Planning for the Protected Person's Needs

You are responsible for ensuring that the protected person's personal needs are taken care of. This does not mean that you must be the protected person's personal caregiver, but, if you are not, you are responsible for making arrangements for personal care. Consider first what the protected person can do for himself or herself. You should limit what you do for the protected person to what the protected person cannot do on his or her own. There is no way to list all of the help that a protected person might need, but consider:

  • transportation;
  • buying and preparing food;
  • buying medicine and dispensing it on time and in proper amounts;
  • buying and taking care of clothes; dressing;
  • hair care and other grooming;
  • maintaining necessary durable medical equipment, like a cane, walker or wheelchair;
  • maintaining other health aids like glasses, dentures and hearing aids;
  • using the bathroom;
  • education, recreation, rehabilitation and training;
  • housekeeping, yard care and other chores;
  • using the telephone;
  • handling an emergency at home;
  • paying bills, managing money, and resisting fraud; and
  • any other unmet needs that you think of.