Meixin Comb Brush Machinery
A leader in this industry ,specializing in brush making machine line for more than 14 years.
when a family matter turns into a business
by：MX machinery
2019-08-30
Helen Jones is in a wheelchair surrounded by strangers who control their lives.
She is not allowed to answer the phone.
Her mail was blocked.
She can\'t spend her own money.
87-year-old Jones, a child of the Great Depression, worked hard for decades driving rivets into World War II fighter jets, making ties, and getting the bristles into nailspolish brushes.
She saved up frantically, saving $560,000 for her later years.
Three years ago, when a woman named Melody Scott told a court in San Bernardino that Jones could not manage herself, her life changed.
The judge asked Scott without asking Jones. -
Someone she never met. -
Her legal guardian.
Scott is a professional music administrator.
It is her responsibility to protect Jones and her nest eggs.
Scott has spent at least $200,000 so far.
The money has been used to cover Scott\'s expenses, fill Jones\'s house with new appliances she doesn\'t want, and hire waiters to supervise her around the clock, as well as other expenses.
Jones grabbed what was going on, found a lawyer and tried to put an end to Scott\'s control over her, but failed.
\"I don\'t want to be a burden on anyone,\" she told the judge almost apologetically.
\"I just want to be alone.
Jones\'s world has shrunk.
She called before. A-
Ride to the market or sit in the driveway and chat with neighbors.
Now she watches TV in the living room of UKAPA and sees a basin of yellow plastic flowers and lights without shadows.
In addition to watching free movies at the local premium Center every Friday, caretakers rarely take her out of her house.
\"I was frustrated because I didn\'t know my way out,\" she said . \" She sat next to one of Scott\'s assistants.
\"There must be a way out.
\"Jones\'s Guardian is part of a young, growing, largely unregulated trade in California.
Conservation begins as a way to help families protect weak relatives from predators and self-harmneglect.
As a final recourse, the court receives basic freedoms from adult men and women and gives administrators full authority over their property, money and the smallest details of life.
But lawmakers and judges did not expect professionals to turn family affairs into businesses.
In the hands of this new type of entrepreneur, a system designed to protect the elderly and the weak tends to disappoint them.
The Times reviewed the work of professional nurses in California and reviewed more than 2,400 cases, including every case they handled in Southern California between 1997 and 2003.
In the findings: * The Elderly lost their independence at an alarming rate.
More than 500 people were commissioned
At the hearing, which lasted for several minutes, profit administrators did not agree with them.
85-year-old retired candy company boss Donald Van Ness doesn\'t know what happened to him until he tries to pay for lunch in San Diego
His credit card was canceled.
* Some admins abuse their proximity
Parents\' power over vulnerable adults, ignoring their needs, and isolating them from their loved ones.
One of them detained the food allowance on which a disabled person was dependent, allowing him to survive on the charity of the church.
Another suddenly moved a 95-year-
For a month, an old woman refused to tell her daughter where she was.
* In the worst case, the administrator plundered the legacy of the elderly. One took 88-year-
Old Telma rabbis saved money for paying taxes and investing in a friend\'s restaurant.
Helen Smith\'s housekeeper secretly sold Smith\'s house at a discount. -to herself.
The administrator\'s daughter later resold it for three times the price.
* More often, nurses charge fees in large and small ways to erode the assets of the elderly.
A music administrator charged a Los Angeles woman $170 for an employee to bring $49.
Groceries worth 93
Palm Springs widow Mary Edelman has been paying from outside the grave: her guardian charged her estate $1,700 for attending the funeral.
* This is difficult once in the hands of the admin--and expensive --
Let the elderly go out.
Courts often force them not only to pay their own legal fees, but also to pay the legal fees of unwanted guardians.
In 15 months, Theresa Herrera\'s grandson removed her guardian, which was almost 92-year-
The old $265,000 property is running out.
\"It\'s really scary,\" said Mitchell kalasov, a North Hollywood lawyer who specializes in old-age law.
\"Do you want this to happen to you?
That\'s what we\'re looking forward ---
When we no longer have a voice, we will be one-off.
\"There are about 500 professional administrators in California, overseeing $1.
Assets 5 billion.
They have at least 4,600 of California\'s most vulnerable adults.
However, they are subject to less state regulation than hair stylists or tour guides --dog trainers.
No agency licensed administrators or investigated their complaints.
The probate court should supervise their work.
However, supervision is unstable and superficial.
Even if there is a problematic act to their attention, the judge rarely takes action against the Guardian.
Three of the last four governors have rejected legislation that should have strengthened regulation.
This seriously flawed system is about to be hit by a wave of population.
S. population over 65 is expected to double to 2030.
Experts predict that up to 10% of people will have Alzheimer\'s disease.
Helen Jones says she has been afraid of the kind of old-age life she is now marked by child-like dependence.
Jones said that she only got married briefly and very late in her life and that she had been doing it for herself, even if she was a child, where she was looking for coal along the railroad to help her family warm up.
Before Scott enters her life, she keeps her financial records in the accordion file, pays bills in time, knows how much she has until a penny.
She is almost deaf, and a rare neurological condition limits her ability to move.
But she can still go to the bank and bring her clothes to the local laundromat.
\"She\'s in charge,\" said Alice Wilson, a neighbor for more than three decades. \"She\'s a self-
Enough people.
\"As the guardian of Jones, Scott took over her checking account and paid her an allowance, initially $50 every two weeks.
Scott began to improve Jones\'s pale plaster house with central air conditioning, a new refrigerator and a washer and dryer.
Scott paid his sister $1,550 to paint the house.
Jones was in pain to see someone else spend her money.
Too frugal, she still has a red one
She wore a knitted sweater 60 years ago and when Scott paid $40 for a Christmas tree, she even complained.
Jones said the plastic one in her garage was fine.
The decision on her health care is another source of debate.
Scott said in court papers that a few months after becoming her guardian, she had received medical records indicating that Jones had been diagnosed with mental division.
Scott\'s staff began to take Jones to a psychiatrist.
He prescribed Zyprexa, a drug for the treatment of mental division and bipolar disorder.
Jones refused to accept it, saying she did not have either.
Gerlie Kirbac, an assistant hired by Scott, said an administrator\'s subordinate told her to crush the drug into Jones\'s food, but she refused.
Kirbac said she also took Jones to the bank so she could check her money and get fired for it.
\"Melody told me I couldn\'t cope with Helen,\" she said . \".
\"I said, what kind of handle do you want?
Scott, 47, said she could not discuss the case because Jones\'s medical history was private and her complaint was the subject of the lawsuit.
\"It would be very immoral to go against the Lady\'s request.
\"Jones\'s right to dignity and secrecy,\" Scott said in a statement . \".
In a routine Bill and expense list she recently submitted, Scott said Jones was \"alert, talkative, stubborn, independent, and often paranoid \".
She also said Jones was mentally divided.
Jones carefully commented on a copy of his report, circled \"mental division\" in the blank space and wrote a comment: \"BS.
\"At the beginning of the year, when Jones tried to fight for independence, she lost her brother, Frank Janicek.
He was her last family and she called on Sunday.
Former Douglas airplane worker who served in Africa during World War II, Janicek, died of pneumonia on January at the age of 85.
Jones wanted him to have a traditional funeral.
An earlier experience made her strongly opposed cremation.
But after learning that Jones had an administrator, the funeral home called Scott, who arranged for the disposal of Janicek\'s body.
During the parade, a caretaker drove Jones to the Riverside National Cemetery and pushed her wheelchair to a shelter the size of a bus stop.
A trumpeter is tapping.
Two women in uniform folded an American flag and gave it to Jones.
