Portland, OR asked in Public Benefits for Oregon

Q: Finding a court appointed guardian for my mentally and physically handicapped sister to take over her finances.

She is currently on SSI. Her finances used to be taken care of by Whatcom Financial but once they had saved a small reserve for her she fired them and spent the money. She is out of groceries currently. She has homecare thru the state and Catholic Services. Her son lives with her as her caretaker. Recently his girlfriend has moved in without contributing and causing fighting. She is in a trailer park that doesn't allow people under 55 unless approved as caretakers. My brother and I are worried that the trailer park will evict him, the girlfriend or all of them. The son is also on SSI but now owns a truck without having a licence or registering the vehicle. Our sister has a history of being taken advantage of as she is at about the mental age of 10. My brother and I would like to prevent a disaster and we both live in different states. Thank you.

Related Topics:
1 Lawyer Answer
Robert L. Mauger Jr.
Robert L. Mauger Jr.
Answered
  • Licensed in Oregon

A: Chances are good that unless you or your brother or someone else care enough to apply for a guardianship or custodianship over her, there's not much that can be done to prevent her from having a rough life. You might want to talk with a local attorney about persuading her to come out to visit and seeking guardianship locally. Good luck.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.