What is a guardianship?

A guardianship is a legal arrangement in which the court appoints a guardian to make personal decisions for a protected person. The guardian may be given authority to make decisions on behalf of the protected person about such things as where to live, medical decisions, and managing the personal, legal, medical, and day to day care issues for a person. The key distinction between a guardian and conservator is that a guardian is primarily tasked with making personal, care type decisions for a protected person. A conservator makes financial decisions. A guardianship may be necessary for situations involving a mentally incapacitated adult, an adult with special needs, or an elderly adult with declining health. Guardianships for minors are established when neither of the child’s parents is able to care for the child. Under Nebraska law, anyone under the age of 19 is considered a minor.