She was pleased to see her brother rest in military honor.
But she noticed that there was no coffin.
Instead, it was a brass urn with Janicek Ashes.
The concept of conservatives can be traced back at least to medieval England, where guardians are appointed to manage the property of people who are considered \"crazy. \"In the U. S.
California has been a model of the human system for decades.
The state took the lead in legislation in 1970s and 1960 to prevent arbitrary or unnecessary regulation.
Guarantee that the adult is notified in advance of the court hearing, the appointment of a guardian, as well as the right of legal representative and jury trial.
Members of Congress believe that the Conservatives are family members or friends. 1969 John M.
Mills, an economics professor at El Camino College, rented a room at a church in downtown Los Angeles and opened a business believed to be the first music management company in the state.
Twenty years later, after the state attorney general\'s office accused Mills of financial irregularities, a court expelled him from the industry.
By that time, he had inspired many others to enter the field.
In most cases, loved ones are still Guardians of the elderly who are incapacitated.
But now in Southern California, about 15% of the cases are handled by professionals.
While some have only a few clients, others run thriving businesses and manage the lives of more than 100 adults.
The goal of an elite group is to be rich seniors, employing a large number of employees, up to $135 an hour.
The regulator is in the same position as lawyers, accountants and investment companies.
However, they do not have to get a degree or pass a licensing exam compared to these occupations.
Anyone with a clean felony record who pays a state registration fee of $385 can enter the industry.
Until now, basic standards have not been implemented by the state.
Starting next year, childcare staff will need a university degree, experience in the field or a certain level of training.
However, most existing practitioners will not be affected.
Administrators look for customers by sponsoring a network of senior centers for breakfast and legal lunches.
When residents get too bad to pay the rent, the nursing home calls them and wants the administrator to write a check for them.
When the patient exceeds the insurance, the hospital calls them in the hope that the administrator will transfer them elsewhere.
Once the Guardian has identified a potential client, they can appear in court and file a lawsuit without the client\'s approval.
With very few exceptions, they look for rich people.
Frumeh Labow, the busiest administrator in Los Angeles, set a minimum of $300,000--
If the client lives that long enough to guarantee her salary for at least a few years.
The threshold for other nurses is relatively low.
\"If the person had six months, the doctor told me that she had advanced cancer and that she had only $30,000, I would have taken the opportunity,\" said Jeffrey Siegel . \", He had a big show in Los Angeles.
In many cases, professional nurses do admirable work.
Some have saved the elderly from cheats or stolen relatives.
Others ensure that lonely adults spend their last day with dignity.
After their money runs out, many people continue to serve their customers.
\"We are doing this business to help people and protect people,\" said Ron Patterson, president of professional trust. of California.
\"I believe that we have no one here to enrich ourselves in any way other than the natural way of doing business.
\"But even some nurses admit that they don\'t want it themselves.
\"I can decide who they see.
\"I can put them in a nursing home,\" Rabb said . \".
\"In addition to being imprisoned, this is the greatest imposition on your civil liberties.
\"In administrators who control the profession, the speed will soon become unstable.
In many courts, they were given an emergency appointment on the day of their request, based on a short form they swore that potential customers could not take care of themselves.
These hasty hearings are aimed at cases in which the elderly are at imminent danger.
But The Times found that professional nurses have made them the norm.
More than half of their cases in Southern California started like this.
Under the law, adults are entitled to attend an emergency hearing.
However, in more than half of the cases reviewed by The Times, they were not formally notified.
Usually, after the Guardian tells them that the future Ward is too weak to appear in court, the judge will waive this request.
By making an appointment immediately, professionals can control the elderly before the safeguards required in non-emergency situations begin.
For example, in 9 of the 10 emergency cases, the ward was not interviewed by court investigators until the judge decided that a guardian was needed.
The incident that led to the Jones academy of music began in November 2002 when an accidental acquaintance, Cindy gulula, took her to the bank.
After Gurrola expressed concern about jones\'s benefits, a bank employee gave her a business card for redland, which serves the elderly.
Gurrola said she called and gave the address of jones, an employee.
Gurulla said there was no mention of the music administrator or that Jones would give up legal control over her affairs.
About a week later, Jones said she was taking a nap at home when a woman walked in and woke her up.
The woman said she was careful.
Jones says she thinks it means alternative interest rates and energy in California, and Edison in Southern California has reduced
Rate plan for the elderly.
Jones signed one.
Paragraph document, don\'t bother to look at it.
In fact, the woman works for the conservation and resource department of the senior company.
Companies owned by Melodie Scott
The document says Jones nominated Scott as her guardian.
\"I slept here and someone patted me on the shoulder and said sign the word,\" Jones said . \".
\"Stupid, I signed, I don\'t know what I signed.
\"To me \'economy\' means saving, which I think is a way to save money so I don\'t have to pay for utilities.
The nomination date is November. 22.
11 days later, Scott applied urgently to become the guardian of Jones.
Jones was unable to keep up with her bills, she said, and the house was full of sundries and could no longer manage \"everyday life \".
Justice Philip M.
Morris approved the petition the next day.
About a year later, Jones decided to fight back.
A bank clerk told her that she was unable to redeem an already mature CD ---
Only Scott can.
Jones was upset and asked her paramedics to take her to the UKAPA senior center to see assistant counsel Barbara sefriz.
Jones looks very clear. Clear-headed-
Seifritz was surprised to learn that she was protected.
Bob fritz, the owner of non-profit inland county legal services, Bob Roddick.
At the hearing on March 2004, Roddick told Judge David.
Williams says Jones doesn\'t need a music administrator.
\"She seems perfectly capable of taking care of herself,\" Roddick said . \".
\"Well, we already have an administrator,\" the judge replied . \".
\"I have it, but I want to terminate it,\" Jones told him . \" She confided her concerns that Scott was draining the savings she had accumulated over 60 years.
The judge could have ended her administration on the spot or directed his staff to conduct an investigation. He did neither.
He appointed a lawyer to review Jones\'s financial handling, but handed her over to Scott.
By then, Jones had looked at Scott\'s expense record and found that her money went out almost three times as fast as it came in.
Scott\'s company is spending Jones\'s money at $84,000 a year, according to records.
Her annual income is about $27,000.
At the hearing on August 2004, the court-
The appointed lawyer, Donnasue Ortiz, challenged the costs and expenses of the nurses as \"excessive \".
Scott tried to justify the cost by saying Jones was \"on the verge of death\" when he stepped in.
She told the court that Jones had left a nursing home \"against medical advice,\" and that she was \"completely dehydrated and malnourished,\" with \"thousands of mice\" hidden in her garage, causing complaints from neighbors.
Jones called Scott\'s description \"a big fabrication \".
She said she stayed at a care facility for a few days after a fall in October 2002, but a social worker signed her up saying she didn\'t need to be there.
Two friends who drove her home confirmed her statement.
As for rats, Jones\'s three neighbors said in an interview that they had never seen or complained about mice.
In July, with the Music Academy operating, a frustrated Roddick filed a petition to end the situation.
A judge refused to listen to his arguments, saying he was not qualified to intervene.
A hearing is scheduled for December.
Jones will be represented by Ortiz.
\"I don\'t know what will happen,\" Jones said outside the court . \".
\"My age is not good for me, my hearing is bad for me.
\"From the moment the elderly are entrusted to a professional administrator, the meter is running.
The law allows administrators to spend money when they see fit and requires them to submit periodic reports.
The court must approve their costs, but there is no limit to their compensation by state law, beyond the \"reasonable\" scope.
Reports from The Times survey show that nurses have charged seniors a bill called \"driving\"
Check through the \"property and move furniture around the room.
