{"id":109,"date":"2019-03-28T17:23:05","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T17:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/?p=109"},"modified":"2023-06-12T18:56:02","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T18:56:02","slug":"duties-of-guardian-for-elderly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/duties-of-guardian-for-elderly\/","title":{"rendered":"Duties of a Guardian for the Elderly in Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When an adult becomes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azleg.gov\/ars\/14\/05101.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">incapacitated<\/a>, a family member, friend, or government agency can petition the court to appoint a guardian. Guardianship proceedings often take upwards of 6 months to complete and include a thorough due diligence process to understand which affairs the incapacitated adult (aka the ward) needs assistance with. Based on those findings, the court will then appoint a guardian and provide them with the authority to speak and act on the ward\u2019s behalf in those areas where they need assistance.<\/p>\n<h2>Duties of a Guardian for the Elderly<\/h2>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azleg.gov\/ars\/14\/05301.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">guardianship<\/a>\u00a0can be general or limited. As the name implies, a general guardianship offers the guardian complete control over the ward\u2019s affairs, while a limited guardianship restricts the guardian\u2019s authority to specific activities. General guardianships are the most common choice, but a limited guardianship is a great pick for an adult who is partially incapacitated and can still handle some of their own affairs.<\/p>\n<p>Depending on the terms of the guardianship established by the court, a guardian may have a variety of responsibilities. Some of the most common duties of a guardian include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Annual reporting \u2013 all guardians are required to submit an annual report to the court, sometimes referred to as an annual accounting. Depending on the case, the guardian may need to appear in court to account for their actions in person.<\/li>\n<li>Care plan \u2013 the guardian should consult with the ward\u2019s healthcare providers to establish a care plan suited to their unique situation. Who will administer their medication? How often are regular visits to the doctor\u2019s office? Who will transport the ward to these regular appointments? Does the ward require in-home medical care?<\/li>\n<li>Duty of care \u2013 the guardian is expected to prioritize the needs of the ward above their own.<\/li>\n<li>End of life decisions \u2013 if the ward hasn\u2019t issued an <a href=\"https:\/\/azsos.gov\/services\/advance-directives\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Advance Directive<\/a>, the guardian can make end-of-life decisions on their behalf (e.g. approving life support or signing a do-not-resuscitate order)<\/li>\n<li>Healthcare decisions \u2013 based on recommendations from the ward\u2019s healthcare providers, the ward will make important decisions regarding medical treatment and services. To make the best decisions, the guardian will usually have full access to the ward\u2019s medical history and private healthcare information.<\/li>\n<li>Living situation \u2013 the guardian will need to decide where the ward will live and frequently monitor their residence.<\/li>\n<li>Maximize the ward\u2019s independence \u2013 all guardians are issued a broad mandate to maximize the ward\u2019s independence in the least restrictive manner.<\/li>\n<li>Non-medical services \u2013 many incapacitated adults have a care plan with important non-medical services, such as counseling or group therapy. The guardian must consent to and monitor these activities.<\/li>\n<li>Recreation \u2013 a healthy social life can be an important part of long-term health and happiness. The guardian should ensure that the ward can participate in safe recreational activities and attend social events.<\/li>\n<li>Releasing confidential information \u2013 if a situation arises where a third party requires access to the ward\u2019s confidential information, the guardian can sign a HIPAA release form on behalf of the ward to release necessary information.<\/li>\n<li>Transportation \u2013 if the guardian isn\u2019t the primary method of transportation, he or she will need to ensure that the ward has transportation to and from essential daily activities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Conservatorship<\/h2>\n<p>Guardianships and conservatorships are synonymous in many states, but there is an important distinction between the two in Arizona. In this state, a guardian has the authority to manage the ward\u2019s living situation and healthcare, while a conservator has the authority to handle the ward\u2019s finances.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s safe to say that most of the time the court will appoint a caretaker as both a guardian and a conservator, but it\u2019s not unusual to see cases where the caretaker is only granted one form of authority. If a guardian is also a conservator, the guardian\u2019s duties would be enlarged to include important financial duties such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Acting as a representative payee \u2013 a conservator can accept payments (debt agreements, income, interest distributions, etc.) on behalf of the ward.<\/li>\n<li>Budgeting \u2013 a good conservator should set a strict budget to ensure that the ward\u2019s assets are used wisely.<\/li>\n<li>Investing assets \u2013 conservators have a fiduciary duty to prudently manage the ward\u2019s assets. This includes investing assets according to the ward\u2019s risk tolerance, growth expectations, and income needs<\/li>\n<li>Keeping a detailed accounting \u2013 a conservator is required to submit an annual accounting to the court. This report will be much more in-depth than a guardian\u2019s standard annual report and should include transactions and investment decisions.<\/li>\n<li>Managing real estate \u2013 the conservator is in charge of any houses, land, condos, and valuable physical property (art, jewelry, collectibles, etc.).<\/li>\n<li>Paying bills \u2013 this is perhaps the simplest and most basic duty of a conservator. The conservator is responsible for making sure all bills are paid in full and on time each month to avoid collections, foreclosures, and repossessions.<\/li>\n<li>Selecting benefits \u2013 if the ward has a life insurance policy, annuity, pension, or retirement plan, the conservator can select and amend the associated benefits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Alternatives to Guardianship &amp; Conservatorship<\/h2>\n<p>While guardianships and conservatorships are important tools to provide for an incapacitated adult, they aren\u2019t the only options. In fact, these should be considered the backup options. When possible, it\u2019s far better for the ward to prepare for contingencies such as potential incapacitation in advance, rather than leaving the matter to family and friends to petition for guardianship.<\/p>\n<p>The easiest alternative to a guardianship or conservatorship is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azleg.gov\/ars\/14\/05501.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">durable power of attorney<\/a>. With a power of attorney, the principal can appoint an agent (the attorney-in-fact) to handle their affairs if they become disabled or incapacitated. As soon as the principal becomes incapacitated, the agent can immediately take control of their affairs without waiting for court approval. The agent will still have a duty of care to the principal, but they won\u2019t be required to submit annual reports to the court.