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They’re Coming for Your Elders and Your Inheritance: Ways to Protect Your Family, Mitigate the Damage, and Change the System
Léonie Rosenstiel’s They’re Coming for Your Elders and Your Inheritance is a sobering and deeply personal exploration of the U.S. elder care and guardianship systems, particularly where they fail vulnerable families. Through a mix of memoir, real-life case studies, and actionable advice, Rosenstiel details how an unsuspecting adult can be pulled into a web of legal, financial, and emotional chaos when a loved one begins to decline. Drawing on her 14-year battle to protect her mother, and the years that followed, the author shines a harsh light on court-appointed guardians, estate mismanagement, and state overreach—all while offering hope and guidance for those determined to avoid similar traps.
I couldn’t put the book down. It’s part horror story, part survival guide. The spider metaphor Rosenstiel uses to describe the guardianship system—predatory, massive, and almost invisible to the uninitiated—stuck with me. Her writing isn’t fancy, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s raw. Honest. Unfiltered. She doesn’t hide her anger or heartbreak, and that makes her message land harder. She’s seen too much, and she doesn’t waste time. What struck me most wasn’t just the corruption or the cost—it was how easily these things can happen even when everything “seems in order.”
What really worked for me was her clarity. She doesn’t talk down to readers, but she also doesn’t get tangled in legalese. She lays out the issues in plain language: who can really take your parent away, how you could be financially on the hook, and what to watch out for in conversations that seem harmless. I appreciated her use of real examples—families like mine, people like me, caught off guard. It made me angry, but more than that, it made me feel less alone. If anything, the book could feel overwhelming at times—not because of how it’s written, but because the truth is ugly. Still, that’s no fault of the author. The weight of the subject is what it is.
In the end, this book feels like a life preserver thrown into a rising tide. I would recommend They’re Coming for Your Elders and Your Inheritance to anyone with aging parents, especially if you’re the responsible one in your family. Rosenstiel has lived through a nightmare and come out swinging. Her voice is a warning—but also a hand extended in solidarity. It’s not an easy read, emotionally, but it’s a necessary one.
Pages: 224 | ASIN : B0F3KN1G1S
Protecting Mama: Surviving the Legal Guardianship Swamp
Protecting Mama is an intense, deeply personal, and often shocking memoir that dives into the murky, bureaucratic, and, at times, sinister world of legal guardianship in the United States. Author Léonie Rosenstiel shares the painful saga of her mother’s entanglement in a guardianship system that seems more interested in control and profit than care or dignity. Backed by over 40,000 pages of legal documentation and her own relentless determination, Rosenstiel walks us through years of institutional deception, family secrets, courtroom manipulation, and the emotional toll of fighting a system that feels rigged from the start.
What really gripped me was the raw, unfiltered way Rosenstiel lays out her story. This isn’t some detached legal analysis. It’s deeply human, almost unbearably so at times. The moment she describes how her mother’s guardian removed her beloved Egyptian bark paintings replacing them with photos of her abusers, that broke me. It wasn’t just a decorating choice; it was a cruel erasure of identity and comfort. Rosenstiel doesn’t just tell us what happened, she makes us feel the outrage, the helplessness, the absurdity of a system that hands so much unchecked power to total strangers. Her writing isn’t flashy or polished to a high literary shine. It’s straightforward, emotional, and piercingly honest. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Rosenstiel also has a sharp, sarcastic edge that I really appreciated. When she fact-checks a New Mexico bureaucrat who claimed almost no one complains about the guardianship system, Rosenstiel does a quick Google search and finds millions of hits for “guardianship abuse.” That’s the kind of mic-drop moment that makes this book more than a personal story; it becomes a wake-up call. She’s done her homework, and she’s not afraid to take aim at judges, attorneys, and “professional guardians” who profit off of the vulnerable. I admired her restraint, too she never veers into conspiracy theory territory. She sticks to what she can prove, and she can prove a lot.
At the same time, this book isn’t just about a broken system, it’s about a family and all the messy, unresolved history that comes with it. I was struck by the honesty with which Rosenstiel reflects on her mother’s past and her own role in trying to untangle decades of secrecy and trauma. You can feel how desperate she was to find any way to help. That level of emotional vulnerability, combined with the bureaucratic horror show she was navigating, made this a uniquely powerful read.
Protecting Mama is a gut punch of a book. It’s not light reading, but it’s important. If you have aging parents, or if you work in law, healthcare, or elder care, this book should be required. It’s a warning, a protest, and a love letter all rolled into one. Rosenstiel pulls back the curtain on a system that thrives in secrecy and shows us why silence is not an option. For those willing to face the uncomfortable truth, Protecting Mama delivers it with fierce honesty and heartbreaking clarity.
Pages: 481 | ASIN : B09MV3XMMB
Protecting Mama: Surviving the Legal Guardianship Swamp
Léonie Rosenstiel’s Protecting Mama: Surviving the Legal Guardianship Swamp is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the relentless pursuit of justice. When her mother falls victim to the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease, Léonie faces an arduous battle against a complex and often opaque legal system. A court-appointed guardian, shrouded in secrecy, becomes a formidable barrier between Léonie and her mother’s wishes. At the heart of this compelling narrative is the profound bond between a daughter and her mother. Léonie’s unwavering determination to honor her mother’s desire to share their story highlights their unbreakable connection. As she navigates a maze of legal and ethical challenges, the author provides a candid look at the devastating impact of Alzheimer’s on families.
Beyond the personal tragedy, the book serves as a scathing critique of the guardianship system. Rosenstiel exposes a framework often more focused on control and financial gain than on the well-being of its wards. This critique extends to the hospitality industry, where vulnerable individuals and their families can become targets of exploitation. Through Léonie’s experiences, readers gain valuable insights into the importance of financial planning and meticulous record-keeping. These practical lessons are crucial for safeguarding the future of loved ones and underscore the necessity for compassionate care and companionship for the elderly. Protecting Mama is a powerful story of resilience and the human spirit. Léonie’s tenacity in challenging the status quo is truly inspirational. The book provides a significant perspective on a complex issue that affects countless families.
I highly recommend Protecting Mama to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by families with elderly members, the intricacies of the legal system, and the importance of advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves. While the narrative is intense at times, it is essential reading for anyone interested in elder care, legal reform, and the human condition.
Pages: 481 | ASIN : B09MV3XMMB
LITERARY TITAN 