RED FLAG WARNINGS

No one who has been victimized by the guardianship system ever suspected this nightmare would happen to us and those we loved. Hindsight being 20/20 and "If I had known then what I know now", there were several warning signs that the court appointed guardian was not all that they claimed.

1.    The guardian is "at lunch", "in a meeting" or otherwise is unavailable to take your phone calls.
2.    Your family member does not have access to their own telephone, or any outside communication.
3.    When you try to contact the facility to speak to your family member, you're told they are "sleeping", "at lunch", "in the activities room", or otherwise unavailable to come to the phone.
4.    When you try to visit the family member, you are not allowed to take them from the facility, even for lunch, by "order" of the guardian.
5.    The staff at the facility denies you any visitation, saying you "upset" your family member.
6.    You receive notices that investments, bank accounts, life insurance polices are being closed, beneficiaries are changed and you no longer have access to any financial information.
7.    You are unable to view medical records, speak to doctors or inquire about medication being administered to your loved one.
8.    There is no record on any emergency contact information that you even exist!

"The contrived outward politeness. I remained polite, cooperative and provided all the information I could to explain what they described as the "problem". I was hoping that the truth would, in the end, set Silvia free. So far that hasn't worked. You know what has? Coddling their sense of power and submitting to their will. I even apologized for my poor behavior during the worst. The fact that my mother had just died went a long way with the judge but not the g's
or their attorneys-County Counsel."

"In hindsight, in our particular case, the distant relative from Chicago, who was the first person to arrive in the emergency room at the hospital in Janesville WI, was too willing and very earger and too happy to help Aunt Helen in the position of temporary guardian."

"The first sign I should have recognized was after the first meeting with new attorney recommended by my cousin, after meeting with my dad, my brother, sister-in-law, and I, the attorney recommended a guardian for my dad and gave me the name of a guardianship attorney.

If an attorney (even one you trust) says anything about a guardian, conservator, "mediator", "trustee", or by any other name that indicates a stranger to the family who could "help the situation", DO NOT TRUST IT AND RUN THE OTHER WAY!!!!"