Frances Dale, 90, paid her guardian $715 to accompany her to the party and inform her favorite niece that she had passed away and other services.
\"She needs someone to cry with her and mourn her own death,\" the administrator wrote in her bill.
Older people often pay for several layers of assistants employed by their guardians ---
Property Manager, family-
Nursing supervisor, case manager, etc.
They spend money on flowers, chocolates and other gifts on special occasions.
In the Christmas gift, a woman accidentally squandered herself: the man\'s cologne and a sock with her name were misspelled.
\"The word is saving.
\"You should protect people\'s property,\" says Richard Schwering, a La Mesa probate attorney . \".
\"The nursery is chewing the manor.
\"When older people or their families challenge the control of regulators, bills pile up faster.
Because the court does not consider the parties to be rivals, the Ward pays the legal bills of their guardians in addition to itself.
Even if conservatives are against the will of their clients, they are considered for their best interest. Street-smart and self-
Charles Thomas built a $18 car.
Invest in Burger King franchises and real estate in some of Los Angeles\'s toughest neighborhoods, the million empire.
After he was diagnosed with Parkinson\'s disease
Like symptoms, it is clear that he has to hand over control of his business.
Thomas has a complicated family with children who have been married several times.
He chose an outsider. -Labow --
To be the manager of his estate.
She was appointed in September 1998.
More than a year later, Thomas said in court
He was appointed as a lawyer and said he \"wanted to leave my life for frumeih Rabo \".
Rabb refused to go, saying that Thomas had chosen her before his illness affected his judgment.
Five years later, Mr. rabov was still in power.
Thomas paid $1.
A 1 million fee was charged to her, a lawyer hired by his relatives expelled her, and six lawyers hired by Labow stopped them and managed his property.
Thomas, 70, has a language barrier and can no longer speak for himself.
His family has accepted the fact that Labow will always exist in their lives.
\"If they fight with you with his money, you can\'t fight with them,\" his son Michael said . \".
Sarah can be trusted by the court.
The approved fee is the only compensation that the administrator has the right to manage customer affairs.
The Times found that at least 50 cases indicate that Guardians use their power over the assets of the elderly to benefit themselves or their friends, relatives or employers in other ways.
Many of their acts have been approved by the court, although they are often incomplete in information.
An administrator at Sacramento hired him.
Auction his stuff at his girlfriend\'s company and sell their house.
A nurse in San Francisco decorated his apartment with a client\'s precious Chinese painting.
Melody Scott admitted that she had another professional nurse, Sarah Kelly, rent it live
Free months at Glendale\'s client\'s home.
Kerley was married to Scott\'s brother.
Scott did not disclose their relationship in his report to the court.
In an interview, she said
Bedroom, Spanish-
The style house was in poor condition and Kerley was repaired in lieu of paying the rent and later in exchange for lowering the rent.
Scott said she did what she thought was best for the client, Jenny redingham.
\"There was never an intention to take advantage of Ms.
For the benefit of Sarah Kelly or myself, \"Scott said.
\"I thought I was a hero. . . .
This charming little house, this beautiful garden-
Can trust Sarah.
\"When Kerley lived there, Ledingham paid the water and electricity bill to the gardener and property manager Scott hired, as well as thousands of dollars.
Redingham is suffering from bipolar disorder and she is 51 years old when Scott controls her affairs.
Scott moved her into the board. and-
Take care of Kerley while staying in her house and later have an apartment.
When the school of music started working, ledinham\'s daughter, a sophomore at the Louis Anna College, said she was shocked by what happened.
These people have-
Candice ledinham said: \"administrator, lawyer, judgeRamos.
\"No one took care of my mother.
\"Marin seniors support service is a non-profit organization that serves the elderly and should take care of Flory Fairfield.
Fairfield is a retired real estate agent who has never been married, and she lives with her mini snow Daisy on the outskirts of the quiet bay area of ferfax.
Anne Smith, then director of Marin support services, told the court in March 2001 that he would become a Fairfield Guardian after Alzheimer\'s.
Dementia made her \"obviously unable to handle her own affairs or resist undue influence \".
Less than a month later, Fairfield, 82, signed a new will.
It was drafted by a lawyer representing Marin support services.
The will made the organization a major beneficiary of $1 at Fairfield. 1-
Manor and Smithexecutor.
Professional guardians are prohibited by California law from inheriting their wards in this case unless the will is reviewed by an independent lawyer or court.
There is no evidence that any step has been taken in the Fairfield case.
This law clearly applies to the individual protector.
It is not clear whether it applies to this situation at the moment, as the beneficiary of the will is the Marin support service, not Smith.
Nevertheless, experts say that because this creates a conflict of interest, neither the nursery nor their employer should be the heir to their clients.
\"So, what are their motivations for keeping customers alive?
\"Said Mitchell Karasov. law attorney.
Every penny spent on ward care, he said, would reduce the administrator\'s legacy.
William couwill, counsel for Marin support services, said he drafted the will at Fairfield\'s request.
She decided on how to distribute her wealth, he said.
\"Maybe it will make you look like a conflict of interest, but I have been a lawyer for many years and I am comfortable that it is in line with her wishes,\" kuhns said.
Kuhns raised $36,000 for his work on Fairfield conservation and heritage.
Four weeks after Fairfield signed the will, a judge found her dementia severe enough to disqualify her from voting.
When asked how Fairfield could be too crazy to vote, it could split millions.
Smith said she was unable to comment out of concerns about Fairfield privacy.
Generally speaking, she says people with dementia can still have a sound spirit in making such decisions.
\"Dementia is not black. and-
White disease, \"said Smith.
\"People can be very clear about some things and very confused about others.
\"After Fairfield\'s death, Marin support services inherited $675,000.
\"Lurking in the shadows\", even older people who organize affairs in advance can be pulled into this broken system.
Robert Mussett thinks his mother is ready.
Dorothy Mussett signed the document designating her son, then an engineer at Boeing, to make a decision for her when needed.
When she began to show signs of dementia, he arranged for her health care and managed the money she inherited from her father and made sales for Joseph magning.
On September 2002, Robert received a phone call from his mother\'s nursing home.
According to his knowledge, the Santa Barbara court appointed a professional music administrator for Dorothy, then 94 years old.
\"I hung up and almost crashed,\" recalls Robert . \".
His estranged daughter asked for a guardian who said he had moved her to a nursing home against Dorothy\'s will.
Her daughter has nominated Suzanne McNeilly, the leading figure at the Santa Barbara Conservatory of Music.
Robert said he moved his mother because it was dangerous for her to live at home in a weak state.
With the permission of the court, McKinley moved Dorothy Mussett back to her house and hired her own company to providethe-
She has been trying to charge $68,000 for four months.
Robert eventually convinced a court to make him the Guardian his mother wanted and cut McNeilly\'s total bill from $80,600 to about $24,000.
Judge J. said: \"You bring a matter that should not come to the court . \"
William McCafferty told McNeilly and her lawyer.
Despite the victory, Robert Mussett said his legal costs had risen by $50,000.
McNeely appealed to the judge to reduce her costs and finally agreed to add $5,000.
Dorothy died in March 2003.
Her son said he was strangely grateful for her illness because her illness protected her from the fierce tug-of-war that poisoned her for the last few months.
\"If my mom knew about it, she would die,\" he said . \".
State parole officer Gerardine Brown did not know what the regulator was until one night in May 2000 when she retrieved a letter from her mailbox.
It says there\'s a stranger who\'s going to be her 86-year-
Guardian of old mother
12 hours later, a judge will hear the case in Los Angeles. -
Brown is 375 miles from his home outside Sacramento.
