When Competency Issues Arise
Contact The DiCello Firm
With the growth of an incidence of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia among the general population, it is not uncommon for complications to arise related to wills or trusts and questions of competency. To discuss your questions about how the issue of a person's competency affects his or her ability to transfer property by will or trust, contact The DiCello Firm
Is Financial Elder Abuse in Question?
The question may arise either before or after death — when a loved one with a history of financial instability executes a new will or establishes a trust very close to the time of death.
Did your cognitively impaired mother, father or other older relative who is a vulnerable adult change a testamentary document (a will, a trust or a power of attorney, for example) under questionable circumstances? Do you have reason to believe that your family member is or was incompetent? Or that undue influence was the cause for revision of the will?
Are Questionable Personal Relationships a Cause for Concern?
Or are you concerned by questions of motive of someone who has befriended your elderly parent? You may wonder if that person is exploiting the older person — accepting inappropriate gifts or setting up a situation where a new will may be written without your knowledge. Are circumstances ripe for financial elder abuse? You can take legal steps to protect your mother or father from future financial exploitation. You may also have recourse if it seems to be "too late" and you suspect that financial elder abuse has already occurred. Funds may already be missing or a will appears to be valid.
Attorneys of The DiCello Firm have a tradition of nearly 40 years' experience and service in the legal practice areas involving estates: wills, trusts, probate and life insurance matters, for example. Our law firm is a valuable resource for families who suspect that their loved one is incompetent to manage his or her own financial affairs — suspect that financial elder abuse has already occurred. Contact one of our lawyers at our Mentor, Ohio, law offices, serving the greater Cleveland metro area and beyond.
