Accused of Taking Financial Advantage of an Elderly Relative

[Mistyr]

My question involves a person located in the state of: Ohio
My grandmother has helped me in the past with money. I have always paid her back. She is 75 years old, but not your average 75 yr old woman ... she did her own gardening, her own landscaping, drove herself, took only one kind of medication (an anti-depressant), painted and remodeled her home, even put in her own drop down ceiling!! ... Then about 2 months ago she had a stroke and although she is "all there" she needs a lot more help. Before her stroke she had given me her credit card to use for gas and necessities if I ran out of money as I had just divorced and a single mom of three. She helped me move and I paid all that money back to her from my income tax check. I didn't have a job at the time so she was helping. As of now I have around $1800 in credit card charges for the last few months and have given the card back to her and I am starting to have $100.00 a month deposited into her account to pay back what I have borrowed. Because of her condition my aunts and uncles are telling me that I have taken advantage of her and I am the reason she is in debt. She loves to shop but not for me! ... I live in a trailer and I shop at goodwill, hardly a material lifestyle. Could her children press charges against me for elder abuse?? They are harrassing her about this and her blood pressure is up because of it, she says I am not taking advantage and that she knows I am paying the money back. She doesn't care about it. But they see it differently. I don't have the money for an attorney, I just need advice.

[Mr. Knowitall]

Are you telling us that you stopped using the credit card when your grandmother had the stroke, or did you keep on using it after that time?

[Mistyr]

I was still using it to get back and forth to the hospital, she knew about the usage. She was well enough to know when her bills were due and making sure that they were getting paid by her son and myself also. In the hospital she was still making her own decisions, signing her own papers and making her own dr appts. She had to get rehab for her left side which had been affected by the stroke.

Also to add: that I've made arrangements with my employer to have money directly deposited into her checking account every pay period. I just started a job and did this as soon as I was able to. My grandmother raised me, and her kids have even said that they know that I didn't misuse the card. They are not only bringing up the most recent but also the past years that she has helped where the monies were paid back. for example my grandma bought me a stove which was $300.00, when she received the $300 she didn't pay it all on that card so they are seeing the charge still there and not paid. But it was. My grandmother was always there to help me out but she would also make purchases on her own for my children. She spoils them to say the least, but now I am getting blamed for those too. She is my best friend and to be accused of something like that is unbelievable to me, but to think that I could go to jail for it and I dont think I did anything. She was helping me because I was unemployed and just recently divorced. My grandmother and I have always been close and I would never betray her or do anything to hurt her. I am just beside myself.