Elder Law
It is evident during this National Public Health Week, that Alzheimer’s is the most under-recognized threat to public health in the 21st century, as proclaimed by Dr. David Satcher, former U. S. Surgeon General and former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director (CDC). In recognition of this urgent public health issue, the Alzheimer’s Association,…
Read More The 2018 Legislative Session in Georgia has ended. Listed below are outcomes regarding issues affecting seniors, as reported by the Alzheimer’s Association National Office, alz.org SB 444—Establish the Georgia Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias State Plan (GARD) Advisory Council—Senator Renee Unterman and Representative Eddie Lumsden. This bill passed the Senate by a vote of 55–0; passed the…
Read More After the probate court appoints a guardian over a ward, the court stays involved in the ward’s care to supervise the ward’s affairs and monitor the actions of the guardian. Guardians must provide regular reports, known as Personal Status Reports, to the court to keep them updated on the ward. This report must include the…
Read More Once a judge has deemed a ward to be incompetent and has agreed that a guardianship should be in place, the judge has to appoint an appropriate guardian. There are some restrictions on who can be appointed as a guardian in Georgia. Only individuals (not organizations) can be guardians (unless the Guardian is the Georgia…
Read More We often hear from healthcare professionals and long-term care providers who are concerned about incapacitated individuals needing a guardian and having no family or friends available to help them. What happens when an adult can no longer make his/her own decisions but there is no one to step in and help them? This situation is…
Read More In most situations, Georgia requires that two people file for guardianship. This can be any two persons who will swear to the facts in the petition, or any one person along with a physician’s, licensed clinical social worker’s, or psychologist’s affidavit stating that he or she had examined the Proposed Ward within 15 days prior…
Read More The Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act has been signed into law on January 22, 2018. The RAISE Family Caregivers Act will address the needs of our nation’s family caregivers through the development and implementation of a coordinated national strategy. The new law directs the Department of Health and Human Services…
Read More Only a person deemed to be incompetent by a judge can have a guardian or conservator named over him/her. The Georgia code states, “The court may appoint a guardian for an adult only if the court finds the adult lacks sufficient capacity to make or communicate significant responsible decisions concerning his or her health or…
Read More There are many legal terms for the roles we can play in an older adults life. Have you ever been asked if you are the guardian or the power of attorney for someone? What does it mean when you hear that someone is the executor or trustee for someone else? How about conservator—what is that?…
Read More We often hear from concerned family members who are convinced they need to get guardianship over their loved one. Take this situation for example: a daughter calls our office after visiting an assisted living community. She is considering assisted living communities for her mom who has dementia, and one representative at a community told her…
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