<prompt> Human: Weve suspected over the past couple years since my FIL retired that he and my MIL actually step MIL were running out of runway on their savings. My FIL was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 right around when my husband and I were starting our own family. Hes recovered from that since, but hasnt seemed to take on anything new cant get voicemail on his smart phone, no job, no hobbies, no social interaction, just aimless at home with my MIL. A complicating factor is that my MIL has had a long issue with alcohol and prescription pain med abuse and doesnt know or accept having an issue. We get the sense theyve spent their days going to doc appointments and sitting around watching fox news. My FIL is fully devoted to MIL, and they are severely codependent on eachother. Two months ago when we called to tell them of our plans to visit just before the holidays, they broke down crying and said they might not have a house for us to visit they have been renting for the last 10 years and have no other major assets. As we dove in to try to help and understand what was going on, we uncovered the most horrific web of issues one could imagine. They have dwindling savings, were spending way beyond their Social Security income on rent, take out, meds, booze, and medical appointments, now they have approaching 90K in credit card debt, my FIL had gotten wrapped up in publishers clearing house scams packages and papers literally stashed all over the house, my MIL was under 100 lbs and wasnt keeping any food in the house, they could barely order take out, neither was good at keeping track of their own meds or meals, FIL was showing clear signs of dementia or alzheimers not recognizing his own son at times, seemingly lucid at other times, they both have an extreme aversionfear to divulging their personal or financial issues yet there was a VERY clear need for them to get help. We tried. We and my husbands siblings started to make a plan to get them out of their living situation, get them closer to family, new docs, etc. We even spent on a care manager to help mediate the process. My MIL was fully in charge of finances for the past who knows how many years and it became clear her only focus was on securing booze and pills. She ruined their credit and health, and was putting my FIL in jeopardy, even scheduling unnecessary surgeries for him a few weeks ago she thinks he has swelling on the brain even though ever neuro we talked to disagreed and says its organic brain decay. We decided she was posing enough of a threat and creating so much drama, that we checked her into a detox program to see if that would wake her up to the situation. 2 weeks in and 2 days before Christmas she checked herself out of rehab sadly her pill prescriptions are legit and holding her beyond an alcohol detox wasnt possible, even though her doc had no idea she was mixing booze and pills...morphine specifically. My FIL expressed in my MILs absence how hard its been with her and how abusive shed been, she was threatening him if he didnt go get her beer, etc. But shes his only anchor to a daily routine and without her, his dementia and confusion worsened. They are so codependent, we can seem to help them, since MIL wont accept her condition or get help. She just wants us to give her to give them more time in the same crappy situation...my son is 2.5 and we moved them into their current rental when he was a baby, nothing has been moved around or settled into in that 2.5 years, they are literally wasting away. Ants everywhere, toilets leaking...its a disaster. The good news is they have a long term care insurance benefit, but getting it to kick in will only work for my FIL and will take a diagnosis and some time to sort out,and the benefit doesnt qualify for someone whos ruined their life due to addiction. What does one do in this situation, when parents have made bad decisions and they are becoming a literal burden on a young family like us, raising our own kids, wanting to help if we can but also shocked by the amount of effort and tasking this will take, especially from afar? The financial responsibility of taking care of them for an unknown period of time could be 6 months, 6 years, who knows is daunting, even with siblings to help and frankly, no one wants to deal with step MIL given her addition and mental health issues. TL;DR Aging in-laws are broke, deeply in debt, and only in their 70s with progressively declining healthmental healthaddiction issues, but not willing to accept help because of a codependency to each other and MILs addictions...how do we deal with this, or do we leave them be and let the cards fall where they may?  <response>: You need help from a social worker probably through adult protective services. They understand the system, and it is virtually impossible to navigate with out help. 