Your family member is suffering from progressive dementia or has recently had a stroke. Health care workers are refusing to discuss matters with you for “privacy” reasons. No one seems to be in a position to make important decisions. Property needs to be managed and protected. Documents need to be signed and bank accounts accessed. You need to arrange for a more appropriate care facility.How do you manage the affairs of someone no longer able to do this for themselves? Depending on the circumstances, the answer may be a conservatorship.

San Diego County Bar, Young Lawyers Division

April 22, 2008