NATIONWIDE — Unnecessary guardianship arrangements, which strip older adults and people with disabilities of their independence, have often led to abuse. 

So says Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. He introduced the Alternatives to Guardianship Education Act, which would protect older adults and people with disabilities from abuse by helping educators, health care providers, court workers and family members learn about alternatives to guardianship. 

Guardianships are legal relationships created when a court determines that a person is incapable of making important decisions on their own. While unnecessary guardianship arrangements—which can strip older adults and people with disabilities of their independence—have often led to abuse, public awareness of potential alternatives is limited. 

Casey’s new bill would invest in educating people, especially those who frequently interact with older adults and people with disabilities, about alternatives to guardianship.

Those alternatives include supported decision-making and advance directives, which could reduce the potential for abuse.

“While celebrity cases may have shone the national spotlight onto guardianships and the potential for abuse that they pose, we have a lot more work to do to increase public awareness of the alternative options that exist,” said Casey. 

In 2023, Casey held an Aging Committee hearing titled “Guardianship and Alternatives: Protection and Empowerment.” It examined a litany of the issues facing older adults and people with disabilities in guardianship. At the hearing, he introduced the Guardianship Bill of Rights Act, which would promote alternative arrangements to guardianship and create standards that would protect the civil rights of people living under guardianship.

Read more about Casey’s new bill, the Alternatives to Guardianship Education Act, at www.bit.ly/3URE2lF.