love to see churches especially take up this for the love of doing good- they could act as eyes and ears to help the social services cope with this problem.
For years part of my work was to investigate whether a person was capable of managing their own money. Another part was to check to see if someone else could be found to manage their money if they were unable to do this. A third thing was to invesigate fraud where some one who was supposed to help them manage their money took it for their own use or did not do a proper job with it.
Now almost no time was alloted to do these things but anyway it was part of my duties.
One- it is very hard to determine in seeing a person a few minutes at a time, whether they really are incapable. I suspected they weren't, I'd try to get a doctor's report, if I could get a doctor's name and the doctor was willing to say. Then if the doctor did say they needed such assistance, I would try to find someone, sending letters to anyone who could be determined to be interested in the person- sometimes asking Social Services to go visit them. We are very lucky in this area that there is a public feduciary who is willing to do this if no one else can be found. But even then, it is not often that a person can actually be checked on physically. Too many demands, too little money.
But even if a relative can be found to do this and the incapable person does not make objections, there is always the issue of fraud or financial abuse. Too many times family feuds would cause endless problems- accusations of someone taking granny's money for themselves but no evidence- you couldn't tell who to believe. So you'd ask for documentation about what was paid and how granny is doing. You did this between the much more important things that matter to those who have the pull to get stuff done. Trying to sort out the truth among people of bad will is hard if it is at all possible. She said- he siad.
OK- now you have found someone reliable, have them handling the money and Granny calls you to say she didn't like the fact that niece with the money cancelled the thirty magazine subscriptions she just ordered from the telemarketer and wants her own money back again. When you say no after hours spent investigating that her money is being well spent, then she says she wants her new neighbor to handle her money (having caused such a disruption to niece that she won't do it anymore,)- you know the thirty year old man next door who is unemployed, has two felony convictions, and is on welfare and in a drug treatment plan.
And this is the mild version of what typically can happen.
So what will work? If I was very, very lucky, there would be a neighbor who would check on Granny every day or so, and would take the time and trouble to struggle with the social services network of overworked and underpaid and burnt out people to get help.
There are ways to have third party notification arranged if bills are not paid, direct payment from accounts can be done, a visit arranged weekly to check on needs and spend a little time.
But finding people to do these things when they are busy or confused themselves about paperwork, is not easy. It is time consumng and can be very upsetting. And this is with the coorperation of the old person themselves. Believe me- a person who was a jerk and pain in the rear at 50 is probably still one at 80.
I would love to see churches especially take up this for the love of doing good- they could act as eyes and ears to help the social services cope with this problem.
