To be
certain, there are many elderly people who are unable to fend for
themselves, have no close relatives and need a court-appointed guardian
relationship.
Ruth Pregenzer, whose law firm deals
extensively with elder issues, told the Journal, “Guardian and
conservatorships have grown up to meet a need,” a reference to the aging
baby boomer generation.
“We’re not living anymore in a society where
families take care of each other,” she said. “Oftentimes, families are
all over the country.”
There are many kind and
trustworthy lawyers, guardians, conservators and caretakers who operate
with compassion and good intentions within New Mexico’s elder care
system. In addition, cases involving elders often include courtroom
discussion of their mental competence and medical conditions that must,
under law, be kept confidential.
As for some families’
contention that there is a cottage industry of for-profit professionals
who control much of the business within a tightknit group, Nancy Oriola,
CEO of elder care firm Decades LLC, told the Journal, “I believe that
the professionals who refer Decades make a conscious effort to not
engage in the activity you describe.”
“We rotate the work of all professionals we hire — be it
attorneys, Realtors, caregiving agencies, estate liquidators, etc.,” she
said.
According to a 2013 task force report prepared for
the New Mexico Senate, there could be as many as 10,000 guardianships
and conservatorships active in the state courts.
During an interview in her chambers recently, 2nd Judicial District Judge Shannon Bacon indicated the number is much higher now.
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In many cases, guardians meet a need
The figures are astounding. 10K guardianships? 8 out of 10 judges have 1,000 cases? The figures alone make a strong argument for oversight!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reporting news people need to know before it's too late. I hope people are seeing the $ here.
ReplyDelete"......According to a 2013 task force report prepared for the New Mexico Senate, there could be as many as 10,000 guardianships and conservatorships active in the state courts...."
I believe guardianships and conservatorships are our nations largest unregulated industry operating like a cartel business deals conducted in our courtrooms nationwide.
10,000 active cases in New Mexico. Do the math x 50 states = how many active/open cases? And keep in mind a case can remain open, for billing billing billing, for years after the ward, the protected person has passed away.
Sealed files are a major problem the excuse that this secrecy protects the ward is total BS.
A cartel is an organization of a few independent producers for the purpose of improving the profitability of the firms involved. This usually involves some restriction of output, control of price, and allocation of market shares.
Cartel definition, an international syndicate, combine, or trust formed especially to regulate prices and output in some field of business.