I have a friend who could really use a financial advocate. She's disabled and is frequently taken advantage of regarding her finances. Is there an organization that would help her deal with the companies that are hounding her, with the unauthorized withdrawals that seem to be happening, with the legitimate bills she needs to pay, and just keeping her finances in order in general?
She sends out newsy emails often, and usually she's talking about some bit of money disappearing or some bill that she paid that she's told she didn't pay. It's a real mess. She had a "friend" helping her once with her bank account information but he absconded with some funds for himself, too. If there were an organization that would help her and not charge (or charge very little) that would be really great.
She's unable to work much, so she has a very small income from social security and disability, I believe. Is there a government agency or something like it that will do this for her? It seems like this is something that would be necessary for lots of people who are disabled. (She's physically disabled, but I believe there is some mental disability, too--at least to the point that she's not really capable of doing this on her own, especially not the negotiating and standing up for herself and for being able to keep records to prove payment.)
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Is the court appointing a conservator for her finances an option?
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
She could also talk to her bank. They might have someone on staff who can serve as a financial trustee or they might be able to recommend someone.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
If she is connected with social work services, she probably has a case manager that could either be of direct assistance or point her in the right direction to someone else who can be.
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Edited to add: And if she is not yet connected with formal governmental social work services, she probably should be.
One last comment -- In my experience, it is not that hard to find services for someone who needs them, at least to get initially hooked up. The main problem (IME) is getting people to agree to use them and/or stay with those formal resources.
I suppose most of us want to be independent and stay in control of our own lives, and likely very few of us want to be labeled as "different" in a pejorative sense. You may find that the best you can do as a friend is to offer the contact numbers, regardless of what your friend does with them. In any case, she'll still benefit from having you as a friend, even if this other part of her life does not change.
Best of luck to you both.
[ May 03, 2008, 03:31 PM: Message edited by: ClaudiaTherese ]
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
Thanks, I've given her the suggestions you've had so far. If she's able to find the help, I think she'd use it.
She told me I'm the only person who still replies to her emails. I suggested that she hit enter every few sentences, since she sends out long blocks of text that are hard to read. I don't see her in person. I don't really see anyone in person anymore. If I had time, I'd help her, but still I suggested that she not have a friend do this for her. They're untrained and might not have her best interests at heart.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :