Law students partner with Charleston Co. Probate Court to protect vulnerable adults

The Adult Guardianship Assistance and Monitoring Program in the Lowcountry is pairing Charleston School of Law students with the Charleston County Probate Court to check on vulnerable and incapacitated adults under guardianship.

By Kavya Ramesh

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — The Adult Guardianship Assistance and Monitoring Program in the Lowcountry is pairing Charleston School of Law students with the Charleston County Probate Court to check on vulnerable and incapacitated adults under guardianship.

Students volunteer as court-appointed limited court visitors, going out in teams of two to visit adults under guardianship in homes and care facilities.

The court conducts specialized training each semester before issuing court orders appointing the students to the role.

Students act as ‘eyes and ears’ of the court

During a training session, Charleston County Probate Judge Irv Condon told students that guardianship in South Carolina applies to more than senior citizens. 

“It’s not all about senior citizens. It’s about incapacitated adults. And a vulnerable adult in South Carolina is anybody over the age of 18. So that could be, uh, any, any of us,” Condon said.

Condon said the goal of the visits is to secure the greatest independence possible for each person under guardianship.

“Our hope is you go there and you start visiting and you have a hard time getting away. They want to hear about you and take an interest in you. That is what we hope occurs,” Condon said.

Students monitor housing safety and basic needs, including glasses, walkers and hearing aids, and report their findings to the court. 

Three guardianship clerks follow up on the reports with guardians or conservators.

Coordinators describe the mission

Jamie Roper, elder advocate and coordinator with the City of Charleston Mayor’s Office on Aging, spoke to students about the responsibility of the role.

“This job is more giving back than you will ever know. But I will tell you this. Sometimes the job becomes very, very hard,” Roper said.

Roper told students to trust their instincts during visits.

“When your Spidey senses go up, listen to them because that’s why we need your eyes and ears. Because some people, they don’t have the ability to speak, so we have to speak for them,” Roper said.

Roper said the work is centered on helping people, not creating obstacles for them.

“You know, these are people’s lives and our job is to help them. Not to be a barrier, not to make it difficult, but to help them. So do whatever you can to help them,” Roper said.

Program history

The program began in 2011, with Charleston as one of two counties in the nation chosen to pilot it, along with Maricopa County, Arizona. 

Condon told students the effort followed news reports by the Los Angeles Times and New York Times documenting courts that were not checking on individuals under guardianship.

Since 2011, more than 1,200 students have participated in the program, visiting more than 1,000 citizens, according to the court.

The court says about 200 of the visits have resulted in direct follow-up actions, including connecting families with caregiver grants, securing housing resources or reporting abuse and neglect. 

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Law students partner with Charleston Co. Probate Court to protect vulnerable adults