Conservatorships
A conservatorship can be set up after a judge decides that a person, called the "conservatee," can't take care of themselves or their finances. When this condition is met, a judge chooses another person or organization, called the "conservator," to be in charge of the conservatee's care or finances, or both.
A conservatee does not lose all rights. They can still have a say in important decisions. They have the right to:
- Be treated with understanding and respect;
- Have their wishes considered; and
- Be well cared for by you.
In general, conservatees keep the right to:
- Control their own salary;
- Make or change their will;
- Get married;
- Get mail;
- Have a lawyer;
- Ask a judge to change conservators;
- Ask a judge to end the conservatorship;
- Vote, unless a judge says they're not able to;
- Control personal spending money if a judge says they can have an allowance; and
- Make their own health-care decisions, unless a judge gives that right to a conservator.
When the court chooses you as the conservator of a person, this means you:
- Arrange for the conservatee's care and protection;
- Decide where the conservatee will live; and
- Are in charge of:
- health care
- food, clothes and personal care
- housekeeping and transportation
- recreation
A temporary conservator acts until a permanent conservator is appointed. If the court chooses you as a temporary conservator, you have the same duties and powers that a regular conservator has, except the conservatorship will end on the date written in your Letters of Temporary Conservatorship.
If you suspect that yourself or a loved one has been taken advantage of by a conservator, call VanDerGinst Law at 1-866-843-7367 or click here for a FREE online case evaluation. The initial consultation is free of charge. If we agree to handle your injury case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if, and when, there is a money recovery for you. In many cases a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. So please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.
