Q: I am concerned about a family member that is mentally unstable and potentially a danger to themselves.
My grandmother lives a good distance away, she refuses to get into contact or communicate with us (her family) and solely relied on her neighbors for transportation to doctors, the grocery, and other things; she has a brand new car (not even 3 years old and a valid license)..because she has isolated herself we (my mother and I) know nothing about her health conditions (blocked carotid artery, diabetes, and anxiety) and we found out today she has isolated herself from her neighbors and is surviving off of box pizza and not attending routine doctors appoints which is vital to her well being, I as well as my mother and her neighbors believe that she is unstable and dangerous to her self and her health, we have jointly decided that we believe its a good idea for her to committed to a psychiatric treatment facility, however she will not communicate and has refused free psychiatric advice meaning she will not go willingly.
A: Start by talking to senior services for assistance. They can recommend some actions you can take. It might be possible to file a guardianship action in probate court where she lives, but that could be complicated.
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