Brown got into her car and drove all the way south, all night.
\"I don\'t have time to hire a lawyer,\" she said . \".
\"I stand before the judge and have no idea what I will face.
Brown\'s mother, Charlotte Shelton, is a retired biochemist whose work in the Navy has opened the way for a woman of her time. Brown --
Her only child. -
She said she often called Shelton in an attempt to convince her to be closer to her remaining family in poor health.
Shelton stubbornly sticks to her home in Eagle Rock.
Scott, who had the same Guardian Sarah Kelly at the client\'s house, told the court\'s Dr. Shelton to get her in.
Kerley arranged a psychiatric assessment that resulted in Shelton being involuntarily hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital.
Kerley then submits the document to become her guardian.
The judge temporarily appointed Kerley in court.
The appointed lawyer assessed the situation of Shelton.
Three weeks later, Counsel reported that he had no reason for Brown not to take responsibility for her mother, as long as she did not take her from Southern California.
When the judge approved the change, Brown thought the administrator had gone. Not so.
Kelly continues to work hard in Shelton\'s life to challenge Brown, who should pick her mother\'s doctor and who should be her permanent guardian.
In the end, Brown said, she agreed that her mother would pay Kelly and her lawyer if Kelly was not involved in family affairs.
Just as the settlement was finalized, Shelton died.
Later, the receiver and her lawyer charged nearly $18,000 from Shelton\'s estate.
Kerley did not respond to requests for comment.
\"These people are just lurking in the shadows,\" Brown said . \".
\"It\'s just chilling to think it will happen to anyone. \"Postier vs.
13 days from September 2002, the San Jose court played the most rare scene.
A lawyer for an old woman named Ruth Post brought a professional nurse to court for trial, accusing him of violating her rights and wasting her money.
Russell Marshall
The famous Santa Clara County nurse received an emergency appointment in August 2000 to take care of the then 77-year-old porthir and 80-year-old husband Ed.
Before that, poachers struggled to get by with the help of their friends.
They got married in their teens, without children and close relatives.
Their income is only social insurance because they have exhausted their savings from the upholstery business.
Their house is their only real asset, worth more than $500,000 despite crumbling roofs and exposed wires.
It holds memories for decades, including the Ribbon Wall won by their champion Dubin stardust.
During Marshall\'s eight months as their guardian, those police officers were annoyed by his authority.
After Ed allegedly threatened Ruth in an argument, Marshall transferred him to a locked nursing home without the necessary court permission.
Later, he moved the poachers into a separate apartment in an assisted apartment.
Sell their house.
Marshall also ran out of their meager resources and generated unpaid bills of more than $50,000.
He hired a family therapist and paid her $65 an hour to not only advise the couple, but also shop for pillowcases, waste paper baskets and other household items.
Two months later, a court investigator came to inspect the police.
They complained about Marshall.
Public defender Mallory Street was assigned to represent the couple and he objected when the Guardian asked him to temporarily control their affairs.
Marshall defended his actions in an interview.
\"They want me to be their admin because they want to move,\" he said . \".
He said he had carefully planned the cost of the police and that he would not be in debt if the Street opposition did not delay his efforts to sell the house.
In April 2001, Ed died and the county Public Guardian was responsible for Ruth.
Following Marshall\'s final report, Street asked the court to approve his abuse of her client.
When the matter was heard, the videotaped testimony provided by Ruth a few months ago was presented in court.
She had a stroke, barely understood, and could not testify in person.
Instead, her frayed face appeared on the TV screen and oxygen flowed out of her nose.
\"Do you want a lady?
To Sue Russell Marshall?
\"The Guardian\'s lawyer asked her.
\"Well, he certainly didn\'t do the right thing to me,\" replied Postier . \".
\"He messed up my life.
She described how one night, when she had dinner, the administrator began to remove her belongings from her home.
\"Whether I like it or not, just drag it out,\" she said . \".
Postier said that for so many years, she never thought about leaving the house she shared with her husband.
Although they often quarrel, she once told a friend that she wanted their tombstone to say, \"Ruth and Ed porthtier will always be together.
She raised her hands trembling to cover her eyes.
\"I went through hell,\" she said . \".
Supreme Court Judge Thomas Hansen found that Marshall increased the poet\'s liability and moved away without proper authorization.
Nevertheless, he did not believe that Marshall\'s actions constituted abuse of the elderly.
Hansen awarded Ruth a nominal loss of $1, saying it was impossible to measure financially what harm Marshall\'s actions had done to her (if any ).
The judge gave Marshall and his legal team $75,000.
Later, porthtier\'s own lawyer took the money more than twice and swallowed her estate.
The people on the street were shocked.
\"The case made me bend,\" she said . \"
\"There are no regulations designed to protect my clients.
\"Shortly before Ruth porthtier\'s death in May 29, 2003, her caregiver handed Marshall\'s cheque to her. It was for $1. 02.
Loss plus interest
Maloy Moore, a researcher at The Times, contributed to the report. *(
Start text of the infobox)
Emergency appointments between 1997 and 2003, more than half of all regulatory agencies submitted by professionals in Southern California were urgently approved by the court, it is common to bypass the preliminary assessment of court investigators and other safeguards designed to protect the rights of war.
There are a total of 1,160 emergency appointments. --
56%-Grant without notice of premium or family-
Prior to the appointment of a lawyer: 64%--
Pre-report approval of court investigators: 92%--
Source: probate records of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.
Data analysis of Maloy Moore (
Start text of the infobox)
The aging population expects the proportion of Americans aged 65 and over to grow between now and 2030, and the number of people aged 85 and over will also increase.
Percentage of population, 2000-
2030: United States-
65 and older 2000: 12% 2030 forecast: 20% *-
85 and older 2000: 2% 2030 forecast: 3% * California-
65 and older 2000: 11% 2030 forecast: 17% *-
85 and older 2000: 1% 2030 forecast: 2% * Southern California-
65 and older 2000: 10% 2030 forecast: 17% *-
85 and older 2000: 1% 2030 forecast: 2% * Source: California Treasury Census Bureau, Times report.
Moore Maloy graphic report *(
Start text of the infobox)
Counsel recommends taking one or more of the next steps to avoid the regulator or to make sure that the person you trust is in charge of your affairs.
A lasting power of attorney assigns a person to manage your finances.
It does not need to be drafted by a lawyer, but it must be notarized if real estate is involved.
If you are not going to use a lawyer, ask for the \"statutory\" form at the stationery store or look for it on the Internet.
The pre-health care directive authorizes a friend or lover to make a medical decision for you.
Creating a kit can be ordered online through the California Medical Association. (www. cmanet. org).
If the court considers it necessary, nominate someone in advance to serve as your Guardian.
Revocable trusts, also known as live trusts, designate a person to manage your assets outside the jurisdiction of the court while you are alive and after death, thus avoiding the cost of probate certification.
Trust documents must be submitted to your bank and other financial institutions.
Be sure to inform you of the person designated to make a decision for you.
Give them a copy of the appropriate documents and tell them where the original has been filed.
Source: California Medical Association;
Irell & Manella; Mitchell A. Karasov;
American Bar Association
* This series of caring for the elderly and the weak and sick was once a family affair.
Now, it\'s a business.
In the preparation of this change, in the field of journalist Robin, Evelyn Larrubia and gerkelina and fellow Maloy Moore checked more than 2,400 cases recorded since 1997.
They also conducted hundreds of interviews. -
There are probate lawyers, judges and independent experts, as well as guardians and their loved ones.
Monday: How the probate court disappointed the elderly.
