April 8-14, 2015- What not to do as an elderly person's POA

Okay quick recap. My sister in law, Sonya became the POA for my mother in law, Carol, who was 71 at the time and in an assisted living facility. Sonya believed she could care for her mother better than the professionals and got control of her mother's bank account, with disastrous results. Sonya being a person with little self control, poor financial habits, and what looks to me like a serious Wal-Mart addiction or at least a shopping addiction, gutted her mother's retirement fund, leaving the old woman broke and in an elderly rooming house. The son and brother of the women, Mike, my husband was forced to become the conservator, discovered it was near impossible to care for his mother 3000 miles away and moved her to the DC area, where she died. This blog is to document and show how Sonya ruined her mother one shopping trip at a time.
As the POA you have a fiduciary responsibility not to blow the elderly person's money on yourself, which Sonya did. So let's pick up where I left off last time and look at the spending for April 8-14, 2015.

Alright then. April 8th there is only one purchase and that is from ARCO Paypoint, which seems to be a gas station. Carol, who has mobility issues, did not have a car nor did she drive. Next day April 9th, someone hits the 7-11. The Seven-Eleven is a constant theme in these statements. On the 10th there are three transactions, Target, Cosoprof and the Dish Network. Okay maybe Carol wants TV, and yes there is a pharmacy at Target, but she's supposed to be getting her meds from Kaiser. Cosmoprof is a beauty supply business. Sonya is a beautician, so I have a feeling that $37.16 wasn't for Carol. Next day on the 11th, a trip to a taco restaurant, El Grullense. On the 12th, the 7-11 appears again, along with Hacienda Grdn, or Hacienda Gardens which is some sort of shopping center and Walgreens. Carol was on a lot of medications, but it is not clear, because other purchases are mixed in, that things strictly for Carol. The 13th there is a deposit from Carol's brokerage account. It is much less than what it used to be since Sonya had the $30K-ish taken out earlier that month to cover the 6 months rent and deposit. On the 14th someone spends $108.54 at Safeway. See below for the $120.00 for T-Mobile. Carol had Parkinson's and could not really handle a cell phone, that price point looks like a smart phone plan, she couldn't handle a smart phone either. Lastly, McDonald's.

I should remind the reader that Sonya picked out a 3 bedroom house to rent (using her mother's money) to house her elementary aged daughter and her teenage son. Teenage boys eat, a lot. I suspect that Sonya was using Carol's money to support (house and feed) her kids and in some 2016 statements (when Carol and Sonya were no longer living together) there were some Uber rides which Sonya said were for Mike1.

Once again, getting the POA is a responsibility. You should not use other's money for yourself or your family's upkeep. This is an example of how not to do it.