Perhaps someone out there could set me in direction to get some help. My family & I (my husband & 4 children) have been caring for my grandparents (Grandpa passed just before Thanksgiving) for nearly 3 1/2 years now. My uncle holds their Power of Attorney. Their house has been reverse mortgaged & we do not have access to any of their other assets (not that we are interested). However, the heater has been out since before LAST winter & my uncle said that he does not want to repair/replace it. We are using several space heaters to attempt to keep warm, which has increased our electric bill 200% (yes, we pay most of the household utilities)!! We asked him to help pay the difference in the electric bill, which he did, but then he cut back on the monthly amount that he has been giving me to help pay the bills & buy groceries, etc. for her, by 75%!! His reasoning was that SHE is not the only one that uses the heat. My grandmother gets cold when it is 90 degrees outside, so she is absolutely freezing with the high in the house rarely reaching 69 degrees and the lows usually around 52-54 degrees. We keep her bundled in sweatshirts, jackets & blankets and the rest of us just muddle through. We have managed to work together (my uncle & I) for the last 3 years to make things tolerable for everyone, I would hate to ruin that relationship, but what can be done to get him to take this heater thing seriously?? A friend has said this is tantamount to elder abuse, but who is at fault?? My uncle for not taking care of the property, as he has Power of Attorney, or my husband & me seeing that we are responsible for her daily care??
Late to read, but was searching for the same.