What is Conservatorship of the person?

Conservatorship of the person,  is a legal term referring to the legal responsibilities of a conservator over the affairs of a person who has been deemed gravely disabled by the court and unable to meet their basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter. They are governed by the state’s individual laws. Terminology varies, and some states or jurisdictions may refer to a conservator as a guardian of the estate or as a trustee.

Conservatorships are generally put in place for people who are significantly disabled by mental illness, elderly individuals who lack mental capacity due to medical conditions such as dementia, or individuals with developmental disabilities who lack the capacity to manage their own affairs. In typical conservatorship proceedings, an allegedly mentally incapacitated person must be evaluated by a qualified physician or psychiatrist who prepares a report documenting the person’s mental capacity that is provided to the court and may be used as evidence.

The conservatorship of the person may be only of the “estate” (financial affairs), but may be also of the “person”, wherein the conservator takes charge of overseeing the daily activities, such as health care or living arrangements of the conservatee.  A conservator of the person is more typically called a legal guardian.

Conservatorship of the person is established either by a court order.  Should you find yourself in a position where you may need to obtain conservatorship authority over a loved one or close friend, and concerned about the costs associated with doing so, no need to be concerned, our office can assist you at a very reasonable cost so that it doesn’t affect your financial affairs but certainly affects the quality of life of the person needing to be conserved.  Call us today at (951) 272-5855.

At All County Legal we also do full conservatorship and medical conservatorship.