my father has dementia and is in a nursing home, my mom just passed away and did not leave a will. What do I need to do to handle their affa...

Question

my father has dementia and is in a nursing home, my mom just passed away and did not leave a will. What do I need to do to handle their affairs?

Answer

Most likely everything went to your father. If you need to handle his affairs, you need to file for guardianship of him. If your mother owned anything in her name alone you need to probate her estate. If what she owned in her name alone was less than $100k, then you can file a small estate affidavit (look into the rules on this). If not, then you have to file for a full probate. You should consult with an attorney about this.