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.
Author Biography:
Sally Balch Hurme, J.D., is currently a project advisor with the AARP Health Law Education team. In her more than 20 years at AARP, she has advocated on a wide range of issues, including consumer fraud, financial exploitation, elder abuse, surrogate decision making, advance care planning, predatory mortgage lending, health care fraud, and fi nancial security. She is well recognized as an elder law advocate who is quoted frequently in national media, including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNN.com, Money, Kiplinger's Retirement Report, NPR, and AARP The Magazine. Although she has written more than 20 law review articles on elder law topics, Hurme has focused her professional career on explaining the law so that everyone can understand it. She has lectured in Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Great Britain, and Moldova on elder abuse and surrogate decision making. She is also in demand as a speaker, having given more than 100 presentations on elder law topics in at least 40 states. She is author of "Get the Most Out of Retirement: Checklist for Happiness, Health, Purpose and Financial Security, and ABA/AARP Checklist for Family Survivors" and the "ABA/AARP Checklist for Family Heirs.