Tuesday: the cause of a conservative is in trouble. Wednesday: L. A.
Public Guardian-
Commitment to cancellation
See a photo gallery online, share your experience, ask a reporter a question and visit latimes.
She is not allowed to answer the phone.
Her mail was blocked.
She can\'t spend her own money.
87-year-old Jones, a child of the Great Depression, worked hard for decades driving rivets into World War II fighter jets, making ties, and getting the bristles into nailspolish brushes.
She saved up frantically, saving $560,000 for her later years.
Three years ago, when a woman named Melody Scott told a court in San Bernardino that Jones could not manage herself, her life changed.
The judge asked Scott without asking Jones. -
Someone she never met. -
Her legal guardian.
Scott is a professional music administrator.
It is her responsibility to protect Jones and her nest eggs.
Scott has spent at least $200,000 so far.
The money has been used to cover Scott\'s expenses, fill Jones\'s house with new appliances she doesn\'t want, and hire waiters to supervise her around the clock, as well as other expenses.
Jones grabbed what was going on, found a lawyer and tried to put an end to Scott\'s control over her, but failed.
\"I don\'t want to be a burden on anyone,\" she told the judge almost apologetically.
\"I just want to be alone.
Jones\'s world has shrunk.
She called before. A-
Ride to the market or sit in the driveway and chat with neighbors.
Now she watches TV in the living room of UKAPA and sees a basin of yellow plastic flowers and lights without shadows.
In addition to watching free movies at the local premium Center every Friday, caretakers rarely take her out of her house.
\"I was frustrated because I didn\'t know my way out,\" she said . \" She sat next to one of Scott\'s assistants.
\"There must be a way out.
\"Jones\'s Guardian is part of a young, growing, largely unregulated trade in California.
Conservation begins as a way to help families protect weak relatives from predators and self-harmneglect.
As a final recourse, the court receives basic freedoms from adult men and women and gives administrators full authority over their property, money and the smallest details of life.
But lawmakers and judges did not expect professionals to turn family affairs into businesses.
In the hands of this new type of entrepreneur, a system designed to protect the elderly and the weak tends to disappoint them.
The Times reviewed the work of professional nurses in California and reviewed more than 2,400 cases, including every case they handled in Southern California between 1997 and 2003.
In the findings: * The Elderly lost their independence at an alarming rate.
More than 500 people were commissioned
At the hearing, which lasted for several minutes, profit administrators did not agree with them.
85-year-old retired candy company boss Donald Van Ness doesn\'t know what happened to him until he tries to pay for lunch in San Diego
His credit card was canceled.
* Some admins abuse their proximity
Parents\' power over vulnerable adults, ignoring their needs, and isolating them from their loved ones.
One of them detained the food allowance on which a disabled person was dependent, allowing him to survive on the charity of the church.
Another suddenly moved a 95-year-
For a month, an old woman refused to tell her daughter where she was.
* In the worst case, the administrator plundered the legacy of the elderly. One took 88-year-
Old Telma rabbis saved money for paying taxes and investing in a friend\'s restaurant.
Helen Smith\'s housekeeper secretly sold Smith\'s house at a discount. -to herself.
The administrator\'s daughter later resold it for three times the price.
* More often, nurses charge fees in large and small ways to erode the assets of the elderly.
A music administrator charged a Los Angeles woman $170 for an employee to bring $49.
Groceries worth 93
Palm Springs widow Mary Edelman has been paying from outside the grave: her guardian charged her estate $1,700 for attending the funeral.
* This is difficult once in the hands of the admin--and expensive --
Let the elderly go out.
Courts often force them not only to pay their own legal fees, but also to pay the legal fees of unwanted guardians.
In 15 months, Theresa Herrera\'s grandson removed her guardian, which was almost 92-year-
The old $265,000 property is running out.
\"It\'s really scary,\" said Mitchell kalasov, a North Hollywood lawyer who specializes in old-age law.
\"Do you want this to happen to you?
That\'s what we\'re looking forward ---
When we no longer have a voice, we will be one-off.
\"There are about 500 professional administrators in California, overseeing $1.
Assets 5 billion.
They have at least 4,600 of California\'s most vulnerable adults.
However, they are subject to less state regulation than hair stylists or tour guides --dog trainers.
No agency licensed administrators or investigated their complaints.
The probate court should supervise their work.
However, supervision is unstable and superficial.
Even if there is a problematic act to their attention, the judge rarely takes action against the Guardian.
Three of the last four governors have rejected legislation that should have strengthened regulation.
This seriously flawed system is about to be hit by a wave of population.
S. population over 65 is expected to double to 2030.
Experts predict that up to 10% of people will have Alzheimer\'s disease.
Helen Jones says she has been afraid of the kind of old-age life she is now marked by child-like dependence.
Jones said that she only got married briefly and very late in her life and that she had been doing it for herself, even if she was a child, where she was looking for coal along the railroad to help her family warm up.
Before Scott enters her life, she keeps her financial records in the accordion file, pays bills in time, knows how much she has until a penny.
She is almost deaf, and a rare neurological condition limits her ability to move.
But she can still go to the bank and bring her clothes to the local laundromat.
\"She\'s in charge,\" said Alice Wilson, a neighbor for more than three decades. \"She\'s a self-
Enough people.
\"As the guardian of Jones, Scott took over her checking account and paid her an allowance, initially $50 every two weeks.
Scott began to improve Jones\'s pale plaster house with central air conditioning, a new refrigerator and a washer and dryer.
Scott paid his sister $1,550 to paint the house.
Jones was in pain to see someone else spend her money.
Too frugal, she still has a red one
She wore a knitted sweater 60 years ago and when Scott paid $40 for a Christmas tree, she even complained.
Jones said the plastic one in her garage was fine.
The decision on her health care is another source of debate.
Scott said in court papers that a few months after becoming her guardian, she had received medical records indicating that Jones had been diagnosed with mental division.
Scott\'s staff began to take Jones to a psychiatrist.
He prescribed Zyprexa, a drug for the treatment of mental division and bipolar disorder.
Jones refused to accept it, saying she did not have either.
Gerlie Kirbac, an assistant hired by Scott, said an administrator\'s subordinate told her to crush the drug into Jones\'s food, but she refused.
Kirbac said she also took Jones to the bank so she could check her money and get fired for it.
\"Melody told me I couldn\'t cope with Helen,\" she said . \".
\"I said, what kind of handle do you want?
Scott, 47, said she could not discuss the case because Jones\'s medical history was private and her complaint was the subject of the lawsuit.
\"It would be very immoral to go against the Lady\'s request.
\"Jones\'s right to dignity and secrecy,\" Scott said in a statement . \".
In a routine Bill and expense list she recently submitted, Scott said Jones was \"alert, talkative, stubborn, independent, and often paranoid \".
She also said Jones was mentally divided.
Jones carefully commented on a copy of his report, circled \"mental division\" in the blank space and wrote a comment: \"BS.
\"At the beginning of the year, when Jones tried to fight for independence, she lost her brother, Frank Janicek.
He was her last family and she called on Sunday.
Former Douglas airplane worker who served in Africa during World War II, Janicek, died of pneumonia on January at the age of 85.
Jones wanted him to have a traditional funeral.
An earlier experience made her strongly opposed cremation.
But after learning that Jones had an administrator, the funeral home called Scott, who arranged for the disposal of Janicek\'s body.
During the parade, a caretaker drove Jones to the Riverside National Cemetery and pushed her wheelchair to a shelter the size of a bus stop.
A trumpeter is tapping.
Two women in uniform folded an American flag and gave it to Jones.
She was pleased to see her brother rest in military honor.
