What arrangements need to be made to assist an individual who is unable to make some or all of their own independent decisions? What will happen if a parent or caregiver dies or becomes unable to provide care and assistance? These websites will provide ideas and answers.

Future Planning: Guardianship and People with Mental Retardation: This brief information sheet was written in 1997 and is on the Arc website. It provides a definition of guardianship, describes who may require some type of guardianship, and briefly discusses the different types of guardianship. The website for the article is: http://www.thearc.org/faqs/guard.html

Florida's Statewide Public Guardianship Office -- This is the official internet site of the Statewide Public Guardianship Office of the State of Florida. This office was established by the Florida legislature to provide guardianship services for persons when no private guardian is available and no other alternative will provide the needed services. The website is:
http://elderaffairs.state.fl.us/doea/english/public.html

Florida State Guardianship Association -- This is a nonprofit organization for professionals whose paid membership allows them to be listed as providers of guardianship related services. Members of the organization include attorneys throughout Florida who provide guardianship legal services. You do not have to be a member to access the website or obtain the names and addresses of attorneys and other professionals.
The website is: http://www.floridaguardians.com/default.asp

National Guardianship Association -- The stated mission of the National Guardianship Association is to establish and promote a nationally recognized standard of excellence in guardianship. You do not have to be a member to access the website and obtain general information about guardianship issues and links to other websites for additional information.
The website is: http://www.guardianship.org


For more information please contact your local CMS office:

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