Victor Lambou, (Daughter)Geralyn Lambou-Florida

My parents lived in Florida for over 20 years. Our father (93) was diagnosed with dementia and allegedly influenced against his will by a group of elder care professionals, doctors, guardians, and lawyers who placed him into an undisclosed facility. His rights were taken away. He was isolated for over three years, and he died under guardianship as a ‘Ward’ of the State. The family was notified two months after his death. We fought a losing battle to honor his end-of-life wishes, expressed to his family long before his mental decline. He’d adamantly expressed his desire to stay in his home until his death and be free to engage in horticulture projects.

Even though we’ve gone through this dreadful nightmare, I find it hard to believe this happened to my family. The judges in our case have always ruled in their favor, despite high fees, laws broken, and many glaring mistakes. They successfully kept an elderly man away from his family in the last years of life. They kept us from visiting, saying goodbye, and mourning his death. They displayed no regard for the lifetime bonds his children and grandchildren had with him. Before this, I believed in the judicial process, but no more. It seems to us we’ve experienced a rigged system where elders are easily taken away from their loved ones and taken advantage of. We were robbed of precious time with our father in his final years and are still fighting in court for what little remains of the estate.