Brevard court has doctor shortage to help with guardian cases

The court needs more doctors who are willing to examine people in Brevard County, as a part of a process to appoint guardians, to see if they are able to make decisions on their own.

If someone is unable to make decisions, the court can authorize a guardian to do so on his or her behalf. But with an increasing caseload and the retirement of one of the two doctors typically called upon for the process, Brevard is in need, according to court spokeswoman Michelle Kennedy.

Chief Judge John Harris explained such a situation could impact any average family. Typically, it involves an elderly person dealing with issues of dementia, but it could also be someone who suffered a head injury. The court can then appoint a guardian to make that person’s financial or medical decisions. The process to appoint a guardian includes having a doctor make a report after examining the person — looking at medical records, talking to the patient, their primary physician and their family.

Hundreds of people every year require this sort of help from the court system — attorney William Johnson described one recent case where a woman in her 80s needed a guardian. She lives in Eau Gallie and she’s adamant about staying in the home her father built in the 1950s, but she began wandering away from home. Her son, who is in his 60s and has health issues of his own, was “at his wits end,” trying to care for her, Johnson said. Her home had been broken into, the police have been there about six times in the past month and strangers started drinking beer on her porch.

Johnson said the Department of Children and Families was called. They determined the situation was unsafe. A professional guardian assessed the woman and agreed with DCF. The son consented, agreeing that he could no longer be her caregiver, Johnson said.

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Brevard court has doctor shortage to help with guardian cases