Family should be there to help when the burdens of life are a little too much to handle. Parents start that task from day one of a child’s life, and sometimes children have to help their parents deal with infirmity later in life.
In the times of life when this help needs to be legally defined, Connecticut probate courts are empowered to allow a conservator control of a person’s life decisions or assets. These arrangements may be permanent if a person is suffering an ailment that prevents normal thought or decision-making.
The appointment of a conservator may be involuntary or voluntary. Voluntary conservatorship is generally done when someone expects to lose his or her ability to manage life needs, due to mental illness or other disability. Involuntary appointment may be for a child, mentally ill person or other individual who the court does not expect to be capable during the process.
A conservator may have one of two types of responsibility, or perhaps deal with both. A conservator of the person attends to personal affairs such as food, shelter, health care and clothing. A conservator of the estate handles financial needs for a person with property, bank accounts, income or other financial instruments.
Conservators are often family members or close friends of the conserved person, but the court may appoint a neutral trustee if the conflict is expected. An attorney may help people make plans for conservation by filing opinions on conservatorship. Legal representation may also help someone gain involuntary conservatorship of someone who is unable to handle these issues on his or her own.
Source: Connecticut Probate Court, “Conservatorships,” accessed Feb. 02, 2018