Adults who suffer from incapacitating mental impairments may eventually need the services of guardianship. A guardianship doctor can provide those services.
What Is a Guardianship Doctor?
A guardianship doctor can be a psychiatrist or other physician trained in assessing a person’s cognitive abilities.
The Goals of a Guardianship Doctor
A guardianship doctor provides legal documentation for one person to take over the affairs of another person who is incapacitated due to mental illness or other impairment. The guardianship doctor wants to protect the incapacitated person from harm, while still honoring the person’s desire for independence.
When You May Need a Guardianship Doctor
You may need to establish temporary guardianship of another person if that person has:
- Suffered a stroke, but is expected to regain some cognitive function
- Experienced an accident or injury affecting cognitive function, but is expected to regain some cognitive function
You may need to establish permanent guardianship of another person if that person has:
- Dementia
- Alzheimer’s disease
- A psychiatric disorder affecting cognitive function
What a Guardianship Doctor Does
A guardianship doctor can provide an evaluation and assessment of a person’s cognitive abilities including whether the person can:
- Make medical decisions
- Understand relevant information
- Comprehend their environment
- Demonstrate reasoning
- Function autonomously
A guardianship doctor will then provide the necessary written documentation to affirm their findings of the level of competency. This evaluation provides the legal basis for a guardian to be able to step in and make decisions regarding the incapacitated person’s healthcare, finances, and other factors.
A guardianship doctor can help protect the autonomy of the patient while providing security for the patient’s family.
Want To Know More?
To learn more about what a guardianship doctor does, call Drs. Matthew Barnas, Deborah Ocasio, and Unnati Patel at Pelorus Guardianship. You can reach them in either the Cedar Knolls, NJ, or the Raritan, NJ, locations by calling (973) 295-6335, so call today.