| POWERS AND DUTIES OF A GUARDIAN:
What You Should Do After Becoming a Guardian (cont'd)
Plan
for your ward's needs
Each person is different and
your ward is an individual also. Plan for your ward’s
specific needs and take care of the most urgent needs first.
Then arrange for general
needs, including:
- Living situation
- Health care, discussed
in more detail below
- Meals
- Clothing and personal property,
such as jewelry, cars and furniture
- Personal care, such
as bathing, haircuts, manicures, etc.
- Housekeeping, including
cleaning and yardwork
- Care of the ward’s pets, if
necessary, including feeding, grooming, exercising
and getting yearly shots
- Transportation to appointments, social
events, shopping, church, etc.
- Recreation and hobbies
- Education
If you do not know the person well
or if the ward is very difficult, you can hire
a professional person to help you,
such as a case manager or social worker who works with disabled
adults or the elderly. You should involve
your ward as much as possible in making these arrangements.
Here is a checklist
to help you assess your ward's needs. Decide which tasks
your ward can do without help and which
tasks the ward needs help with:
- Getting
around (does the ward need a cane, walker or wheelchair?)
- Using
the bathroom (does the ward need help getting in
and out of the shower or bathtub or on or off the
toilet?
Does the ward know when s/he needs to use the bathroom?)
- Dressing,
hair care and other grooming
- Taking medications on time
and in proper amounts
- Meals (can the ward shop, cook,
clean up, properly store food and remember to eat regularly?)
- Clothes
(can the ward shop for clothes?)
- Cleaning the house,
doing laundry and other chores
- Using the telephone
- Using the bus,
taxi or other transportation services
- Paying bills and
managing his or her money
Other
factors to consider are:
(1) how good is the ward’s
memory; (2) how good is the ward’s ability to make
decisions; (3) is the ward violent, mean or uncooperative;
(4) is the ward confused or disoriented, and, if so, how
often; and (5) is the ward a danger to himself or herself
or others. What kind of help you arrange for the ward will
depend on how you evaluate your ward’s needs and abilities.
If
you were not named conservator of your ward's estate or
do not already have his or her power of attorney for financial
matters, you should meet with the conservator to find out
about your ward's assets in order to make arrangements
that
s/he can afford. If you spend money not approved by the
conservator, you may have to repay that money out of your
own pocket.
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