<\/p>\n<p>A power of attorney is preferable to a guardianship or conservatorship in several ways. First, a power of attorney that\u2019s voluntarily issued preserves the principal\u2019s independence. In contrast, guardianships and conservatorships involve a judge taking away an adult\u2019s freedom to make their own decisions. Second, drafting a power of attorney is significantly faster than going through guardianship proceedings, since you can often draft a simple power of attorney in a single sitting (versus months of guardianship proceedings). Finally, a power of attorney is significantly cheaper as there are no court costs or investigation fees.<\/p>\n<p>The other alternative applies specifically to conservatorships. Rather than waiting for the court to appoint a conservator to handle their finances, an adult of sound mind can establish a trust for their own benefit. If the grantor is the beneficiary and the trustee is a third-party, then the trustee will automatically be able to administer the trust assets on the grantor\u2019s behalf if he or she is incapacitated. Trusts are a bit more complicated and expensive than a simple power of attorney, but they offer additional estate planning benefits that make them worth the extra time and effort.<\/p>\n<p>Call Guardianship and Conservatorship Attorney Colton Johnston at <a href=\"tel:4804674313\">(480)467-4313<\/a> to discuss your case today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When an adult becomes incapacitated, a family member, friend, or government agency can petition the court to appoint a guardian. Guardianship proceedings often take upwards of 6 months to complete and include a thorough due diligence process to understand which affairs the incapacitated adult (aka the ward) needs assistance with. Based on those findings, the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Duties of a Guardian for the Elderly<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Generally speaking, the duties of a guardian for the elderly are to provide specialized care, speak and act on the behalf of the incapacitated adult.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/duties-of-guardian-for-elderly\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Duties of a Guardian for the Elderly\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Generally speaking, the duties of a guardian for the elderly are to provide specialized care, speak and act on the behalf of the incapacitated adult.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/duties-of-guardian-for-elderly\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arizona Guardianships &amp; Conservatorships Lawyer - JacksonWhite Law\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-28T17:23:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-12T18:56:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"JacksonWhite Law\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@jacksonwhite\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"JacksonWhite Law\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/duties-of-guardian-for-elderly\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/duties-of-guardian-for-elderly\/\",\"name\":\"Duties of a Guardian for the Elderly\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-28T17:23:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-12T18:56:02+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/#\/schema\/person\/8c21e57c3b7b5687d04d46c484300fb1\"},\"description\":\"Generally speaking, the duties of a guardian for the elderly are to provide specialized care, speak and act on the behalf of the incapacitated adult.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/duties-of-guardian-for-elderly\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/duties-of-guardian-for-elderly\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/duties-of-guardian-for-elderly\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Practice Areas\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/practice-areas\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Guardianships &amp; Conservatorships\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Duties of a Guardian for the Elderly in Arizona\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/\",\"name\":\"Arizona Guardianships &amp; Conservatorships Lawyer - JacksonWhite Law\",\"description\":\"Guardianships &amp; Conservatorships in Arizona\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/#\/schema\/person\/8c21e57c3b7b5687d04d46c484300fb1\",\"name\":\"JacksonWhite Law\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22d099f2d357354cf7d7981ce859ebee?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22d099f2d357354cf7d7981ce859ebee?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"JacksonWhite Law\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/jacksonwhite\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/author\/jacksonwhite-law\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Duties of a Guardian for the Elderly","description":"Generally speaking, the duties of a guardian for the elderly are to provide specialized care, speak and act on the behalf of the incapacitated adult.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/duties-of-guardian-for-elderly\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Duties of a Guardian for the Elderly","og_description":"Generally speaking, the duties of a guardian for the elderly are to provide specialized care, speak and act on the behalf of the incapacitated adult.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/duties-of-guardian-for-elderly\/","og_site_name":"Arizona Guardianships &amp; Conservatorships Lawyer - JacksonWhite Law","article_published_time":"2019-03-28T17:23:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-06-12T18:56:02+00:00","author":"JacksonWhite Law","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@jacksonwhite","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"JacksonWhite Law","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/duties-of-guardian-for-elderly\/","url":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/duties-of-guardian-for-elderly\/","name":"Duties of a Guardian for the Elderly","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-03-28T17:23:05+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-12T18:56:02+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/#\/schema\/person\/8c21e57c3b7b5687d04d46c484300fb1"},"description":"Generally speaking, the duties of a guardian for the elderly are to provide specialized care, speak and act on the behalf of the incapacitated adult.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/duties-of-guardian-for-elderly\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/duties-of-guardian-for-elderly\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/duties-of-guardian-for-elderly\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Practice Areas","item":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/practice-areas\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Guardianships &amp; Conservatorships","item":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Duties of a Guardian for the Elderly in Arizona"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/","name":"Arizona Guardianships &amp; Conservatorships Lawyer - JacksonWhite Law","description":"Guardianships &amp; Conservatorships in Arizona","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/#\/schema\/person\/8c21e57c3b7b5687d04d46c484300fb1","name":"JacksonWhite Law","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22d099f2d357354cf7d7981ce859ebee?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22d099f2d357354cf7d7981ce859ebee?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"JacksonWhite Law"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/jacksonwhite"],"url":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/blog\/author\/jacksonwhite-law\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":984,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109\/revisions\/984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/guardianships-conservatorships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}