What is the Public Guardian and What does it do in Los Angeles?
The office of the Public Guardian is an arm of the local County government which handles cases such as conservatorships for the elderly and disabled. Its function is to protect the public by guarding the person and estate of a person who cannot take care of himself/herself.
When does the Public Guardian get involved?
The Public Guardian (also referred to as the PG), gets involved when there is a call or referral from several different sources. Its referral sources are usually the hospitals nursing homes, the elder abuse hot line, banks, credit unions, financial institutions, and neighbors. In short, all persons who are deemed mandatory reporters may refer to the Public Guardian. People call the Public Guardian usually when someone is subject matter of elder or disabled person’s abuse.
What are the benefits of the Public Guardian?
The Public Guardian does not take sides. It is simply an entity that takes over the assets of the person and manages their care. The Public Guardian’s actions in a conservatorship case, are supervised by the courts in Los Angeles.
What are the common problems of involvement of the Public Guardian in Conservatorships?
The Public Guardian is overwhelmed with cases. It takes too long to investigate the case or to file conservatorships because of the lack of resources available to them.
How to avoid the involvement of the Public Guardian?
By calling us, we can guide you to how to avoid the involvement of the Public Guardian in most cases. It is always better to have a family member or a professional take care of someone, rather than the government.
Are you having trouble with the Public Guardian?
Call Mina Sirkin, Conservatorship attorney in Los Angeles at 818.340.4479 if you have questions about whether the Public Guardian in Los Angeles should be appointed in a case, and how to best determine if that is the best route to take care of the elderly.
