Dallas News | myFOXdfw.com
The State of Texas is trying to get custody of an elderly woman, even though she says she wants to stay in her home.
The same thing happened to her sister three years ago, and people familiar with the way these cases work say the system is being abused.
Suzanne Foley, 85, wants her independence and says she has a right to stay in her own home with the help of a caregiver. However, Adult Protective Services wants her in a nursing home.
Foley suffers from Alzheimer's and dementia, according to her caregiver, Kathy Gilbreath.
But Gilbreath says Foley can still get around her house.
"She dresses herself every day," said Gilbreath. "She's a very independent woman."
Foley is from Switzerland, but her house in Mineral Wells has been her home for the past 20 years.
However, on Tuesday, a county judge in the town of Palo Pinto held a hearing, where the State of Texas asked to take over Foley's affairs and her sizeable bank account.
The judge closed the court to the public and now has issued a gag order, prohibiting the participants from discussing what happened.
The process is familiar to Virginia Pritchett, who was good friends with Denise Tighe, Foley's sister.
"This guardianship law is a big money grab," said Pritchett.
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Elderly Mineral Wells woman fights state for independence