Two days ago a nearby hospital called me to ask if I knew someone who they were caring for. It was my brother. He cut off contact with me 10 years ago. I didn't even know if he was still alive. No one in my family knew what became of him. They said he was in ICU on a ventilator. They said they might need a relative to sign consents on his behalf.

Saturday he was too sedated to interact with me. Yesterday I went to the hospital again. He was awake and off the ventilator. He clearly recognized me and told me twice to "go away." So I did. He gets enraged if his wishes aren't respected. He gets arrested frequently for drunken bad behavior. He can be threatening and violent.

So the hospital called me again today, even though I'ld already told them that he does not want me involved. They said he is still not mentally competent to sign consent forms. They didn't need any signature right away. They said police wanted someone to sign consent for them to turn his two cats over to Animal Welfare Dept. In the past, I rescued a kitten of his that got left behind when he got arrested. I missed days of work caring for this kitten that had gotten quite sick. When it was clear that he'ld be locked up for months, I eventually was able to re-home the kitten. I placed it in an excellent home. When my brother got out of jail, he was mad that I "got rid" of his cat. So I told the hospital social worker that I would be afraid to sign anything on my brother's behalf. Down the line, he'll just be angry and critical of anything I do.

They moved my brother out of ICU. I expect he'll recover alright. My brother is unpredictable. I think it would be best if I did not get involved in his situation. He has been very emotionally disturbed for years. He builds up hate toward others at the drop of a hat.

If the hospital calls me again about providing any consent, I think I should encourage them to get a court-appointed treatment guardian. I don't see a better option. I've talked to my sisters. No one wants to get involved with my brother. We all tried over the years. He has a dependable income from Social Security that is enough to support him. But he goes in and out of homelessness related to his alcoholism and drug use. It's very sad. He won't really cooperate with getting rehab.

If anyone has any advice, please share it. I feel troubled, but I don't see what I can do differently.