As the chief executive officer of Decades, LLC, Nancy Oriola helps families navigate complex financial and guardianship decisions surrounding the care of their elderly loved ones. A noted expert on conservator and power-of-attorney regulations, Nancy Oriola is an affiliate member of the National Guardianship Association, which advocates for the Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Jurisdiction Act.
Because of disparate state laws governing adult guardianship, more than 50 systems oversee adult guardianship in the United States. When an individual under guardianship relocates across state lines, determining which state’s system should take precedent can be difficult.
Many families that file for guardianship for relatives in other states have found that they cannot petition in their state of residence, or they must refile because of a lack of communication. The fragmented process adds extra financial and emotional burdens onto families trying to secure a safe home for their elderly relatives.
The Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Jurisdiction Act is intended to simplify the process by improving communications between state judges on guardianship issues and developing a single set of regulations for deciding overlapping jurisdiction cases. The act was ratified by the New Mexico Assembly and Senate in early 2018.
