Vast Majority of Senior Financial Abuse by Guardians Can Be Prevented, Experts Tell Senate

Experts informed a Senate Aging Committee hearing on Wednesday that most senior financial abuse by guardians is preventable, reports Forbes . Their recommendations include enacting state laws to provide more frequently for less restrictive arrangements than guardianship; notifying individuals under care and family members that a guardian has been appointed, what that guardian's responsibilities are, and how to report guardian abuse; and requiring that guardians tell the courts when people under their care have become able again to make their own decisions. Syracuse University Professor Nina Kohn argued a guardian should be appointed only when a person cannot make their own decisions and is in danger of harm without the help of someone to manage their affairs. Meanwhile, Senate Aging Committee Chair Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said less restrictive care can lower the probability of senior abuse. "Persons under guardianship should enjoy supported decision making whenever possible and have their rights restored in part or totally with all deliberative speed," said Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Gerontology Center Director Pamela Teaster.