Total post and run - but can I bend your ear? My aunt is in a really bizarre situation.
So she lives in southern California and ever since she moved onto her street like, 12 years ago - she's had this neighbor she's always gotten along with. He's an elderly man named Ernie and he's from North Dakota - she's always connected with him because that's where me and my family all live.
She's brought stuff back from him when she comes home from visiting us, they talk about North Dakota stuff together, he's gotten to know her son really well - etc, etc. An old friend. He's 89.
Anyway his health is deteriorating a little and his memory is going. He has this woman, "Brenda" who's a family friend that they've known for years, and she is his "proprietor," or whatever - basically she has legal power to make all decisions in his best interest. Well about a month ago my aunt was on a walk with her son and they walked by Ernie's house, and he was in the front yard. They stopped to talk and she mentioned she was going to the store, and he said he wanted to go with so he could buy some fruit.
Just then he gets a phone call from Brenda. She asks what he's doing and he says he's going to the store with my aunt and my cousin to get fruit. She tells him over the phone that he's not allowed to go. He gets irritated and hangs up the phone, and they go - My aunt was nervous, but she's known him for years, it was an innocent trip to the store, they were back in a half hour.
Today she got a legal letter in the mail, basically telling her that if she makes any further contact with Ernie, she'll be slapped with a restraining order. She isn't allowed to contact any of Ernie's family, nor is anyone to contact Ernie or his family on her behalf. Otherwise - restraining order. The letter went on to accuse my aunt of plotting to move in with Ernie, with her family, and take advantage of him.
She's like... okay, wtf? What if he shows up at my house? Because he does!
Then she says that this Brenda person actually lived with Ernie and his family, rent free, for like, 20 years. Brenda has actually called my aunt on occasions when Ernie went missing during a dementia-related stroll through the neighborhood and asked her to go look for him.
To me - it doesn't sound like Brenda really thinks my aunt wants to take advantage of Ernie. She trusts her enough to go looking for him. But all of a sudden, she doesn't want them hanging out, like, at all? It just sounds fishy. To me it sounds like this Brenda wants to keep people away from Ernie so
she can take advantage of him.
Is there anything my aunt can do? She's an annoying person, but she's harmless. This legal letter and restraining order threat makes no sense. I told her to contact one of our family friends, who's a lawyer, to sort out this mess. What else can she do?
Does this sound weird to anyone else?
...sorry so long
