I am well known for being persistent, but sometimes it really does pay off.
Write it off in your head, so it doesn't bother you unduly, BUT I would keep emailing / ringing every month (alternate) just saying you want to talk. If you can talk, given that you need the money for carehome fees for someone that presumably she knows & has been part of her family for ages, she may send you some, and that might be enough for bygones to be bygones and you still have a sister.
It's a big amount to put down to experience and, as someone who's never had a sister, hang on to them if you can.