Guardianship Review Forum

Ricky is 24 years old and has an acquired brain injury. He lives and works independently, but struggles to manage his money by himself. He finds it difficult to understand money matters, especially when they are explained to him by bank staff or financial advisers, and, in most situations, he is unsure about what information to ask for anyway.

Jenny has bipolar disorder and lives with her sister Sophie. Jenny is able to make her own decisions most of the time, but needs more support when she is unwell. When she is unwell she can become reckless, particularly when spending money. Jenny likes to go to the pokies.  When she is well, she spends money on the pokies moderately but when she is unwell, typically, she loses quite a bit of money.

Rahul is 91 and has relatively advanced Alzheimer's disease. He was diagnosed early and prepared for future lifestyle decisions by appointing his daughter Maya as his enduring guardian. In the document, Rahul made it plain that he wanted to remain at home, and under no circumstances would he want to end up in a nursing home.

Ariella is 87 and has dementia. She is widowed and now lives with her eldest daughter Lena. Recently, Ariella's condition has progressed and she is now unable to care for herself. She is at times very distressed and aggressive towards people who are trying to help her and is no longer able to recognise her family. Lena thinks that the best thing would be for Ariella to go to an aged care home where staff can provide full-time nursing care.

Mai is a 35-year-old woman who has experienced bipolar disorder since she was about 19 years old. She has had a number of periods of illness over the years, some of which have resulted in involuntary admission to a psychiatric hospital.

Martha has recently turned 18 and has a profound intellectual disability. She lives at home with her parents. She attends a day service, which she enjoys, and the service has a good relationship with her parents who make most decisions for her informally. Martha's parents want to be appointed as her guardian so that they are formally recognised as her decision maker should anyone ever question their role in the future.

Barry, who is 47 years old, has recently had a stroke, leaving him with a major brain injury and severely impaired decision-making abilities. Prior to his stroke, Barry was a proudly reckless spender—buying very expensive clothes, going to expensive entertainment, indulging in expensive food and wine—often resulting in little money for bills and no money for savings. Shortly after his stroke, Barry inherited a large sum of money following the death of his parents, and his best mate Steve was appointed as his administrator.