June 4, 2021

Webinar Briefing: Reforming Guardianships

How State Courts Can Help Protect Older Adults and People with Disabilities

Sponsored by Senator Bob Casey, Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging

Guardianships are a critical responsibility of state courts. While they can literally save lives by providing essential support to older adults and people with disabilities, they require courts to protect the civil rights and well-being of vulnerable people. Guardians may determine where the protected person lives, who they can see, what medical care they can receive and how they can or cannot spend their money. So much is at stake that many refer to the dissolution of individual rights under guardianships as the “civil death penalty.”

During this hour-long webinar on Friday, June 4 at 1 pm ET, presenters will discuss the current guardianship landscape in the country; the intersection with veterans’, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits; and how the federal government can help to stimulate innovation, fill gaps in the data, and spread best practices around the country. The presentation will also highlight recommendations from the 4th National Guardianship Summit that took place May 10-14, 2021.

Speakers:

• Chief Justice Paul Reiber, Vermont Supreme Court
• David Hutt, Deputy Executive Director for Legal Services, National Disability Rights Network
• Hon. Michael Long, Associate Judge, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (MI)
• Charlie Sabatino, Director, ABA Commission on Law and Aging
• Hon. Brenda Hull Thompson, President of the National College of Probate Judges and Presiding Judge of the Dallas County Probate Court (TX)

Click here to register for this virtual event.