Rotate Legal Rhode Island Standby Temporary Guardian Forms For Free

Guardians are appointed when a court determines that an individual is at risk because they cannot make decisions for themselves and there is no less restrictive way to meet the individual's needs. Guardianship may remove a broad spectrum of rights from the individual.

A physician must complete documentation that the individual is unable to make decisions for themselves. Someone must step forward to petition the probate court to become the Guardian for the individual. The individual and their family must be notified of the petition by the court.

A temporary appointment can last 90 days. A permanent appointment may last until the death of the ward or the guardian, until the ward is able to establish that she is competent, or until the guardian resigns or is removed by the Probate Court.

The guardian must take possession of and protect all of the ward's property, manage all property, collect all debts, rentals, or claims that favor the ward, enforce all obligations that favor the ward, and bring and defend suits by or against the ward.

As noted above, Rhode Island has a limited guardianship law, which generally focuses on four areas of decision-making capacity: finances, health care, relationships, and residence. Guardianship can be tailored to take into account a ward's ability to make decisions in some but not all of these four areas.

Guardianship means obtaining the legal authority to make decisions for another person. A ?guardian? is the person appointed by the court to make decisions on behalf of someone else. The person over whom the guardianship is granted (the child or the adult) is referred to as the ?protected person.?