Guarding the Guardians

Guarding the Guardians: Promising Practices for Court Monitoring
Research Report
Naomi Karp, J.D., AARP Public Policy Institute
Erica F. Wood, American Bar Association
December 2007

Court-appointed guardians step into the shoes of at-risk adults with cognitive impairments, making judgments about medical care, property, living arrangements, lifestyle and potentially all personal and financial decisions. Court monitoring of these guardians is essential to ensure the welfare of incapacitated individuals, detect abuses and sanction guardians who demonstrate malfeasance.

Despite a dramatic strengthening of statutory standards in recent years, judicial monitoring practices vary substantially by jurisdiction. This AARP Public Policy Institute (PPI) Research Report by Naomi Karp (PPI) and Erica Wood (American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging) describes methods for helping courts protect some of our society's most vulnerable people. Through site visits to exemplary courts, the authors have identified promising approaches that can be replicated by courts around the country.

Full Report (PDF)
In Brief (HTML)

In Brief (PDF)

Source: AARP: Guarding the Guardians: Promising Practices for Court Monitoring