Alternatives to Full Guardianship

What do you need to know?

There are other ways besides full guardianship to provide support to an individual and to establish substitute decision-making in certain areas, like health care and finance.

Alternatives to full guardianship include legal documents (such as Power of Attorney or a Living Will), community services (such as Meals on Wheels or Homemakers), and government programs. All of these may delay or prevent the appointment of full guardians for individuals who are not able to make decisions on their behalf.

Alternatives to full guardianship may allow individuals to hold on to some or all of their rights.

It is important that everyone involved in the decision-making process learn about an individual's options before deciding to pursue full guardianship.

Each alternative to full guardianship has advantages and disadvantages.

Choosing an alternative to full guardianship does not mean that you cannot be involved in making decisions about your loved one's care

Learning about alternatives to full guardianship may take effort on your part, but these alternatives may allow your loved ones to keep more of their legal rights and stay involved in decisions about their lives.