But she noticed that there was no coffin.
Instead, it was a brass urn with Janicek Ashes.
The concept of conservatives can be traced back at least to medieval England, where guardians are appointed to manage the property of people who are considered \"crazy. \"In the U. S.
California has been a model of the human system for decades.
The state took the lead in legislation in 1970s and 1960 to prevent arbitrary or unnecessary regulation.
Guarantee that the adult is notified in advance of the court hearing, the appointment of a guardian, as well as the right of legal representative and jury trial.
Members of Congress believe that the Conservatives are family members or friends. 1969 John M.
Mills, an economics professor at El Camino College, rented a room at a church in downtown Los Angeles and opened a business believed to be the first music management company in the state.
Twenty years later, after the state attorney general\'s office accused Mills of financial irregularities, a court expelled him from the industry.
By that time, he had inspired many others to enter the field.
In most cases, loved ones are still Guardians of the elderly who are incapacitated.
But now in Southern California, about 15% of the cases are handled by professionals.
While some have only a few clients, others run thriving businesses and manage the lives of more than 100 adults.
The goal of an elite group is to be rich seniors, employing a large number of employees, up to $135 an hour.
The regulator is in the same position as lawyers, accountants and investment companies.
However, they do not have to get a degree or pass a licensing exam compared to these occupations.
Anyone with a clean felony record who pays a state registration fee of $385 can enter the industry.
Until now, basic standards have not been implemented by the state.
Starting next year, childcare staff will need a university degree, experience in the field or a certain level of training.
However, most existing practitioners will not be affected.
Administrators look for customers by sponsoring a network of senior centers for breakfast and legal lunches.
When residents get too bad to pay the rent, the nursing home calls them and wants the administrator to write a check for them.
When the patient exceeds the insurance, the hospital calls them in the hope that the administrator will transfer them elsewhere.
Once the Guardian has identified a potential client, they can appear in court and file a lawsuit without the client\'s approval.
With very few exceptions, they look for rich people.
Frumeh Labow, the busiest administrator in Los Angeles, set a minimum of $300,000--
If the client lives that long enough to guarantee her salary for at least a few years.
The threshold for other nurses is relatively low.
\"If the person had six months, the doctor told me that she had advanced cancer and that she had only $30,000, I would have taken the opportunity,\" said Jeffrey Siegel . \", He had a big show in Los Angeles.
In many cases, professional nurses do admirable work.
Some have saved the elderly from cheats or stolen relatives.
Others ensure that lonely adults spend their last day with dignity.
After their money runs out, many people continue to serve their customers.
\"We are doing this business to help people and protect people,\" said Ron Patterson, president of professional trust. of California.
\"I believe that we have no one here to enrich ourselves in any way other than the natural way of doing business.
\"But even some nurses admit that they don\'t want it themselves.
\"I can decide who they see.
\"I can put them in a nursing home,\" Rabb said . \".
\"In addition to being imprisoned, this is the greatest imposition on your civil liberties.
\"In administrators who control the profession, the speed will soon become unstable.
In many courts, they were given an emergency appointment on the day of their request, based on a short form they swore that potential customers could not take care of themselves.
These hasty hearings are aimed at cases in which the elderly are at imminent danger.
But The Times found that professional nurses have made them the norm.
More than half of their cases in Southern California started like this.
Under the law, adults are entitled to attend an emergency hearing.
However, in more than half of the cases reviewed by The Times, they were not formally notified.
Usually, after the Guardian tells them that the future Ward is too weak to appear in court, the judge will waive this request.
By making an appointment immediately, professionals can control the elderly before the safeguards required in non-emergency situations begin.
For example, in 9 of the 10 emergency cases, the ward was not interviewed by court investigators until the judge decided that a guardian was needed.
The incident that led to the Jones academy of music began in November 2002 when an accidental acquaintance, Cindy gulula, took her to the bank.
After Gurrola expressed concern about jones\'s benefits, a bank employee gave her a business card for redland, which serves the elderly.
Gurrola said she called and gave the address of jones, an employee.
Gurulla said there was no mention of the music administrator or that Jones would give up legal control over her affairs.
About a week later, Jones said she was taking a nap at home when a woman walked in and woke her up.
The woman said she was careful.
Jones says she thinks it means alternative interest rates and energy in California, and Edison in Southern California has reduced
Rate plan for the elderly.
Jones signed one.
Paragraph document, don\'t bother to look at it.
In fact, the woman works for the conservation and resource department of the senior company.
Companies owned by Melodie Scott
The document says Jones nominated Scott as her guardian.
\"I slept here and someone patted me on the shoulder and said sign the word,\" Jones said . \".
\"Stupid, I signed, I don\'t know what I signed.
\"To me \'economy\' means saving, which I think is a way to save money so I don\'t have to pay for utilities.
The nomination date is November. 22.
11 days later, Scott applied urgently to become the guardian of Jones.
Jones was unable to keep up with her bills, she said, and the house was full of sundries and could no longer manage \"everyday life \".
Justice Philip M.
Morris approved the petition the next day.
About a year later, Jones decided to fight back.
A bank clerk told her that she was unable to redeem an already mature CD ---
Only Scott can.
Jones was upset and asked her paramedics to take her to the UKAPA senior center to see assistant counsel Barbara sefriz.
Jones looks very clear. Clear-headed-
Seifritz was surprised to learn that she was protected.
Bob fritz, the owner of non-profit inland county legal services, Bob Roddick.
At the hearing on March 2004, Roddick told Judge David.
Williams says Jones doesn\'t need a music administrator.
\"She seems perfectly capable of taking care of herself,\" Roddick said . \".
\"Well, we already have an administrator,\" the judge replied . \".
\"I have it, but I want to terminate it,\" Jones told him . \" She confided her concerns that Scott was draining the savings she had accumulated over 60 years.
The judge could have ended her administration on the spot or directed his staff to conduct an investigation. He did neither.
He appointed a lawyer to review Jones\'s financial handling, but handed her over to Scott.
By then, Jones had looked at Scott\'s expense record and found that her money went out almost three times as fast as it came in.
Scott\'s company is spending Jones\'s money at $84,000 a year, according to records.
Her annual income is about $27,000.
At the hearing on August 2004, the court-
The appointed lawyer, Donnasue Ortiz, challenged the costs and expenses of the nurses as \"excessive \".
Scott tried to justify the cost by saying Jones was \"on the verge of death\" when he stepped in.
She told the court that Jones had left a nursing home \"against medical advice,\" and that she was \"completely dehydrated and malnourished,\" with \"thousands of mice\" hidden in her garage, causing complaints from neighbors.
Jones called Scott\'s description \"a big fabrication \".
She said she stayed at a care facility for a few days after a fall in October 2002, but a social worker signed her up saying she didn\'t need to be there.
Two friends who drove her home confirmed her statement.
As for rats, Jones\'s three neighbors said in an interview that they had never seen or complained about mice.
In July, with the Music Academy operating, a frustrated Roddick filed a petition to end the situation.
A judge refused to listen to his arguments, saying he was not qualified to intervene.
A hearing is scheduled for December.
Jones will be represented by Ortiz.
\"I don\'t know what will happen,\" Jones said outside the court . \".
\"My age is not good for me, my hearing is bad for me.
\"From the moment the elderly are entrusted to a professional administrator, the meter is running.
The law allows administrators to spend money when they see fit and requires them to submit periodic reports.
The court must approve their costs, but there is no limit to their compensation by state law, beyond the \"reasonable\" scope.
Reports from The Times survey show that nurses have charged seniors a bill called \"driving\"
Check through the \"property and move furniture around the room.
