Al Jazeera America Reports on "Guardianship Fears" in Nevada

Here is a 12 minute account of two families involved in older person guardianships, where the court appointed a single, non-family member as guardian in Clark County, Nevada.  The presentation is by Al Jazeera America, aired for the first time in March 2016:

 

The events in Nevada have sparked larger concerns about "guardianship abuse."  The video is both disturbing and frustrating, especially as we hear primarily from family members in the presentation. There are hints of important, underlying legal issues, including:

• adequacy of notice to alleged incapacitated persons (AIP) prior to any court proceeding;
• adequacy of notice to family members of the AIP
• proper use of guardians ad litem
• availability of legal counsel to the AIP
• what procedural requirements exist for a finding of incapacity
• what definition is used for incapacity
• whether limited guardianships are used, and if not, why not
• what training, if any, is given to guardians
• what accounting methods are used for review of conserved funds

The important topics revealed in the news reports seem ripe for in-depth research by objective academics, including law school academics. Anyone looking for that "hot" topic for next summer's project?  

For earlier Elder Law Prof Blog posts on this topic see:

If the Issue is Accountability, Which is Better? Power of Attorney or Guardianships?

WSJ: Are Guardianship Systems Under Critical Review? 

Removal of Private Guardian is Latest News in Challenge to Nevada Elder Guardianships