Senior mother and attractive daughter looking at each other with affection, talking, smiling.
If you are a health care professional who works with older adults and their families, guardianship is probably an issue that comes up time and again. As senior care advisors, we find ourselves dealing with those questions too. Many of the adult children we work with in Connecticut and greater New York are trying to plan for the care of a loved one who lives with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia.
The need to protect an aging parent’s assets and to make decisions regarding care is often difficult if the senior hasn’t done any elder care planning before their condition compromised their ability to do so. We thought it might help if we shared the answers to some of the questions we receive most frequently from family caregivers about guardianships.
Guardianship FAQ for Connecticut Caregivers
Q: What is a Guardian?
A: A guardian is a person, institution, or agency appointed by a court to manage the affairs of another individual. Guardians may be given the power to oversee the individual’s personal and/or financial matters.
Q: How does the court decide whether or not someone needs a guardian?
A: The courts do not make this decision lightly. It isn’t based solely on a person’s disability or medical diagnosis. Instead, the court will focus on the individual’s ability to make their own decisions and to communicate the decisions once made. Guardianships are usually most concerned with a person’s ability to make decisions regarding living arrangements, medical care, ancillary professional services, care for dependents, and their ability to safely managing their finances.
Q: Can anyone be appointed as a guardian or are their limitations?
A: While some states give preference to family, it isn’t a requirement. Typically individuals over the age of 18, who have not been convicted of a felony, can be appointed. In some instances for the individual’s protection, the court may appoint a non-related professional guardian. Public and private institutions can also be awarded a guardianship as long as they are not providing paid services to the individual. One thing to note is that financial institutions can only be granted guardianships for matters of the estate.
Q: How long does the guardianship process take?
A: That depends upon the circumstances and the state. In the case of an emergency, it can be done in a matter of days. For more complicated matters, it may take several months.
If you have additional questions, Guardianships in Connecticut can be a good resource to help
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Author: Ann Jamison
Ann Jamison is an experienced senior advisor who has successfully worked with hundreds of families to help them find the best care and home-like environment for themselves or their loved ones. Prior to launching Senior Living Options, Ann was an eldercare advisor for a national placement agency and served as sales director at a senior living community. Thanks to her 25-year career in advertising sales and marketing, Ann is able to discern between hype and reality for her clients. Ann recognizes that there are objective factors that need to be weighed when making a life-changing decision, but she can also assess the important softer attributes by getting to know her clients and by using the gut instincts that can only come through extended experience.
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