Frances Dale, 90, paid her guardian $715 to accompany her to the party and inform her favorite niece that she had passed away and other services.
\"She needs someone to cry with her and mourn her own death,\" the administrator wrote in her bill.
Older people often pay for several layers of assistants employed by their guardians ---
Property Manager, family-
Nursing supervisor, case manager, etc.
They spend money on flowers, chocolates and other gifts on special occasions.
In the Christmas gift, a woman accidentally squandered herself: the man\'s cologne and a sock with her name were misspelled.
\"The word is saving.
\"You should protect people\'s property,\" says Richard Schwering, a La Mesa probate attorney . \".
\"The nursery is chewing the manor.
\"When older people or their families challenge the control of regulators, bills pile up faster.
Because the court does not consider the parties to be rivals, the Ward pays the legal bills of their guardians in addition to itself.
Even if conservatives are against the will of their clients, they are considered for their best interest. Street-smart and self-
Charles Thomas built a $18 car.
Invest in Burger King franchises and real estate in some of Los Angeles\'s toughest neighborhoods, the million empire.
After he was diagnosed with Parkinson\'s disease
Like symptoms, it is clear that he has to hand over control of his business.
Thomas has a complicated family with children who have been married several times.
He chose an outsider. -Labow --
To be the manager of his estate.
She was appointed in September 1998.
More than a year later, Thomas said in court
He was appointed as a lawyer and said he \"wanted to leave my life for frumeih Rabo \".
Rabb refused to go, saying that Thomas had chosen her before his illness affected his judgment.
Five years later, Mr. rabov was still in power.
Thomas paid $1.
A 1 million fee was charged to her, a lawyer hired by his relatives expelled her, and six lawyers hired by Labow stopped them and managed his property.
Thomas, 70, has a language barrier and can no longer speak for himself.
His family has accepted the fact that Labow will always exist in their lives.
\"If they fight with you with his money, you can\'t fight with them,\" his son Michael said . \".
Sarah can be trusted by the court.
The approved fee is the only compensation that the administrator has the right to manage customer affairs.
The Times found that at least 50 cases indicate that Guardians use their power over the assets of the elderly to benefit themselves or their friends, relatives or employers in other ways.
Many of their acts have been approved by the court, although they are often incomplete in information.
An administrator at Sacramento hired him.
Auction his stuff at his girlfriend\'s company and sell their house.
A nurse in San Francisco decorated his apartment with a client\'s precious Chinese painting.
Melody Scott admitted that she had another professional nurse, Sarah Kelly, rent it live
Free months at Glendale\'s client\'s home.
Kerley was married to Scott\'s brother.
Scott did not disclose their relationship in his report to the court.
In an interview, she said
Bedroom, Spanish-
The style house was in poor condition and Kerley was repaired in lieu of paying the rent and later in exchange for lowering the rent.
Scott said she did what she thought was best for the client, Jenny redingham.
\"There was never an intention to take advantage of Ms.
For the benefit of Sarah Kelly or myself, \"Scott said.
\"I thought I was a hero. . . .
This charming little house, this beautiful garden-
Can trust Sarah.
\"When Kerley lived there, Ledingham paid the water and electricity bill to the gardener and property manager Scott hired, as well as thousands of dollars.
Redingham is suffering from bipolar disorder and she is 51 years old when Scott controls her affairs.
Scott moved her into the board. and-
Take care of Kerley while staying in her house and later have an apartment.
When the school of music started working, ledinham\'s daughter, a sophomore at the Louis Anna College, said she was shocked by what happened.
These people have-
Candice ledinham said: \"administrator, lawyer, judgeRamos.
\"No one took care of my mother.
\"Marin seniors support service is a non-profit organization that serves the elderly and should take care of Flory Fairfield.
Fairfield is a retired real estate agent who has never been married, and she lives with her mini snow Daisy on the outskirts of the quiet bay area of ferfax.
Anne Smith, then director of Marin support services, told the court in March 2001 that he would become a Fairfield Guardian after Alzheimer\'s.
Dementia made her \"obviously unable to handle her own affairs or resist undue influence \".
Less than a month later, Fairfield, 82, signed a new will.
It was drafted by a lawyer representing Marin support services.
The will made the organization a major beneficiary of $1 at Fairfield. 1-
Manor and Smithexecutor.
Professional guardians are prohibited by California law from inheriting their wards in this case unless the will is reviewed by an independent lawyer or court.
There is no evidence that any step has been taken in the Fairfield case.
This law clearly applies to the individual protector.
It is not clear whether it applies to this situation at the moment, as the beneficiary of the will is the Marin support service, not Smith.
Nevertheless, experts say that because this creates a conflict of interest, neither the nursery nor their employer should be the heir to their clients.
\"So, what are their motivations for keeping customers alive?
\"Said Mitchell Karasov. law attorney.
Every penny spent on ward care, he said, would reduce the administrator\'s legacy.
William couwill, counsel for Marin support services, said he drafted the will at Fairfield\'s request.
She decided on how to distribute her wealth, he said.
\"Maybe it will make you look like a conflict of interest, but I have been a lawyer for many years and I am comfortable that it is in line with her wishes,\" kuhns said.
Kuhns raised $36,000 for his work on Fairfield conservation and heritage.
Four weeks after Fairfield signed the will, a judge found her dementia severe enough to disqualify her from voting.
When asked how Fairfield could be too crazy to vote, it could split millions.
Smith said she was unable to comment out of concerns about Fairfield privacy.
Generally speaking, she says people with dementia can still have a sound spirit in making such decisions.
\"Dementia is not black. and-
White disease, \"said Smith.
\"People can be very clear about some things and very confused about others.
\"After Fairfield\'s death, Marin support services inherited $675,000.
\"Lurking in the shadows\", even older people who organize affairs in advance can be pulled into this broken system.
Robert Mussett thinks his mother is ready.
Dorothy Mussett signed the document designating her son, then an engineer at Boeing, to make a decision for her when needed.
When she began to show signs of dementia, he arranged for her health care and managed the money she inherited from her father and made sales for Joseph magning.
On September 2002, Robert received a phone call from his mother\'s nursing home.
According to his knowledge, the Santa Barbara court appointed a professional music administrator for Dorothy, then 94 years old.
\"I hung up and almost crashed,\" recalls Robert . \".
His estranged daughter asked for a guardian who said he had moved her to a nursing home against Dorothy\'s will.
Her daughter has nominated Suzanne McNeilly, the leading figure at the Santa Barbara Conservatory of Music.
Robert said he moved his mother because it was dangerous for her to live at home in a weak state.
With the permission of the court, McKinley moved Dorothy Mussett back to her house and hired her own company to providethe-
She has been trying to charge $68,000 for four months.
Robert eventually convinced a court to make him the Guardian his mother wanted and cut McNeilly\'s total bill from $80,600 to about $24,000.
Judge J. said: \"You bring a matter that should not come to the court . \"
William McCafferty told McNeilly and her lawyer.
Despite the victory, Robert Mussett said his legal costs had risen by $50,000.
McNeely appealed to the judge to reduce her costs and finally agreed to add $5,000.
Dorothy died in March 2003.
Her son said he was strangely grateful for her illness because her illness protected her from the fierce tug-of-war that poisoned her for the last few months.
\"If my mom knew about it, she would die,\" he said . \".
State parole officer Gerardine Brown did not know what the regulator was until one night in May 2000 when she retrieved a letter from her mailbox.
It says there\'s a stranger who\'s going to be her 86-year-
Guardian of old mother
12 hours later, a judge will hear the case in Los Angeles. -
Brown is 375 miles from his home outside Sacramento.
