Alternatives to Guardianship

G1596
Published 2011

Sometimes obtaining a Guardian for a person who is having difficulty in making decisions in one or more areas of his or her life is an appropriate solution. Guardianship allows a responsible person to substitute judgment for someone who cannot make or communicate decisions. Without Guardianship the person may be unprotected and lack the ability to find and use services. Even so, Guardianships should be used sparingly, precisely because Guardians have so much power.

Guardianship is one form of surrogate decision making - a term used to describe situations in which one makes decisions on behalf of someone else. It is the most restrictive choice when decision making assistance is needed. There are many more ways help can be given before proceeding to Guardianship.

Publication Details

Authors

Eileen M Krumbach

John D. DeFrain

Bruce Cudly

Dina Rathje

Carol Lieske

Rene Ferdinand

Mary Evans

Mary Gordon

Subject

Youth & Families

Families

Publication Date November 01, 2005
Last Revision Date November 28, 2011
Language English
Formats

HTML / PDF

Series NebGuide