Taking Care of My Parents' Friends: Non-Kin Guardians and Their Older Female Wards

ABSTRACT

Examination of a total of 472 Probate Court records for 1996 and 1997 in a Northern California county revealed that 26 (6%) cases involved non-kin, non-professional guardians, such as friends or neighbors. There is currently a very sparse literature on this less common but nonetheless important type of guardians who report a heightened sense of awareness and concern over possible accusations of elder abuse or neglect. Of these 26 guardians, eight were interviewed about how these relationships began, what the guardians do for their wards, what motivations and rewards guardians feel, and how fear of accusation about elder abuse shapes the relationship. All wards in the interview sample were female, aged 83 to 97 years, with a moderate-sized estate (median value $210,000). Most (75%) of the guardians were males who had known their wards since childhood, and who became involved as caregivers decades later. Caregiving initially involved limited assistance, mainly with finances, but soon moved to include a wider range of activities. Guardians assiduously and deliberately act in ways that document good intentions and honorable actions with respect to frail elderly wards and their estates.

KEYWORDS:

• Guardianship
• unrelated caregivers
• frail elders