How can I help my mentalily ill mum get out of this bank charges circle?

emmgem

Hi Everyone
My mother has mental difficulties.
She recieves basic state pension and pension credit and dla low rate which now have to be paid into her bank.
For some years she has been getting into a pickle and cannot understand that she needs to leave money in her account to cover direct debits. I thought I had cracked this situation by going with her to open another account for spends, and arranging a weekly DD from the account where the benefits are paid. When I did this I asked the bank to put a note on it that she has mental difficulties and that they do not extend any overdraft facilities to her. (which they ignored) She now has overdraft facilities totalling £1000 and is nearly £200 over this.
I have now found that she has been writing cheques out to her local paper shop sometimes totalling 4 times her weekly incomings and was into unautharised overdraft every month incurring charges of £190.
I paid into her account at christmas enough money (of my own) to get her back within her overdraft limits, and tore up all her cheque books and I will physically take her money that she has to her on a weekly basis.
So I thought I had cracked it until........ 4th jan comes around again and £190 in bank charges went out.....taking her right back into the unautharised zone again its a vicious circle.
Now I am not prepared to add more money to this and actually feel like just opening a post office account for her benefits and letting them just keep adding their charges to this other account, and seeing what happens.
She throws away all mail including all the letters that notify what bank charges are going out and when.
If I go to the bank (lloyds) whats the chances of them freezing the charges and repaying the last lot so that I can chip away at the debt?
Sorry it is such a long winded post and thanks in advance for any help
Emma

Oldernotwiser

emmgem wrote: »

I have now found that she has been writing cheques out to her local paper shop sometimes totalling 4 times her weekly incomings

What's she buying at the newsagents for all this money?

emmgem

Cigarettes mainly she has a 60 a day habit

emmgem

Oh and she sent them blank!!!! so I feel that some were not actually going to the newsagent however can not prove it.

Incyder

Being she has a mental condition, could you have power of attorny over all her finances ?. Then shut down the Lloyds account and get all her benefits paid into a passbook only account such as Nationwide cashbuilder.

emmgem

I did look into doing this, however with her owing £1200 I was worried that :-
A- I would be liable for this, she is in very bad health,
B- I would have to pay the solicitors to arrange this.
Currently I have set up internet banking for her accounts so that I can see exactly what is going on and I transfer her spending money into my account then withdraw it an give her the cash. She is housebound.

dmg24

emmgem wrote: »

I did look into doing this, however with her owing £1200 I was worried that :-
A- I would be liable for this, she is in very bad health,
B- I would have to pay the solicitors to arrange this.
Currently I have set up internet banking for her accounts so that I can see exactly what is going on and I transfer her spending money into my account then withdraw it an give her the cash. She is housebound.

If she is housebound who is getting her cigarettes for her?

If she is as bad as you imply, why is she only receiving LRC?

emmgem

She sends a neighbour previously with cheques, now with the cash that I give her. As for the low rate dla, having more money would not enable her to get out more or help her condition which is entirely self inflicted through alcohol abuse and smoking and I do not agree that she should get more money for this, maybe this is wrong of me I don't know it is a touchy subject to be honest.

dmg24

emmgem wrote: »

She sends a neighbour previously with cheques, now with the cash that I give her. As for the low rate dla, having more money would not enable her to get out more or help her condition which is entirely self inflicted through alcohol abuse and smoking and I do not agree that she should get more money for this, maybe this is wrong of me I don't know it is a touchy subject to be honest.

It is not up to you what she should receive! You are coming across as if you want to control your mother, rather than giving her the support that she needs. Perhaps you could seek help for her from the Community Mental Health Team?

emmgem

I do not want to control her at all! in fact I would sooner not have to deal with this whatso ever! however her 90 year old parents are worried about the situation and being that I am the only child and they are far too old to have to have these worrys it had fallen to me, I don't stop her recieving anything I filled out the forms accurately with her and that is what they said she should recieve. She lives in warden controlled housing which I arranged which is paid for with housing benefit which I also arranged!
If i was to involve the community health social workers I suspect they would want to put her in permanent residential care which she would dispise. I will re-post this in the bank charges forum as that is really what my question is. Thanks for looking.

dmg24

emmgem wrote: »

I do not want to control her at all! in fact I would sooner not have to deal with this whatso ever! however her 90 year old parents are worried about the situation and being that I am the only child and they are far too old to have to have these worrys it had fallen to me, I don't stop her recieving anything I filled out the forms accurately with her and that is what they said she should recieve. She lives in warden controlled housing which I arranged which is paid for with housing benefit which I also arranged!
If i was to involve the community health social workers I suspect they would want to put her in permanent residential care which she would dispise. I will re-post this in the bank charges forum as that is really what my question is. Thanks for looking.

I suggested the Mental Health Team, not social services. If you don't want to deal with it, then you need to inform someone who does.