Protecting Judgment-Impaired Adults: Issues, Interventions, and Policies

This book provides information on guardianship and alternative methods for serving judgement-impaired adults. To date, much of contemporary guardianship policy has been developed by "muddling through". Yet new developments in case law concerning the scope of the guardian's authority to make decisions about the termination of life extension efforts for intractably ill individuals, the proposed national guardianship act, which would require states to adopt certain standards for guardianship to receive funds, and proposed changes in federal legislation regarding representative payees demand a clear approach to all aspects in the guardianship arena. "Protecting Judgment-Impaired Adults" provides guidance for these important areas of concern in ensuring a fair chance for judgement-disabled adults. The book poses the challenge of the 1990s for orderly implementation and especially testing of well-reasoned reform proposals of guardianship. As a collection, the chapters convey the range of viewpoints and geographic diversity that have recently characterized this subject. Even where guardianship initially appears to be an appropriate remedy, more careful analyses of client characteristics, outcomes, and available alternatives will often lead to the selection of other remedies. This text presents an array of topics, showing a sense of the direction guardianship law and practice will be moving into the 1990s, aiding the work and understanding of policymakers, social workers, health care administration and families.