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So she rarely gets visitors. Is this considered abuse of MPOA

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Below in a response the OP referenced a "mental hygiene order" which seems to be similar to a Baker Act...

"A mental hygiene order is a type of warrant that allows for involuntary hospitalization."

So, when your brother says she is stable there, he apparently means she is mentally stable. Perhaps he went through a lot to get her to that condition and moving her would upend this. Maybe she had to go to a specific facility that was more capable to deal with whatever her mental/cognitive issues were when admitted. Maybe he's burnt out and doesn't want to reinvent the wheel in getting her moved.
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Reply to Geaton777
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You need to give more background. Some elders have to be placed far away if there are certain medical circumstances. Foe example: morbid obesity, psych issues, ventilator care, and dialysis. My neighbor's sister was so obese that local facilities did not have a heavy hover lift. Sister only had one place in her state 90 minutes away. She was eventually moved closer to home but her sister hired legal help and had to move her, change her address and Medicare to the next state
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VanScyoc78 Nov 4, 2024
I had to do a mental hygiene order on my mom back in 2019. The facility she was in closed, but when that facility closed my dad had given me MPOA. My brother used an old form to get MPOA. So once she was transferred he had MPOA. The family has asked & pleaded with him to move her closer and he won’t.
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Blueeyed is correct. Dad cannot give you POA for Mom. She has to assign it. POA cannot be transferred.

Medical POA does not get someone into care. Financial POA does. The facility needs to know how a residents finances are. Can they afford the care. The MPOA is limited. It is used to make sure the principles wishes are carried out. If something is not covered in the directive, then MOA makes the decisions. MPOA also talks to Medical staff.

Maybe Mom was placed where she is because this is the place equipped to care for her. If she is doing well there, then I would leave well enough alone. Visit once or twice a month and rent a room somewhere and spend the night.
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Reply to JoAnn29
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What is brothers reason for having mom 2.5 hours from family? Having her nearby means family could at least visit, which is the number one incentive for nhs to at lesst put in an effort. He doesn’t have to even be involved being he’s still 1.5 hours away.
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Reply to PeggySue2020
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No, using an activated poa to get an elder the care they need is absolutely not an abuse of poa.

It’s literally the entire point of a poa.
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VanScyoc78 Nov 4, 2024
The reason she’s in a facility is because I had to file a mental hygiene order on her in 2019. I was given MPOA by my father, then her case closed. Then facility closed and my brother used an old form to gain MPOA. And is now keeping her away from family including her spouse
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No, not abuse.

Is your Mother on Medicaid? It's possible there were not beds closer in to him or others. In my SFIL's case his legal guardian placed him 1 hour away in a newer, nicer rural facility that had open Medicaid beds. We requested he be moved closer so that it wasn't such a long drive to take my MIL to see him. But then the facilities closer in were much worse.

You should just ask your brother the reason. It could also be the cost if she's privately paying for it.
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VanScyoc78 Nov 4, 2024
The reason he gives is she’s stable there. Yes she’s on Medicaid. He won’t even check to see if there are available beds closer.
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You say that your brother has basically "stolen" POA "old forms".
This sounds like a legal issue.
I would consult an attorney.
You may need to seek guardianship. However, that is a very tough job, so before you request guardianship from the courts you should look up the duties of a guardian in your state. They are onerous in many cases.
Wishing you the best of luck.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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Quite honestly “rarely gets visitors” is the norm for residents in a facility.
Even for those who have family in the same city or town.

Im curious on the “mental hygiene” stuff. What was that all about?
My gut feeling is this and its fallout is the big overriding factor as to why your Bro is so set on her staying where she is. Mental Hygiene is used often in NY as this State has pretty detailed information on how it can be used. Theirs seem to have a whole requirement for “civil confinement and intensive supervision”. Most facilities will not take this type of resident as they cannot meet the requirements that State fully expects of them for someone who enters under “mental hygiene Act”. It’s flat going to need more staff time to keep tabs on someone, monitor their medications and interactions with others, etc. NH have huge staffing issues right now, so not taking in a heavier workload for staffing type of resident is the thing to do. There truly may not be another place that will take her.

Was any of her problems inappropriate sexual stuff? Mental hygiene gets used often for that. It’s a way to have law enforcement/ APS get them out of the community without having to do an arrest and then jail / prison placement. Sexual stuff often is kept as secrets in families. You may want to, without being all judgmental, go into what her health history and her behavior has been to see what her red flags are for being viewed as a difficult long term care placement.
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Reply to igloo572
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VanScyoc78 you keep saying that your FATHER gave you MPOA for your mother. Please understand - he CANNOT do that. Once MPOA is established, if it is invoked and the principal is no longer able to make choices for themselves, that cannot just be transferred to whomever the current MPOA likes legally. It requires actual legal action to change.

It is a legal designation. And the only way a new one will be named is if the original resigns - and if there are no others named, the courts have to get involved.

So I think you are misunderstanding what happened.
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Reply to BlueEyedGirl94
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If mom is already on Medicaid, that bed might have been the only one available. You can challenge the POA if you want to hire legal help. You first might want to make an inquiry about Medicaid rules in her state to determine if changing locations will be easy or difficult. An interstate move is even more difficult if this is investigated. Will she need professional transportation at your cost?
As for as updated POA, I asked an elder lawyer. My mom had a legal form for MPOA assigned to me. Someone came into her IL to give a lecture on documents. My mom re wrote a new MPOA and designated my brother. It was witnessed at her IL during this program. The elder lawyer told me that the new one went into effect. My brother and I found out about the new document since it was on her refrigerator when she was taken by EMS and we were told at the hospital that he was now her MPOA. This is not what my brother wanted because I had the medical background. It was not long afterward that I did have to file for guardianship and she was declared incompetent my her PCP for court records.
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JanPeck123 Nov 9, 2024
Wow. So sorry that you and your brother had to go through all that needlessly. I know the elder lawyer was probably just trying to assist those who had no POA, but really messed things up for your family.
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