Guardianship Can Empower You To Protect Disabled Loved Ones

   As life spans lengthen and Wisconsin's senior citizens continue to grow as a segment of the State’s population, finding ways to take care of elderly loved ones has never been more important.  One way that a qualified attorney can assist families in taking care of elderly relatives in need is through the guardianship process.  A basic understanding of the functions and process of guardianship, as well as its benefits, downfalls and alternative, is therefore a helpful tool for anyone interested in keeping elderly loved ones safe and comfortable.
   Wisconsin law provides for two different types of guardianships, guardianship of the person and guardianship of the estate.  A guardianship of the person allows for an appointed guardian to assume the constitutional rights of the ward (the subject of the guardianship) to make decisions about where the ward will stay, what type of treatment the ward will receive, and any other non-financial matter that needs to be addressed. A guardianship of the estate allows for an appointed guardian to assume the ward's rights to make financial decisions about the ward's income, expenses, assets and debts.  In many cases, the same person is named the guardian of the person and the guardian of the estate, but that is not a requirement of the law.  In some cases, different people are named as guardian of the person and guardian in the estate.  In others, only one of the typ ...