Helpless in America

This is my aunt Leni, my mother's older sister. (With me enjoying family photos last September and sharing a beer in 2001,with Mom in their beloved "Salzkammergut" region of Bavaria, and with Aleks and Kat many years ago.)

Leni has always been a very important member of our family and has always been included in family events and holidays (to the extent possible), even though she lived far away from us, in Germany. Leni's huge heart showed us the meaning of kindness and compassion, and Leni's financial generosity allowed us to attend school (she paid for a good part of my Stanford education), buy houses (she helped us get back into a house after the housing market crashed in the 90's), and participate in important cultural opportunities (she paid for our trips to Germany on numerous occasions). But Leni never cared about money or things beyond how they could be used to help others. What meant everything to Leni were kindness and love and joy -- and what joy she expressed every time I visited her... from joy as we hiked (back when she was more mobile) in her native Alps, to the joy at enjoying photos of her extended family, as she was doing in this picture, taken just a few months ago.

But right now Leni sits alone in a modern, but very sterile care facility near her Bavarian home. She doesn't want to be there, but she is -- and right now there's absolutely nothing that I can do about it. Leni is far from senile, but the others there are suffering from dementia so she is completely alone. She is scared and lonely, and she is being taken advantage of -- emotionally and financially (but hopefully not physically).

I can't get into additional details here, but I am so upset I can barely see straight!

If my mom were still alive, she'd be furious. Thanks to my niece, who lives in Germany and knows the legal system there, help may be on the way, and I will be in daily touch with her. But I am willing to fly there, if necessary, to make sure Leni is OK... though, being an American, I'm not sure how I can help.

Leni has been so good to us in so many ways over the years and now she's alone and being taken advantage of. We need to do something! I just talked to my older brother, who is willing to fly to Germany from Hawaii, where he's vacationing, to help Leni.

Fingers crossed, OK?