There may come a time in a person’s life when he or she may be unable to properly oversee their personal affairs and finances for a variety of reasons including increasing age, disability, injury or other changes. It may become necessary to seek court appointment of a guardian for that person.
A guardian is a court appointed person, institution or agency whose responsibility it is to manage someone’s personal daily living needs (a guardian of the “person”) and/or someone’s financial matters (a guardian of the “estate). The individual for whom a guardian is appointed is called the “Protected Person”. It may be necessary to seek a court appointment of a guardian if:
- the Protected Person has a mental or physical problem diagnosed by a doctor that prevents them from taking care of their personal and/or physical needs;
- the Protected Person, as a result of the diagnosed condition, is in danger of substantial harm to themselves or others;
- the Protected Person is in the presence of significant undue influence
- there is no-one already legally authorized to assume responsibility of the “Protected Person”
To be an effective guardian you will need to take into account the wishes and desires of the Protected Person when making decisions regarding their living situation, medical treatment and end-of-life decisions. The guardianship process can be stressful and often complicated but with Richard Schulze’s extensive experience and knowledge he will guide you through each and every step to ensure the best possible result.