Her husband has been diagnosed with dementia and they have no children. They are both always sick. She refuses to let any sibling help her and won't answer her phone or open the door for anyone. I need advice as what steps to take next. Our parents are deceased and her husbands family have been banned from their property due to trying to help them.
This may be hard but I think at this point this is your last resort.
Angel
if they are elderly, you stand a better chance of having them moved, or forcing their hand to clean. "One person's pigsty is another person's palace"--my dad used to say that.
Move slowly and keep notes on whom you call and what they say. Having a home declared uninhabitable is hard to do. You are kind to care, most people just leave well enough alone and the mess gets worse. Calling APS is good start, then the city and don't let it be one call. Keep it up. Good Luck!
I think the reason why the daughter won't do anything is because of what the professionals already know, maybe the daughter can't help either. If the elder is legally blind, just make sure they don't get a hold of any kind of vehicle either gas or electric, the person is more likely to get hit by a car. Sorrynotsorry has a strong point on APS, because as long as someone can still make decisions, APS won't intervene, I faced this with my foster dad who was later placed in a nursing home by a court appointed guardian. I must say though that if other neighbors start seeing rats around the place in question, someone will need to do something, especially hold the problem tenants responsible if someone gets bit by one of those rats, especially if one of the rats happens to have rabies. I think to a reasonable point the issue should be pushed, but let the pros handle it, they're trained to handle stuff like this. One thing you can do is to write a letter to your local newspaper's editorial. You can start out in a proper manner when you open your letter but ultimately you can give the exact location of the problem if other neighbors are around but without saying any names. You can give a street name and even a house number where the problem is to warn the public of the danger. What you can also mention in your letter to the editor is the possibility of rats and other wildlife hanging around the problem building and someone possibly getting bit by one of the critters and if it turns out one of the critters has rabies. You can also say in your letter to the editor that if this happens, the person living there who won't remedy the problem should be held responsible for the medical expenses of whoever gets hurt. This get the attention of the right parties who are able to do something.
We once had a problem with a specific house having a junk car sitting on the front lawn for quite a while. This was most likely attracting wildlife in the neighborhood, specifically to that particular car. This may have had something to do with how the wildlife was getting in the walls of the house where my foster dad was living, but wildlife such as raccoons was eventually able to get into his apartment and other parts of the inside of the building. The junk car actually sat on the lawn for quite a while and then one day it vanished but I don't know who may have reported it or to whom it was reported.
Have you ever considered maybe speaking to your local mayor? Another thing to consider, is this place within the city limits? If so, go to the city council meeting in your town, but I think you must speak to someone who happens to be up over the meetings before you can actually present your situation. A friend of mine had to do this about the bad sidewalks in our town. You may also consider going to the county meeting in your area. This will also help to raise awareness to the problem of someone risking the well-being of other neighbors. There are ways you can handle the problem if you can find the tools to do so.
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