Brown got into her car and drove all the way south, all night.
\"I don\'t have time to hire a lawyer,\" she said . \".
\"I stand before the judge and have no idea what I will face.
Brown\'s mother, Charlotte Shelton, is a retired biochemist whose work in the Navy has opened the way for a woman of her time. Brown --
Her only child. -
She said she often called Shelton in an attempt to convince her to be closer to her remaining family in poor health.
Shelton stubbornly sticks to her home in Eagle Rock.
Scott, who had the same Guardian Sarah Kelly at the client\'s house, told the court\'s Dr. Shelton to get her in.
Kerley arranged a psychiatric assessment that resulted in Shelton being involuntarily hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital.
Kerley then submits the document to become her guardian.
The judge temporarily appointed Kerley in court.
The appointed lawyer assessed the situation of Shelton.
Three weeks later, Counsel reported that he had no reason for Brown not to take responsibility for her mother, as long as she did not take her from Southern California.
When the judge approved the change, Brown thought the administrator had gone. Not so.
Kelly continues to work hard in Shelton\'s life to challenge Brown, who should pick her mother\'s doctor and who should be her permanent guardian.
In the end, Brown said, she agreed that her mother would pay Kelly and her lawyer if Kelly was not involved in family affairs.
Just as the settlement was finalized, Shelton died.
Later, the receiver and her lawyer charged nearly $18,000 from Shelton\'s estate.
Kerley did not respond to requests for comment.
\"These people are just lurking in the shadows,\" Brown said . \".
\"It\'s just chilling to think it will happen to anyone. \"Postier vs.
13 days from September 2002, the San Jose court played the most rare scene.
A lawyer for an old woman named Ruth Post brought a professional nurse to court for trial, accusing him of violating her rights and wasting her money.
Russell Marshall
The famous Santa Clara County nurse received an emergency appointment in August 2000 to take care of the then 77-year-old porthir and 80-year-old husband Ed.
Before that, poachers struggled to get by with the help of their friends.
They got married in their teens, without children and close relatives.
Their income is only social insurance because they have exhausted their savings from the upholstery business.
Their house is their only real asset, worth more than $500,000 despite crumbling roofs and exposed wires.
It holds memories for decades, including the Ribbon Wall won by their champion Dubin stardust.
During Marshall\'s eight months as their guardian, those police officers were annoyed by his authority.
After Ed allegedly threatened Ruth in an argument, Marshall transferred him to a locked nursing home without the necessary court permission.
Later, he moved the poachers into a separate apartment in an assisted apartment.
Sell their house.
Marshall also ran out of their meager resources and generated unpaid bills of more than $50,000.
He hired a family therapist and paid her $65 an hour to not only advise the couple, but also shop for pillowcases, waste paper baskets and other household items.
Two months later, a court investigator came to inspect the police.
They complained about Marshall.
Public defender Mallory Street was assigned to represent the couple and he objected when the Guardian asked him to temporarily control their affairs.
Marshall defended his actions in an interview.
\"They want me to be their admin because they want to move,\" he said . \".
He said he had carefully planned the cost of the police and that he would not be in debt if the Street opposition did not delay his efforts to sell the house.
In April 2001, Ed died and the county Public Guardian was responsible for Ruth.
Following Marshall\'s final report, Street asked the court to approve his abuse of her client.
When the matter was heard, the videotaped testimony provided by Ruth a few months ago was presented in court.
She had a stroke, barely understood, and could not testify in person.
Instead, her frayed face appeared on the TV screen and oxygen flowed out of her nose.
\"Do you want a lady?
To Sue Russell Marshall?
\"The Guardian\'s lawyer asked her.
\"Well, he certainly didn\'t do the right thing to me,\" replied Postier . \".
\"He messed up my life.
She described how one night, when she had dinner, the administrator began to remove her belongings from her home.
\"Whether I like it or not, just drag it out,\" she said . \".
Postier said that for so many years, she never thought about leaving the house she shared with her husband.
Although they often quarrel, she once told a friend that she wanted their tombstone to say, \"Ruth and Ed porthtier will always be together.
She raised her hands trembling to cover her eyes.
\"I went through hell,\" she said . \".
Supreme Court Judge Thomas Hansen found that Marshall increased the poet\'s liability and moved away without proper authorization.
Nevertheless, he did not believe that Marshall\'s actions constituted abuse of the elderly.
Hansen awarded Ruth a nominal loss of $1, saying it was impossible to measure financially what harm Marshall\'s actions had done to her (if any ).
The judge gave Marshall and his legal team $75,000.
Later, porthtier\'s own lawyer took the money more than twice and swallowed her estate.
The people on the street were shocked.
\"The case made me bend,\" she said . \"
\"There are no regulations designed to protect my clients.
\"Shortly before Ruth porthtier\'s death in May 29, 2003, her caregiver handed Marshall\'s cheque to her. It was for $1. 02.
Loss plus interest
Maloy Moore, a researcher at The Times, contributed to the report. *(
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Emergency appointments between 1997 and 2003, more than half of all regulatory agencies submitted by professionals in Southern California were urgently approved by the court, it is common to bypass the preliminary assessment of court investigators and other safeguards designed to protect the rights of war.
There are a total of 1,160 emergency appointments. --
56%-Grant without notice of premium or family-
Prior to the appointment of a lawyer: 64%--
Pre-report approval of court investigators: 92%--
Source: probate records of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.
Data analysis of Maloy Moore (
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The aging population expects the proportion of Americans aged 65 and over to grow between now and 2030, and the number of people aged 85 and over will also increase.
Percentage of population, 2000-
2030: United States-
65 and older 2000: 12% 2030 forecast: 20% *-
85 and older 2000: 2% 2030 forecast: 3% * California-
65 and older 2000: 11% 2030 forecast: 17% *-
85 and older 2000: 1% 2030 forecast: 2% * Southern California-
65 and older 2000: 10% 2030 forecast: 17% *-
85 and older 2000: 1% 2030 forecast: 2% * Source: California Treasury Census Bureau, Times report.
Moore Maloy graphic report *(
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Counsel recommends taking one or more of the next steps to avoid the regulator or to make sure that the person you trust is in charge of your affairs.
A lasting power of attorney assigns a person to manage your finances.
It does not need to be drafted by a lawyer, but it must be notarized if real estate is involved.
If you are not going to use a lawyer, ask for the \"statutory\" form at the stationery store or look for it on the Internet.
The pre-health care directive authorizes a friend or lover to make a medical decision for you.
Creating a kit can be ordered online through the California Medical Association. (www. cmanet. org).
If the court considers it necessary, nominate someone in advance to serve as your Guardian.
Revocable trusts, also known as live trusts, designate a person to manage your assets outside the jurisdiction of the court while you are alive and after death, thus avoiding the cost of probate certification.
Trust documents must be submitted to your bank and other financial institutions.
Be sure to inform you of the person designated to make a decision for you.
Give them a copy of the appropriate documents and tell them where the original has been filed.
Source: California Medical Association;
Irell & Manella; Mitchell A. Karasov;
American Bar Association
* This series of caring for the elderly and the weak and sick was once a family affair.
Now, it\'s a business.
In the preparation of this change, in the field of journalist Robin, Evelyn Larrubia and gerkelina and fellow Maloy Moore checked more than 2,400 cases recorded since 1997.
They also conducted hundreds of interviews. -
There are probate lawyers, judges and independent experts, as well as guardians and their loved ones.
Monday: How the probate court disappointed the elderly.
Tuesday: the cause of a conservative is in trouble. Wednesday: L. A.
Public Guardian-
Commitment to cancellation
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