Guardianship

Guardianship is a legal right given to a person (the guardian) to be responsible for the food, housing, health care, and other necessities of a person deemed incapable of providing these necessities for himself or herself (the ward).

The ward may be a minor who has not reached the age of majority (18 in the United States, but some trusts require a guardian until 25), or an adult unable to care for himself/herself (e.g. a dementia patient).

A guardianship may be, depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, split between the guardian of the person (who will be responsible for the personal care of the ward) and the guardian of the estate (who will be responsible for the ward's financial affairs, also known as conservatorship). A person may be assigned a guardian of the estate (for someone unable to handle his/her finances) but not a guardian of the person, or vice versa. If both types of guardians are needed, the roles may be assigned to two persons, for example a person with expertise in personal care and another with expertise in financial matters.