Mom is 81 and has been purchasing from QVC and HSN for years. She has an incredible, long-term shopping addiction. The home she was living in was a hoarders paradise filled from top to bottom with goodies purchased over time from her 'friends' at QVC and HSN. The place is very decrepit from years of no maintenance. Two years ago it became uninhabitable and she moved-in with my sister. We had a company empty out the building which remains a vacant blight. The scavengers have broken in and stripped all the scrap-able metal from it.
Mom is on SSI and has no obvious dementia, a heart condition and still patronizes QVC and HSN on a regular basis, paying only the minimum on her accounts. She owes thousands.
Of her assets, she has only enough insurance to bury her and the blighted, uninhabitable house in a blighted community. Selling it is out of the question. On Mom's behalf I tried giving it to the 'We Buy Ugly Houses' company with no success.
When Mom dies, what is the next step for us, her family? Her house and all her credit cards are in her name only. My sister has power of attorney. Will QVC and HSN pressure the family to pay off her balances since there are no resources in the estate? Should we procure the services of an attorney to deal with them? Or do we just ignore them?
Then you report them to the state attorney general.
I would suggest also that your sister who's proxy under a POA cancel the cards and stop the financial hemorrhaging now.
It's criminal that people who obviously can't afford it are allowed to rack up so much debt. The stupid credit card companies deserve to get stuck with the cost, if they insist on giving credit so irresponsibly.
Do what Pam had suggested above to gather cash to pay the bills... but please note the collection agencies will hound your Mom, your sister, you, and anyone else they can find who is related to your Mom. It is so easy to get that information off of the internet.
As for the house, the value now is only in the land. See if a Realtor will sell the house "as is, value in the land' and see what happens. No insurance company will insured the house being vacant that long.
Otherwise, contact the city and see how much is the property tax on the property. Ask them how should your Mom proceed in giving up the house. Your Mom might be able to easily walk away from the house, property taxes not being paid, then the property will be taken by the City and auctioned off.
I notified all his creditors by registered mail that he was unable to pay the debt & they were to stop contacting him. When Discover & Capitol One tried to sue him I contacted Legal Aid & they went to court for him. The lawsuits were dismissed.
Of course I handle all the money now.