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Grandmother Is In The Hospital In Another State And Her Tenant Is Acting As Her Nephew

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My grandmother is in the hospital in another state and I cannot take time off of work to go out there this week. I am her only loving relative, and visit her 1-2 times per month. I am the healthcare proxy, she has 3 tenants that rent from a building that she owns. She was admitted into the hospital last Thrusday and I wasn't notified until Sunday because one of her tenants brought her and gave them his name. He told them that he is her nephew, and while they have known each other for a couple of decades he is not related to her in any way. I tried calling the hospital when I found out and they said that they can't give me any information over the phone. I drove 4 hours to find out that she is still undergoing tests and that her tenant and his wife have been there all day with her. I explained to the nurse and the doctor that I need to be the one to be told anything and to be the one to make decisions on her behalf it it came to it, not him. They said that they will make a note in the chart and then come back later to fill out the paperwork. I finally got to see Emmy grandmother who told them everything that I already did and that I'm her proxy should anything happen. They never came back and I was shooed away once visiting hours were over.

I called for an update today just to be told that I had to talk to the proxy, which is when I told them that it was already changed to me. They said that they didn't see anything in the chart with my name and that I'd need to come back during the week. They also said that HER NEPHEW is there with her and that I could ask him. She does not have a nephew, she had 1 son, no inlaws, no sisters or brothers, and 1 granddaughter (me).

For backstory, I KNOW that he has been stealing things since my father passed away, she kept most of his belongings in her part of the apartment and before I could get a storage unit to store them in, anything valuable was gone (watches, very early comics and valuable magazines, old and valuable sports memorabilia, etc). My grandmother then told me that he was just helping organize stuff but I never saw any of that again. My father's death was very sudden and I lived even further away than I do now so it took a while for me to get out there and go through stuff. Meanwhile her tenant happened to be able to afford a new car, Rolex, etc while not having a job.

She also owns her apartment building, currently valued over $3mil, and has a lot of valuable collectables. This tenant has a key to her apartment in case she needs help or falls, but I am certain that he is trying to get in the will. He knows exactly where all of her important documents are and where everything is stashed in her apartment.

So I have multiple questions:

  1. How do I approach the hospital? I really can't afford to miss any time and I am not given PTO, so I can't go to the hospital during visiting hours. I was thinking of just threatening legal action and finding a lawyer who could help with that, but again, I can barely afford to pay my own rent and utilities, let alone pay for a lawyer

  2. She has told me multiple times, including this post Sunday, that the rental property is mine when she is gone. The first thing that I want to do when I'm able to is go to her personal apartment and change the locks and set up cameras before anything can be taken. I also would like to sell that property. I know it probably varies by state but should I immediately retain a lawyer for that as well? I know there will probably be pushback.

  3. Assuming the worst, if something does happen and they do what the tenant tells them, do I have grounds to sue him and the hospital? I'm thinking worst case scenario because they refuse to give me any information at all.

TLDR: My grandmother's tenant is acting like her nephew and I cannot get any information regarding her status

submitted by /u/Substantial-Car-7681
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