Most Popular
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Barack Obama and Me
It was the year 2000 and I was a young hungry reporter in Chicago covering a young hungry state legislator
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A Prison Cover-up During Hurricane Rita
For days after the storm, inmates in Beaumont lived without A/C, electricity or hot meals. Press releases kept saying everything inside was fine. Guards and prisoners agree — that was nothing but B.S.
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Movie Pirates
That couple in the back row — they're making out big time, but not in the way you think
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It's Hip to Be Square at Masraff's
Continental cuisine is over, so why would anybody want to eat at this retirees' hang-out on South Post Oak Lane?
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Barack Obama and Me (257)
It was the year 2000 and I was a young hungry reporter in Chicago covering a young hungry state legislator
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A Prison Cover-up During Hurricane Rita (24)
For days after the storm, inmates in Beaumont lived without A/C, electricity or hot meals. Press releases kept saying everything inside was fine. Guards and prisoners agree — that was nothing but B.S.
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What's the Problem Houston? (6)
The city's skuzzy alt-rock scene thinks it is dying
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Are You Hot Enough for Citizen Lounge? (7)
All This Useless Beauty
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X-Clan's Brother J Drops Some Knowledge (4)
Revolution Through Evolution
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Barack Obama and Me
It was the year 2000 and I was a young hungry reporter in Chicago covering a young hungry state legislator
-
A Prison Cover-up During Hurricane Rita
For days after the storm, inmates in Beaumont lived without A/C, electricity or hot meals. Press releases kept saying everything inside was fine. Guards and prisoners agree — that was nothing but B.S.
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Movie Pirates
That couple in the back row — they're making out big time, but not in the way you think
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Get Lit: Life Class, by Pat Barker
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Aeros Win, as Does Britany
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Scenes from a Farmers’ Market in Monterrey, Mexico
02:02PM 03/21/08
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Whose Best Interests?
Continued from page 3
Published: January 25, 2007Maxine Hill says her mother is welcome to live with her in Louisiana. But she decided to let the Liddells seek guardianship so her mother and brother can continue to care for one another in their own place.
Evans is hopeful his mother will return home soon. He continues to visit her at Lexington Place almost every day.
But he worries about her resolve. Never before has she appeared so dejected.
For Christmas, Evans always decorates their apartment with lights, tinsel and a six-foot-tall artificial tree and prepares a small feast. This year he sat alone in his darkened bedroom, atop his heating pad, and downed a bacon and egg sandwich on plain white bread.
"I lost the spirit; what can I say, my Christmas spirit just went out the door," he says.
His mother, too, stayed in bed: "For the holiday I did nothing but lie here."
On New Year's Eve mother and son usually stay up late together and toast the season with a glass of bubbly. This year both turned in early.
Hill has anxiously waited to leave Lexington Place since she arrived nearly three months ago. She has waited through several holidays, from Thanksgiving to Martin Luther King Jr. day.
This Wednesday Hill turns 77. She's still waiting.
Something needs to be done to stop forced guardianships. I have been reading too many articles about the elderly being taken against their will and even when there is family available to care for the elder. In my opinion this is wrong. The financial hardship is bad enough, but I believe that the emotional and mental anguish placed on the family and their loved one is abusive. These types of stories are showing up at an alarming rate. Many become victims of abuse, neglect and exploitation after put in a guardianship. And this story seems to be starting out no different to me. Guardians routinely force their wards into nursing homes. And then, the abuse starts. Some abuse occurs in the nursing homes, and some by the guardians who are supposed to be protecting. It’s happening every day. And apparently this facility has complaints with violations. Is anyone listening? I have read that Texas has a bad history already in articles about the state coming under scrutiny for neglect of the elderly and unlicensed facilities. And this family will already have a hardship having been forced into the court system. I believe the guardian ought to make less problems here and just voluntarily resign.
Comment by A concerned reader — March 15, 2007 @ 11:51PM
Thank you for your story. In my opinion, nobody should be forced into a guardianship without a jury trial and family comes before the state. Our relative was a victim of a forced guardianship/forced conservatorship in California. She, a woman of means, became a ward of the state. We, her only family and power of attorney, were bypassed for no reason. Our relative died in state confinement.[ We are in ongoing litigation.] I think that forced guardianships must be banned and that nobody should lose liberty without a jury trial.
Comment by Johnny Sutton — March 24, 2007 @ 10:24PM
Perhaps there should be a state and federal office of guardianship. In my opinion, counties ought not to have so much "power". I think that forced guardianships should be banned as unconstitutional. I also think the question should be asked, how many homeless with no money at all are under involuntary guardianship? Thank you for writing about this sad story.
Comment by Johnny Sutton — March 25, 2007 @ 10:34AM