I can see my mom who refused to support me when I was 13 years old and had me hired to work illegally pull this crap. She wanted nothing to do with me once I left to live with my dad. However now that I am successful, she would love to reconcile. It isn't happening.

Now that I think about if nursing homes continue to sue it's not only going to create a whole new area of law where adult children of irresponsible parents protect themselves, but it's going to bankrupt people. Many of us at one point or another will face huge medical bills and even if we don't retire completely, most people plan to at least partially retire. That will be impossible if we are paying the bills for parents who suck through money. My MIL was a terrible mother and she is still a verbally abusive nut. I have no doubt she will live past 90 because she has the genes for it.

Anonymous wrote:Great question, 11:43. We are in a situation where a sibling took all the remaining parent had, now is trying to kick the parent out of the house (purchased with parent's money)!

The b&lls on some people.

This happened in my friend's family.

Here's the thing. Fillial piety laws seem to punish people who came from abusive homes or who have money grubbing, gold digging family remembers who are irresponsible. My MIL would love nothing more than to ride a gravy train and my SIL would happily take in FIL, drain him dry and then kick him to the curb.

Great question, 11:43. We are in a situation where a sibling took all the remaining parent had, now is trying to kick the parent out of the house (purchased with parent's money)!

The b&lls on some people.

Any lawyers here? My MIL is totally irresponsible with credit cards, etc. She has made and spent plenty in her lifetime and is always in debt. Her children have tried to counsel her financially and she refuses to listen. She also was a mother who by todays standards could have been reported to CPS many times. How do her children ensure they are not responsible for her financially ever?

So what you now have to hire a lawyer to counter sue if MIL was an emotionally abusive nut who never parented her children in the first place? Mine inherited money and went through it at record speed. She also gave up a job with great benefits when she got sick of it.

I always read that when the person runs out of money she/he can still be at the nursing home.

Better start saving for a lawyer because this just the kind of crap my narcissist MIL would pull. I am sure all her kids and kid-in-laws would be happy to contribute given how much thera[y they needed to deal with their childhood.

It can happen to a lot of us but it won't be our parents suing us, it'll be the nursing home!

PP is right. These laws exist here as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filial_responsibility_laws

Very common in countries with no safety nets like Social security and Medicare.

Laws like that exists here, too, but generally aren't enforced. However, some nursing homes have been using these old laws to win payments for adult children in several circumstances. Pennsylvania is one of them.

I understand the whole filial piety culture ensures the elderly are cared for, but what a nightmare. What if you were abused by mom? She can actually sue for support?