Need a guardian? If you don't pick one, court will for you

Having someone you trust to make decisions for you when you can't is a good idea, if you don't want a stranger doing it, that is.

In Illinois, if you are "not decisional" as the lawyers say, and you haven't chosen someone to act on your behalf when you're in that state, a judge will appoint a guardian for you.

In Champaign County, John Brown of Savoy is the county public guardian for those who have no one else to do the job. In Vermilion County, Matt Myrick of Oakwood holds that position.

"Having a decision-maker that you trust, that you have the opportunity to talk to about how you want medical decisions made before that emergency occurs is really important," said Champaign attorney Deb Feinen, whose office specializes in petitioning for guardianships.

"Assuming that you don't revoke your power-of-attorney, that person is able to make all the decisions and you don't have to go to court and get a guardianship," she said.

Champaign County Judge Holly Clemons, who handles most of the requests for guardianships, said typically the requests come from a family member who has no power to act because the affected loved one hasn't executed a power-of-attorney.

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Need a guardian? If you don't pick one, court will for you