Virginia Wahab was able to live the last 8 months of her life at home. Not every elderly Michigander who is forced into an unneeded and unwanted guardianship situation is so lucky.

Virginia Wahab, the elderly woman I mentioned in this story last month, passed away at home on April 25 with her loving daughter Mimi at her side. Wahab was able to spend the last 8 months of her life at home after Mimi waged a legal battle for more than 2 years to free her mother from a court-appointed guardian. That guardian, Jon Munger, was given control over Virginia — and was able to forbid Virginia from even seeing her own daughter — because of a dispute over an overdue nursing home bill.

Now that Virginia has passed away the original reporter on this case, Gretchen Rachel Hammond, has released this video of Virginia and Mimi taken in front of the Oakland County Courthouse last June. The video takes place during a break a hearing where Mimi was fighting for her mother’s freedom — and it shows the first time Virginia was allowed to even see her daughter in more than 2 years.

As you’ll see, the reunion didn’t last long before a man who Hammond told me is an attorney for Munger literally ripped Virginia’s wheelchair away from Mimi, saying that the guardian hadn’t given permission for this visit.

And yes, Mimi reacted. But how would you react if your loving parent was kidnapped by the legal system?

As I reported last month, Attorney General Dana Nessel, our state Supreme Court, and a coalition of other entities have created a task force to look into elder abuse in our state. As it stands right now, the legal guardianship system is all too frequently just another vehicle for that abuse.

In Virginia’s case, not even having all her legal paperwork in order saved her: the court chose to ignore Mimi’s power of attorney.

Virginia’s case isn’t an isolated one. As Hammond and I have both reported, our probate courts sometimes violate the laws created to protect elderly Michiganders and their families.

If you live in Michigan and want to protect your elderly loved ones — and, eventually, yourself — from potential guardianship abuse, call the Attorney General’s office today at: 800-242-2873.

Tell them that the Elder Abuse Task Force’s efforts won’t be complete until probate judges and guardians alike are forced to comply with existing law, and face justice for the instances where that hasn’t happened.

Remember: if you’re a Michigan resident and you live long enough, something like this could happen to you.

NOTE: This piece is an editorial. While I am a freelance writer who writes news stories for Daily Kos, this article was produced independently of that program and has not been vetted by Daily Kos editors. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.