I’m an older adult being forced from my home. What can I do?
As long as you're , you can choose how and where you want to live. This is true even if:
- your family, friends, or caregivers don't agree with you, or
- your decisions may put you at risk of getting sick or injured.
Use CLEO's Responding to Elder Abuse Guided Pathway to learn how to help protect yourself or your loved one from .
No one can force you to move to a new home without you agreeing to it, if you're mentally capable.
Mentally capable means that you're able to understand:
- information about where you currently live and other housing options you have, and
- what could happen when you make decisions about where you live and if you move.
Forcing you to move
People might try to force you to move in with family, or into a , , or a place that offers supportive living.
Your friends, family, or caregivers may be worried about you, or think you need more help. But they don't get to decide what living arrangement is best for you. This is true as long as you're mentally capable to decide for yourself.
You can choose where you live:
- as long as you can afford it, and
- if you're a tenant, as long as you've not gotten an eviction order.
For example, you may have to move, even if you don't want to, if you don’t pay your rent or your landlord wants a family member to move into your unit.
Getting help making decisions
Talk to your family, friends, and others who you trust if you need help making decisions about:
- your care,
- where you live, and
- the supports you may need.
If you become incapable of making decisions about your housing,
someone else, called your , will make decisions for you.
You can choose who this will be by making a Power of Attorney for Personal Care. It will name the person you want to make decisions. This person is called your “attorney”. But this does not mean that they have to be a lawyer.
Personal care decisions include decisions about housing, health, food, hygiene, safety, and clothing.
If you have not made a and you're mentally capable, you make the decisions about your care.
