My mother is spending money on sweeptakes (all kinds) when she would of never done this before?

You didn't mention if she really has dementia or Alzheimers. If she does, then it is her confusion that made her pay for those things. There are 2 factors. I learned from the example of my father-in-law in 2005. One factor for him was that he was never sound financially and it was his late wife that handles the money so he is financially incompetent in the age of 87. That made him decide on the wrong reasons. The second factor is his confusion and Alzheimers. So in your Mom's case, maybe she was misled by the sweeptakes that she thought she was winning. There are frauds out there trying to cheat on seniors also. You can take away her financial power so she cannot write a check to them anymore. Maybe you can act as her POA and take charge of her money. If she is very confused, then she needs someone nearby to make sure she acts for her own interest, but is not cheated.

Actually there are lots of products in the market that are on sale. My father-in-law bought lots of fancy vitamin on the phone and yet he always forgot to finsih it. I think at first he didn't like the way it is (he needs to chew pills) so he stopped taking them. Next time, he forgot about his trouble of taking them and ordered them again! It is like $70 at least each time. Finally he stopped all these habits. One time I had to cancel his order of this subscription of video professor kits which were useless and kept coming for hiim, but he cannot use his computer anymore.

We took the hard way - we waited until he was more confused so the caregiver can take over or we can take over. I need to watch out and make sure he didn't pay for something that is not right. Now he still has 2 checkbooks with him and he sleeps with them!! But he has no debit or  credit cards whatsoever. It helps a lot.

The best thing is for you to take over so she does not pay for any junk anymore. Some people close the account so the seniors cannot play with it anymore. As the person with dementia will get worse, there is no point for her to handle finances by herself because it would only be unsafe for her finances.

A friend of mine, her mom-in-law has Alzheimers, and her MIL was also paying large amount of money to this saleperson so the son had to stop it (the money was gone or so) and send her mail to a PO box so she cannot have access to it.

These steps seem cruel and the seniors would not like it, but we have no choice because money issue is very important.

Good luck,
Nina

Hi my name is Connie and I am the primary care giver of my husband with alzheimers. I am not a professional but something similiar happened to me you might want to check out. I hurt my back really bad three months ago, I was taken by ambulance to the hospital and learned my spine has compacted due to osteoporsis and in two years I will need hip replacements but now I need a complete knee joint replacement and am awaiting surgery on that. Back to your question when they release me with my back they put me on a very strong pain medication called Hydromoriphine. I was on this for three days and hated the way it made me feel so I quit taking it and just dealt with the pain. About a week later packages started arriving at my house that I had no memory of ordering anything. My Granddaughter got to checking and I was getting up at night getting on my computer and shopping. I have absolutely no memory of it. I know I did it because it showed up on the computer. I have never ever shopped on line and didn't think I knew how to do it but apparently while taking this drug I did it. It took us over two weeks and a lot of money to return all the things I bought, you can't imagine how many things I bought in such a short period. Fortunately most of the company's were nice and took everything back but I had to pay the postage. Serveral hundreds of dollars later it was returned. I do not nor would I ever take that stuff again and I have told my family if I ever am put on anything similiar to make sure my computer is secure so I don't repeat this. You might want to check with your mothers doctor and research her medications on line because some not all but some medications can cause this type of reaction. Take care and don't give up you have come to the right place for advice and help. Connie

If your mother has Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia, it is not surprising that she is experiencing some financial difficulty. Symptoms of dementia can include confusion, disorientation, and forgetfulness, as well as impaired judgment. She may not be able to comprehend the purchases she is making, or forgets about a purchase as soon as she makes one and then proceeds to enter another sweepstakes. As you have already seen, the dollars can add up rather quickly. If her spending isn't properly monitored, she runs the risk of emptying out her bank account or putting herself in financial jeopardy. At this time, it is advisable that you or a trusted family member speak to an attorney, who might suggest pursuing a Power of Attorney in order to have command over your mother's bank account and financial decision-making. Bear in mind that if your mother cannot demonstrate competency to make her own decisions, it may not be possible to obtain this document. If this is the case, you can try other means of financial monitoring to keep her safe. First and foremost, it is crucial to make sure that her basic needs are tended to and paid for. This means that her rent and bills need to be taken care of monthly so that she doesn't feel the constant responsibility of writing out checks. Someone in the family should sit down with her and assist her with the process. Once the monthly expenses are taken care of, it is a good idea to remove the checkbook until the following month, or give her a "fake" one to hold onto in the meanwhile. A goal is to maintain her sense of independence, while making sure that her expenditures are closely monitored to avoid unsafe behavior. Another way to limit her spending is by providing her with a debit card. Make sure that there is a nominal sum on it so that her purchases are limited; this is a lot safer than a credit card which can allow her to charge up a higher amount. You can also offer to hold onto her spending money and if time allows, take her shopping whenever she needs something. Time spent together can allow for some quality bonding, and will also give you the opportunity to supervise how she spends her money.