The Rampant Abuse of Elders by Using Guardianship

It is an often occurrence, that My Elder Advocate is called in to Advocate for a resident in a Nursing Home who has been placed there against their will by a court appointed guardian, and generally is being abused or neglected. In many of these guardianship cases, close family members have been banned from visiting their loved ones by guardians. In other cases nursing homes have been declared guardians and they have pillaged the personal accounts of the people they are supposed to protect.

As the number of seniors increase, so will the number of individuals with cognitive disabilities such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. This trend has produced an increasing demand to invoke guardianship on behalf of incapacitated seniors. However, guardianship - a legal tool which gives one person or entity the power to make personal and/or property decisions for another - has the potential of harming older adults rather than protecting them if not carefully administered. The rising incidence of elder abuse in this country and continuing reports of the failure of courts and the states to prevent exploitation of incapacitated adults by their guardians have long been of concern to My Elder Advocate and other advocates across the country.

Full Article and Source:
The Rampant Abuse of Elders by Using Guardianship