What to do with elderly parents with dementia

What to do with elderly parents with dementia

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Sebastian Tombs

Original Poster:

2,076 posts

199 months

Tuesday 24th May 2022
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Well this crept up on us rather sooner than expected.
Within the space of a year my in-laws have gone from being fit, active, and generally healthy adults to complete liabilities.

My mother in law has gone completely senile, and can no longer remember basic stuff, like how to prepare food, or what the telephone does.
My father in law had a cancer op which hasn't gone well, and he's basically in a hospital bed unable to make any sense for the next six months, if ever.

Basically we have a pair of very elderly children now.

My wife has gone down there (the Lot) to look after them but she cannot just drop everything, so we need to sort out things.
I guess we need to somehow gain legal access to their banks, etc, to pay for ongoing care, bills, etc but can we?

I expect it's probably to late, as getting any sense out of either is tricky, to assign power of attorney.
I'm reading about Curatelles, tutelles, etc and wondering what to do.

Does anyone have experience of this?



Magooagain

10,781 posts

177 months

Tuesday 24th May 2022
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It may be worth talking to your inlaws Advocate/ Notaire. Also the local Marie and or the prefecture.

Good luck with it.

nickfrog

21,936 posts

224 months

Tuesday 24th May 2022
quotequote all
Really sorry to hear that. As they are resident I suspect you could get advice from the local DDASS. They may well speak English too given the high density of British nationals in the Lot. Anywhere near Cahors ?

Sebastian Tombs

Original Poster:

2,076 posts

199 months

Tuesday 24th May 2022
quotequote all
Hi Nick, Yes they are. My FIL is in Cahors hospital right now, as it happens

nickfrog

21,936 posts

224 months

Tuesday 24th May 2022
quotequote all
OK, well that is an excellent hospital.

Try the Direction Departementale de la cohesion sociale et de la protection des populations (DDCSPP) in Cahors.

https://demarchesadministratives.fr/ddcspp/cahors-...

It's just round the corner from the hospital, like 400m.

There might even be an Assistante Sociale in the hospital, who works for them.

Edited by nickfrog on Tuesday 24th May 20:37

harrycovert

452 posts

183 months

Wednesday 25th May 2022
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Sorry to hear about your problems ,could this link be of any use?
https://www.francealzheimer.org/

Sebastian Tombs

Original Poster:

2,076 posts

199 months

Wednesday 28th September 2022
quotequote all
Well, the situation has developed in one unpredictable and one inevitable way.

My wife's mother was (after my wife had a stand-off with people in Cahors hospital and walked out leaving her there after they wanted to send her home alone with a broken pelvis and unable to stand) eventually admitted to an excellent nursing home (Les Berges du Lot for those in the Cahors area), where she died a pain-free death of bone cancer/lots of morphine a day after the Queen did the same.

My father-in-law on the other hand defied the medics and made a complete recovery. Once better he and my wife popped off to the notaire and sorted out power of attorney for her. He's up and about, has a new car and is getting back to having his own life again.

sociopath

3,433 posts

73 months

Wednesday 28th September 2022
quotequote all
Sebastian Tombs said:
Well, the situation has developed in one unpredictable and one inevitable way.

My wife's mother was (after my wife had a stand-off with people in Cahors hospital and walked out leaving her there after they wanted to send her home alone with a broken pelvis and unable to stand) eventually admitted to an excellent nursing home (Les Berges du Lot for those in the Cahors area), where she died a pain-free death of bone cancer/lots of morphine a day after the Queen did the same.

My father-in-law on the other hand defied the medics and made a complete recovery. Once better he and my wife popped off to the notaire and sorted out power of attorney for her. He's up and about, has a new car and is getting back to having his own life again.
Commiserations, but also be grateful for a quick ending, my father died of the same as your Mil, but it wasn't pain free by any stretch.

Good to hear your FiL is making a recovery.

Sebastian Tombs

Original Poster:

2,076 posts

199 months

Monday 13th March 2023
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Sadly after it all looking great FiL had a stroke which has ruined him physically, and then shortly afterwards a seizure, which has made him a bit senile now. Both were probably caused by the radiotherapy he was having on a tumour he had on the back of his head. However, we know what to do now, so we arranged everything and now he's in a nice retirement home in the centre of Cahors right by the river. My wife has started process to activate the mandat and we are preparing to sell the house when we are allowed to.

Sebastian Tombs

Original Poster:

2,076 posts

199 months

Thursday 21st March
quotequote all
FIL died in January this year. He was really ready for it, having made close to zero progress recovering from the stroke.
The house still hasn't sold, but it's France. These things take time.
It's nice not having to go there anymore and having our lives back. We've just got to remove anything of value before the govt bailiffs assess the estate for inheritance tax.