a non profit serving those who cannot speak for themselves

Guardian of Property, Person or both

Guardianships are appointed either for person or property, or both.

Guardians of person focus on a persons welfare and safety, where they will live, what services they need and to make decisions about health care and advanced directives.

Guardianship of property is focused on the persons financial holdings: real estate, bank accounts, retirement accounts, other personal possessions, applying for benefits including Social Security, Disability and/or Medicaid

Once appointed by the Court, Guardianship Corp staff ensure that each clients’ individual needs are met through a comprehensive assessment and service plan development, regular visits, and timely reporting to the Court.

Personal Guardianship services include ensuring for client shelter, food, clothing, general safety, medical appointments and related health care and social needs.

Property Guardianship services include managing the individual’s property or income, applying for Social Security, Medicaid and other benefits, and maintaining their general financial affairs.

All services are provided to ensure each clients well being and maximum independence.

General Services

Guardian of Property, Person or both

Guardianship Corp Staff are responsible for all functions:

1. Administrative

a. Attend all Court appearances and conferences.

b. Obtain commissions and maintain files for each client. Complete all required reporting to the Courts related to each specific Ward or any other communication with the Court.

c. Act as the authorizing Agent for clients whether for health care or financial purposes.

d. Ensure all client related paperwork is attended to in a timely manner such as making sure Medicaid overages are paid monthly, leases or housing documentation are signed, medical authorizations and consents are completed.

2. Volunteer Development

To Train, deploy and coordinate volunteer Monitors that preform the duties necessary to support each ward.

3. Case Management:

GC works with all Care Providers and related Agencies to coordinate services to clients.

VOLUNTEERS ARE THE KEY

Community caring for itself

Guardianship Corp is about people helping other people. Our clients are unfortunate souls who are unable to care for themselves or to see to their daily welfare. Volunteers are people willing to give of themselves, their time, and their compassion for a stranger. We work with RSVP staff who present us as an option to folks looking for volunteer opportunities through their web site and call center. When they find interested candidates, they refer them to GC where we take the time to answer their questions and see if it is a good fit.

For the right person, we send them some informational videos about guardianship court and other background information so that they can see what they are getting themselves into. If we have not scared them away by then, we then put them into a training process, either in groups or individuals as the need may be. To date, we have been able to recruit 2 retired Nurses, one Social Worker, a Speech Therapist and a former nursing home ombudsman. We do not ask them to work as a nurse or SW, nor to introduce themselves to clients or Agencies as such, but having their skill set working with our clients is truly a strength. We train them for the role of Guardianship Monitor. Training includes:

1. The job description of a Monitor, Agency expectations and how to communicate and report back to the office.

2. How to conduct a client visit and what to expect. What is normal versus what is different for each client and when to report back. Client Safety, health and wellness issues, infection control are basic topics for all.

3. Alzheimers and dementia Information. We have partnered with the Alzheimers Association to train our volunteers on 2 key modules. First is a general background in the disease, its prevalence and signs and symptoms. The second is a more specific module on behavior and medications, behavior management and what to expect when working with people afflicted with this awful disease.

4. Finally, we bring our volunteers to real Court, to see a Guardianship proceeding in action and meet the Judge. This provides a real grounding in the process and an understanding of the importance of their role.

5. Other training modules are also provided based on the needs of each client in order to best arm a volunteer on how to deal with specific clients or specific Issues.

The role of Guardianship Corp monitor asks that our volunteers visit assigned clients on at least a twice monthly basis. In comparison, guardians are only required to visit wards on a quarterly basis. Using our volunteers as “boots on the ground” , Guardianship Corps can provide increased attention, support and advocacy for our most vulnerable citizens . Volunteers may be assigned to a client on an individual basis or may be paired with a one or more Team members to manage a case.