Dear Gwendolyn:
I am a 65-year-old retired
woman under disability in 2000, having
worked 21 years as a Custom Rep.
for a large newspaper in another
state. I was living in a very nice two bedroom and two baths, with nice
friends and a good church. But my mother was 85 years old,
and she wanted me to come take
care of her although my three sisters
and a jailbird brother, lots of
grandchildren and four great grandchildren
lived in the house with her.
There was a 30-something grandson
who didn’t work, but my mother
assured me they were all leaving.
Well, the granddaughter with the
kids moved out, my three sisters
moved out, but the 30-year-old
grandson is still here with his jailbird
dad. I am tired of feeding my brother
and his son. I also worry about
my jailbird brother stealing and hiding
stolen goods here, coming and
going all hours of the night.
Gwendolyn, do I put these people
out?
-Janice
Dear Janice:
I read your letter twice and realize
that you do have a serious problem.
Because the house is not your
house but possibly belongs to your
mother, then you may not have the
legal authority to evict your brother
and his son. However, look into this
with your public attorneys that are
free because they are employed by
the city to assist those in need of
legal advice or services.
Years ago, my parents had a nice
friend. He was such a nice person. However, his brother was the caregiver
of his mother. When he realized
that his brother was not properly
caring for their mother, he tried to
have her put into a nursing home
facility. The two of them got into a
fight, and his brother killed him.
I said this to warn you of the seriousness
of your situation. Be careful,
Janice. Do what you can for your
mother and you may have no
recourse except to feed your jailbird
brother and his 30-something-year-old son. It’s hard. I have been there,
and I know.
E-mail Gwendolyn Baines at gwenbaines@hotmail.com.
______
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