I haven't posted in some time, but here's an update

Time flies...Aunt Helen just celebrated her 90th birthday and is in great health. That is fortunate considering she spent two months in the hospital and in rehab from compression fractures that we think resulted from a fall.

As it turns out, the facility where she lived was run in an inept and deceptive way. I'll post details at some point soon, but suffice it to say that three months of court actions, meetings and thousands of dollars of expenses wasn't very welcome. Especially considering that Aunt Helen has already been victimized by several other unrelated people.

When the dust settles, I hope to be able to write some things that will help others avoid having their loved ones victimized by the unscrupulous. It's rampant.

But Aunt Helen is doing very well. I am looking for a new place for her to live and I look forward to many more years of enjoying her.

Wonderful new pic of Aunt Helen

This was taken by a young local student, Mikayla, during a photography field trip. They went to the assisted living facility where Aunt Helen lives and took a bunch of photos. Aunt Helen was the only one that was nice to them...one lady yelled at them and pushed them out of the way. It's so sad how unhappy our elderly people can get when they're shunted aside. I'm SO grateful that Aunt Helen has such a good disposition.

Aunt Helen's Christmas Tree

Here's Aunt Helen with my friends Leonie and Pramada, and her new Christmas tree. Aunt Helen loves pink, and I found a wonderful little fiber optic pink tree, from two delightful people on ebay, Richard and Reva. Aunt Helen loved the tree, and also loved Leonie and Pramada.

I haven't updated this blog in awhile, but there is a lot coming, so stay tuned! The courts finally closed the case in Washington D.C., penalizing her Temporary Conservator for having overstepped his bounds in his actions. Her apartment is now on the market, and she's happy and safe in her new home in San Anselmo, CA.

In the next few weeks, look for information concerning the following:

1. Details of the court action in Washington D.C. and California. What should have been a fairly straightforward procedure, costing my Aunt less than $10k for the entire process, ended up taking about 9 months and costing her over $40k. This was due to the actions of her Temporary Conservator. His task was supposed to only be guarding her money and paying her bills until I was appointed as her Conservator in California. Instead, he fought us every step of the way, attempting to keep the job for himself, and causing waste to her estate in a number of ways. It's an interesting story, and one that you should read if you or someone you know is going through a similar process. The vulnerability of the elderly is something taken advantage of by a large number of people, but it's especially detestable when it's perpetrated by an attorney...someone appointed to the courts to protect the vulnerable. You'll be amazed at what this guy did...stay tuned.

2. Information about the gypsies. Yes, real modern-day gypsies. Thus far, we've found that, over a period of 3 years, these people defrauded my Aunt out of over $120,000.00! We're finding out more every day...this amount was just from the bank records we have so far. The investigation is under way. One of the perpetrators has been found and arrests should be made soon. Again, this is something people should be aware of, because elderly people who suffer from loneliness, confusion and memory loss are being cheated and stolen from every day.

3. And on a positive note...I'll be posting information about Aunt Helen's fascinating life. She put together programs and entertainment for visiting dignitaries from all over the world. The events in her life are very interesting...the more I learn about her, the more I adore this delightful lady.

It's been a lot of work getting things in order for her, and getting her coop on the market (it's in a wonderful location in D.C. and will be a real treasure for anyone who buys it). But as things settle into place, my time will be spent more on chronicling all this information to share with you.

So now I begin to look to the future, enjoying spending time with my sweetheart Aunt Helen.

The "BEFORE" and "AFTER"

The first picture below is Aunt Helen when she arrived at her new residence. She'd been alone for a very long time, and her hair had grown long. She hadn't been to the beauty salon in ages, and was self-conscious about her appearance. So we took her to the beauty salon. The second picture is how she looked afterward. She felt so happy. But it was still hard for her to keep her hair set, so we took her back again and got her a perm. (See more "before" pictures...)

Aunt Helen

This photo was taken after I asked Aunt Helen where she thought her new little orchid would look the best.

Aunt Helen LOVES getting cards and letters, so we'd both be extremely grateful and delighted if you'd mail her something. It helps her feel connected and keeps her from feeling lonely. She doesn't have a computer, but really loves getting snail mail. Please email me for her address.

D. Bruce Stevens

More "BEFORE" pictures

Taken shortly after she moved to Washington D.C. in 1941, these are two photos from the same photo shoot. She tells me that her father, who was a very harsh and strict man, disapproved of these photos because they were too revealing. "What he didn't know," she says mischievously, "is that isn't even a dress, but a piece of fabric draped across my nude body."