If you suspect that your elderly relative is legally incapacitated and unable to care for himself or herself, a guardianship may be appropriate.  For more information about guardianships, click here.  You may also send an “information letter” to the judge of the probate court in the county where your relative lives, informing the judge that the elderly person may be in need of a guardianship.  There are less restrictive alternatives to guardianship that may be appropriate to consider.  For more information on alternatives to guardianship, click here.

Last updated on January 6, 2011 by Glenn Karisch