Implementing & Evaluating a Limited Legal Guardianship in Yavapai County
Faculty Mentor Name
John Woodman
Format Preference
Poster
Abstract
Every community faces challenges helping individuals who are less capable of taking care of themselves. This challenge is more evident in Yavapai County, popular for retirement and rehab. However, this jurisdiction does not have standard procedures in place to ensure maximal autonomy while still creating supports needed for those who are legally incapacitated. Frequently, incapacitation occurs as a result of cognitive decline or substance use among individuals without close family ties. Stakeholder meetings continually suggested a gap in services in the legal sector putting strain on financial (public fiduciary) and social work (e.g. Adult Protective Services) fields. In efforts to alleviate county level struggles, we first set out to show the quantitative need for limited legal guardianship via survey to health providers and secondly implemented a pilot program. Initial surveys indicated there would be potentially 3 referrals per week to a limited legal guardianship program. After implementing this system in Yavapai County, the first 3 months had 12 referrals resulting in numerous success stories. Stakeholder reflections revealed several barriers that can be overcome as we move into 2025 with the limited legal guardianship program.
Implementing & Evaluating a Limited Legal Guardianship in Yavapai County
Every community faces challenges helping individuals who are less capable of taking care of themselves. This challenge is more evident in Yavapai County, popular for retirement and rehab. However, this jurisdiction does not have standard procedures in place to ensure maximal autonomy while still creating supports needed for those who are legally incapacitated. Frequently, incapacitation occurs as a result of cognitive decline or substance use among individuals without close family ties. Stakeholder meetings continually suggested a gap in services in the legal sector putting strain on financial (public fiduciary) and social work (e.g. Adult Protective Services) fields. In efforts to alleviate county level struggles, we first set out to show the quantitative need for limited legal guardianship via survey to health providers and secondly implemented a pilot program. Initial surveys indicated there would be potentially 3 referrals per week to a limited legal guardianship program. After implementing this system in Yavapai County, the first 3 months had 12 referrals resulting in numerous success stories. Stakeholder reflections revealed several barriers that can be overcome as we move into 2025 with the limited legal guardianship program.