I agree with WLDKATZ. Adult Protective Services is specifically for such a problem.
When a referral is made, they are obligated to do an assessment. If necessary they will then contact Mental Health if an asessment is needed by them.
I was a Geriatric Mental Health Counselor and this was part of my job....to make an assessment of the Elderly still in their own homes. We also did assessments in nursing homes if a resident had acting out behaviors that couldn't be handled by the staff.
As WLDKATZ said, it is a complicated process to commit someone. The important issue is that this older person can be helped if the meds are reviewed and possibly starting over with just one doc writing prescriptions. Many of the Elderly will have years old meds, over-the-counter meds, new prescriptions from two or three docs if they are still cognative clear enough to carry this out. Some docs will refill over the phone and this is dangerous for the Elderly.
At her age there can be confusion and memory problems that increase the possiblity of her being a danger to herself. Sometimes a Mental Health Professional can send someone to a State Hospital for a 72 hour evaluation. The person has to be released if they cannot determine she is a danger to herself. Then if so, they would get her on a med regime that would deal with her medical problems as well as with any mental health issues.
To commit someone, they have to be taken before a judge, usually done in the State Hospital with the Social Worker and family members, if they can be present.
Now this is just what I know about Washington State. I am sure other states have their own RCW's and policies that they have to abide by.
As you can see, it takes the involvement of several agencies and sometimes the police have to help in extreme cases. We have to treat the Elderly with dignity and respect just as we would want for ourselves.
I had a 100 year old client badly needing to be in a supervised living situation but refused. We managed to help him in his home as much as he would let us and also had Home Health involved. Well, he fell and broke his hip so he had to be in a nursing home for rehab after surgery. Then one day he got into a fight with his room mate and drew blood on the man's forehead...so NH regs state if a resident draws blood on another resident, they have to be sent out for evaluation.
I was there waiting for the ambulance to come and when they came in with the stretcher, he took one look and said: "I know what that is for." It took a lot of convincing to get him on it. Then when we got outside, he said: "It is wrong that a 100 year old man, that knew President Lincoln, has to go through all of this."
He got so he liked it at the State Hospital. He got to go bowling, on walks, and fish in the small lake....more than he had been able to do in years...so he didn't want to come back. He was a colorful old man that we loved. He was one to shop lift at the store across from his house and the sheriff's office would call and tell us and they would get the things back or he would pay for him. They never once arrested him. He had money and a lawyer that gave him so much a week to spend. Our whole community looked out for this man. Even the ministers of the nearby churches helped keep an eye on him.
kelsh