Monday, October 21, 2013

Editorials from around Pennsylvania: Focus on Guardians Paramount

The issue of guardianships for the elderly and disabled gets lost amid the major issues of the day.

But the guardianship issue is not one to be regarded lightly, and it will become more significant as baby boomers continue to age.
That's why Blair County court officials' move to beef up the monitoring of such arrangements comes at a good time. The initiative must not become lost among other pressing county business.
Still, it was disconcerting to hear county officials admit that the current monitoring of such arrangements here leaves something to be desired. As reported in an article in the Oct. 6 Mirror, Blair County Prothonotary Carol Newman, in whose office guardianships are filed, described the local monitoring as "hit and miss."
According to Newman, no organized process for tracking the county's guardianship cases is in place. Thus, there could be instances where required annual reports have not been filed on time or at all, making it impossible to monitor what is happening in those cases.
That raises the question of whether there ever is comprehensive review of many of those reports that are received.

Again, the growth of the elderly population makes it imperative that the guardianship issue gets much more attention than it has received in the past. Meanwhile, the existing situation is an embarrassment for a county that usually prides itself on doing things right.
Full Article and Source:
Editorials From Around Pennsylvania

2 comments:

  1. I am glad to see activists speaking up and writing editorials.

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  2. Very few courts actually monitor. It's been "the" complaint for years in study after study. But, nothing's ever done. In this economy when money is tight, the government won't take on a proactive approach if it costs. So, there we are with no resolve.

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