As Houston residents see their parents growing older, they often become aware of a few of the legal issues that affect elder care. From planning for long term care to putting final touches on wills and trusts, there is much to consider.

There are many steps that must be taken in order to ensure that parents and elderly loved ones are respected and that they are not taken advantage of as they age. One issue that some families encounter is an elderly loved one developing an inappropriate relationship with his or her caregiver. The loneliness that sometimes accompanies growing older can make some adults fall into traps in their caregiver relationships, crossing the line into a very personal friendship or even a romance.

There are many red flags that you may want to look out for if you suspect that a caregiver may be too close to your aging parent:

• Is your parent giving the caregiver expensive gifts?

• Are you hearing stories about how your parent feels bad for his or her caregiver, or that the caregiver is in a bad financial situation and needs help?

• Is the caregiver asking for anything outside of the usual boundaries of the paid position? This may include requests for money and, in some cases, pay advances.

• If your parent considers him or herself to be involved romantically with the caregiver, look for signs of the caregiver's intentions.

• Does the caregiver offer to help your parent with things such as repairs around the house, and convince your parent to hire the caregiver's friends or relatives for these jobs?

• Have you noticed any other uncharacteristic behavior? These can be big changes in routine or dramatically increased spending.

If you have answered "yes," to one or several of these questions, you may want to call a family meeting to discuss the issue and how to proceed. If it is within your power, you may even feel like you need to fire the caregiver or talk to your parent about giving you or another sibling power of attorney to protect access to his or her money.

If your parent's judgment is impaired, you may need to apply for guardianship, also called conservatorship. However, it is important to remember that your parent does deserve control over his or her own life and finances unless he or she is vulnerable and needs assistance in these matters. A Houston area elder care attorney can help with these issues as well as work with you and your parent to put together a plan for long term care services and estate planning.

Source: Caring.com, "Help! Dad's Caregiver Is After His Money - But He Thinks It's True Love," Melanie Haiken, 2012