Brooke Astor, now 104, inherited millions from her husband, Vincent Astor whose father died in the sinking of the Titanic.
Astor is a noted philanthropist, giving away millions to the New York Public Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carnegie Hall and the Museum of Natural History as well as many smaller projects and for which she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998.
No matter how rich, no one is immune from the perils of old age and incapacity. Her legal guardian is her son from her first marriage, Anthony Marshall, 82, a Broadway producer.
Her grandson, Philip Marshall, has filed papers in court alleging "elder abuse" and requesting that his father Anthony Marshall be moved as Brooke Astor's guardian.
Despite the $2.3 million Anthony Marshall pays himself yearly as his mother's guardian, he cut off Astor's access to expensive medication, reduced her doctors' visits and ordered her staff not to take her to an emergency room or call 911 without contacting him first.
Relative says N.Y. philanthropist abused.
Philanthropist Brooke Astor, the 104-year-old society queen who gave away nearly $200 million to city charities, is now sleeping on a filthy couch in torn nightgowns while her son withholds money and proper medical care, her grandson charged in court papers.
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The papers also claim that Astor has been denied many of the staples of her high-society life. Her Estee Lauder face creams were replaced with petroleum jelly and her French chef was fired, they said. Nurses had to use their own money to purchase hair bonnets and socks for Astor, the papers say.
It is appalling how some children treat their aging parents.
Posted by Jill Fallon at July 26, 2006 4:50 PM | TrackBack | PermalinkThis high-visibility case highlights the risk of having a bad guardian and the importance of effective court oversight. At AARP's Public Policy Institute, we just issued a new report on this important topic, Guardianship Monitoring: A National Survey of Court Practices, http://www.aarp.org/research/legal/guardianships/2006_14_guardianship.html
I was appalled to hear about the poor treatment Brooke Astor is receiving from her son. As one of the first group of Astor Fellows who had the opportunity to travel to Italy in 1996 I can attest to her generousity and concern for others. I met her on two occasions and found her charming, honest and intellegent.
My own mother died in April. She suffered a stroke in August 2004 and my siblings were more interested in their inheritance than her care.
Hard to believe that children can be so insensitive to the needs of the elderly.