U.S. Senate Hearing on Elder Protection
On April 18, 2018, the Senate Special Committee on Aging heard testimony on elder financial abuse, with radically different implications for guardianship policy. The Institute is advocating for a Public Guardian in Massachusetts to prevent exactly the abuses described at the hearing. Click to read the full article.
Read MoreFormer Attorney General Speaks on Guardianship
Former Attorney General Speaks on Guardianship By Hon. Scott Harshbarger Former Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts “Guardianship” today means both less and more than it has in the past. Less, because we now understand that decisional support is a spectrum: one size does not fit all, and informal supportive relationships with friends, family…
Read MoreStranger in the House
“Most home health aides offer vital care to the frail and aged. But some have other designs, leaving too many clients vulnerable to theft and worse. It is a crisis largely unseen, one which state authorities have done little about.” By Linda Matchan, Globe Correspondent Boston Globe looks at risks to frail persons in…
Read MoreGuardianship Reforms, Next Phase Ushered In
Written by Colleen Heild – Albuquerque Journal Shaken by an exposé in nearby Nevada of financial abuses by two “professional guardians,” New Mexico institutes legal reforms to thwart opportunities for abuse in their state. Locally, Massachusetts may have adequate legal process, but there is no Office of Public Guardian or knowledgeable public agency to promulgate…
Read MoreNon-profit Group Seeks to Expand the Availability of Public Guardians
A non-profit group that seeks to expand the availability of public guardians, the Guardian Community Trust, says the state is facing a crisis of scarcity, with anywhere from 2,800 to 3,800 people who need guardians each year unable to access one. A proposed bill in the state Legislature would create a system where the private…
Read MoreA National Perspective on Guardianship and Decisional Support Conference Recap
A National Perspective on Guardianship and Decisional Support From: Heather Connors, Ph.D., and Traci Cucinotta, MSW, MBE To: Conference Participants and Institute Subscribers Report Date: January 19, 2018 Event Date: December 6, 2017 Abstract “A National Perspective on Guardianship and Decisional Support,” co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Guardianship Policy Institute and the National Association of Social Workers,…
Read MoreFourth Colloquium Report
Fourth Colloquium: Public Guardianship in an Age of Self-Advocacy SUMMARY REPORT From: Peter M. Macy, Guardian Community Trust, Inc. To: Registrants and Subscribers to the Colloquium Series Date: July 21, 2017 The Institute’s Fourth Colloquium, “Public Guardianship in an Age of Self-Advocacy,” held in Boston on June 23, 2017, lived up to its purpose: it…
Read MoreMassachusetts Former AG Continues Bid for Adult Guardianship Office
…”former Attorney General Scott Harshbarger is asking lawmakers to pick up an unfinished piece of the reforms he sought around elder protection and adult guardianship. Harshbarger on Monday asked the Judiciary Committee to throw its support behind a bill that would establish a state office of adult guardianship as a public-private partnership that would handle…
Read MoreThird Colloquium Report
Summary Report Third Colloquium: Proposal for a Public Guardianship Program From: Heather L. Connors, Ph.D., Director of Research, Guardian Community Trust, Inc. To: Registrants and Subscribers to the Colloquium Series Date: December 22, 2016 Introduction The Third Colloquium: A Proposed Statute for Public Guardianship, part of the Institute’s Colloquium Series, was held on November…
Read MoreSecond Colloquium Report
Summary Report Second Colloquium: Voluntary Public Guardianship Programs From: Peter M. Macy, Exec. Dir., Guardian Community Trust, Inc. To: Registrants and Subscribers to the Colloquium Series Date: June 30, 2016 I. Introduction The Colloquium on Volunteer Guardianship Programs, the second event in the Institute’s Colloquium Series, was held on June 13, 2016, at…
Read More