Sometimes, if a person in East Hanover is suffering from dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or has some other mental condition that renders them incapacitated, the only alternative available to them is guardianship. In fact, in New Jersey they only grounds upon which an individual can pursue guardianship over another individual is if that other individual is incapacitated. This is different than incompetency.
New Jersey recognizes two types of guardianship. They are guardian of the property, who oversees financial issues, and guardian of the person, who oversees caretaking and other nonfinancial issues. Sometimes one individual will be appointed to both these roles, but in other circumstances there may be one individual appointed as guardian of the property and another individual appointed as guardian of the person. New Jersey also recognizes limited guardianships, in which the disabled person is able to make decisions regarding his or her care, but needs some one else to oversee decisions regarding their finances.
At our firm, we believe guardianship over an individual should only be granted if no other option is available. That being said, we have helped clients in East Hanover with their guardianship issues for over four decades. In fact, two of our attorneys are part of the only 450 attorneys across the United States with certification by the National Elder Law Foundation in elder law.
New Jersey is a trailblazer in our nation when it comes to modernizing guardianship, and we are proud to be a part of that effort. To learn more about guardianship in New Jersey, please visit our website.
