Conservatorships
A conservatorship is a legal relationship in which a responsible adult (the “conservator”) takes care of a person who cannot take care of himself or herself (the “conservatee”). The court allows the conservator to do certain things that the impaired person cannot do themselves. There are two types of conservatorships:
- Conservatorship of Person. The conservator takes care of the conservatee’s well-being, such as the conservatee’s physical health, food, clothing, shelter, safety, comfort, recreation, and social needs.
- Conservatorship of Estate. The conservator manages all aspects of the conservatee’s finances and prepares accountings for the court.
Additionally, there are two additional categories of conservatorship: Limited and LPS (Lanterman-Petris-Short Act of 1967). The Conservatorship of Person, described above, it used for a general conservatorship, such as when someone has become too old to take care of themselves.
A Limited Conservatorship is used when a young adult has a developmental disability and is unable to care for him- or her- self, or take care of their finances.
An LPS Conservatorship is used when an adult has a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia. In addition to being unable to manage his or her own care and manage finances, this type of conservatorship would include overseeing medical (mental) treatment for the adult with the mental illness.
The role of a conservator can be complex. Having effectively resolved and handled various types of conservatorship cases, Anne Marie Healy can help you at every step of the way, no matter what your circumstances are. Your lawyer will assist with the necessary steps of gathering information from you and other entities about the conservatee; seeing that interested persons are given appropriate notice of certain actions; recording Letters of Conservatorship and paying expenses, and keeping track of when documents must be filed with the court. Anne Marie Healy will provide you with the support and guidance you need to effectively establish a conservatorship and make the process as clear and straightforward as possible.