How can I get guardianship for a friend to prevent abuse?
It sounds as if someone is currently legally charged with caring for your friend—as what is called either a guardian or conservator.
If you think that person is not doing a good job, you can go to court and ask to have him or her removed. But you should know that most courts will require some good hard evidence before they will make a change—more than your hunch. If you want to make this challenge, you will realistically need some proof, for example, that the person currently caring for your friend is misusing the money that’s supposed to go to her care or is neglecting or abusing her in some way.
Every court has its own procedures for how to challenge guardianships or conservatorships. The good thing is that many of them now give out a lot of free information about what is required and some even have folks on staff to help with the procedures.
To find out more specifically what would be required for you and what help might be available, contact your local probate court. You should be able to find it online by searching for “probate” plus the name of your city or county.
