Description

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Co-sponsored by the National Guardianship Association

Serving as guardian is never simple or easy. Having the responsibility to make major life decisions for another is much more difficult than making decisions for oneself. Recent studies by the National Center for State Courts estimate that between one to two million adults are under court-supervised guardianship. The Administrative Conference of the United States estimates that approximately 75 percent of guardians are family members or friends. A constant refrain in multiple national studies and legislative reports is that once guardians are appointed they receive little instruction on how to carry out their responsibilities and have few resources to guide them.

Fundamentals of Guardianship is the much-needed, basic manual for new guardians that explains those roles and responsibilities. The court orders guardians to make decisions; Fundamentals of Guardianship explains how to make those decisions. It guides the new guardian step-by-step through the process of how to make responsible and ethical decisions, prudently manage another's resources, avoid conflicts of interest, and involve the person under guardianship in the decision process. Fundamentals of Guardianship is the authoritative resource written by guardians with decades of experience and members of the National Guardianship Association.

This book will appeal to all who have been appointed as guardian or conservator, whether lawyer, family member, friend, volunteer, or public or private entity, as well as all those who serve vulnerable adults. Included on this list are judges, court administrators, law enforcement officials, adult protective services, social workers, health care providers, case managers, residential care administrators, long-term care ombudsmen, financial institutions, and financial advisors.

About the Author

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Sally Hurme is an elder law attorney and author. While with AARP for 23 years she worked on a wide variety of issues including advance care planning, surrogate decision making, consumer fraud, elder abuse, and financial security. Ms. Hurme was an advisor to the Uniform Law Commission in the drafting of the uniform guardianship jurisdiction act and Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship and other Protective Arrangements Act. She also was a member of the U.S. State Department delegation that drafted the Hague Convention on the International Protection of Adults. She has authored 20 law review articles and book chapters on various elder law issues and taught elder law at George Washington University Law School. She is author of the ABA/AARP Checklist series: Checklist for My Family, Checklist for Family Survivors, Checklist for Family Caregivers, Get the Most Out of Retirement, and Wise Moves. She received her law degree from the Washington College of Law at American University, Washington, D.C., and her bachelor's degree from Newcomb College, Tulane University in New Orleans.