Caregiver Abduction of Elderly Mother

Children aren’t the only ones who sometimes need protection.  In this case an elderly mother, suffering from cognitive loss from stroke, was taken from the home of her daughter by a part-time caregiver. She handed the disabled elder off to her unemployed son-in-law who took her to Seattle to live with him, having the elder empty her bank account enroute.  Our client was another daughter who appealed for immediate help. Working on the weekend as well as weekdays we were able to obtain a Vulnerable Adult Protection Order restraining the son-in-law from contact and forcing him to give the elder back…in less than a week.  We also petitioned the court to establish a guardianship where our client could legally care for and protect her mother.  Although guardianships are typically uncontested they can involve issues of significant risk to vulnerable elderly.  We have experience with difficult cases like this and with the more typical guardianships.