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My father is 94 and has 4 surviving offspring. One son has power of attorney over medical decisions and another son has power of attorney over financial decisions. The one with power of attorney over financial decisions is seeking guardianship over the objection of the remaining siblings. Is he likely to be granted guardianship in this situation?

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Something I've read on the forum is that when there are disputes in the family over guardianship the judge may decide to appoint an outsider, something to be aware of.
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Not if his request is challenged in the court. In my area all close living relatives must be notified before the hearing for the guardianship. This is to challenge or contest the appointment of the one seeking appointment of guardianship. Of course those challenging need to have their ducks in a row.
In many cases all of the paperwork is prepared and presented in court by an attorney. Certainly helpful to have an attorney torepresent those challenging the one seeking appointment.
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I also have read what cwillie wrote, so it might be as good idea to make some enquiries before proceeding. If you can find reliable information (like examples from guardianship applications where there has been family dispute so an outside party has been appointed) would that discourage power trip bro? Is he aware of all the duties of a guardian in regards to keeping records and submitting reports? Does he realize that if an outside party is appointed by the court that they will be paid from your dad's funds? Often power trips among caregiving siblings are driven by greed for money.

In light of all of the above, would sitting down with a mediator be a possible route?
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Why does the POA feel the need for guardianship? Maybe there's a good reason.
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Well, vegaslady and countrymouse, the one who seeks it is generally at odds with the other three. For instance, several years ago he was pushing to move my father out of his house and into an apartment style independent living facility. The three were for adding services and keeping him in his home as long as possible. He basically threw an extended temper tantrum because he didn't get his way. As it worked out, my other brother found a much nicer independent living facility, all on one floor, which is where he is now. We're at the point again, where my father needs assisted living. The one favors a cramped, in our opinion, depressing facility, the three of us favor another. I think he wants guardianship just so he can get his way in these decisions, and, quite frankly, I don't know why. Power trip is my best guess.

cwillie, thank you for your observation. I hadn't considered that.
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Thank you golden23 for your thoughts. As it stands now, power trip bro has stated his interest in applying for guardianship, and I have stated my intention to challenge it if he does. He is meeting with a social worker, who works where my dad currently is, to discuss guardianship further. If she discourages him, we may be off the hook. If he pursues it, I think we would suggest an alternative guardian from among the three of us, but I imagine the outcome of that could be the appointment of an outside party. I will look into guardianship applications that result in outside party appointment, as you suggest, and mediators.
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Thank you OldSailor and MACinCT. I was hoping to avoid legal expenses but I can imagine the complexity of the paperwork and proceedings may necessitate it. I've already expressed my intention to challenge; hopefully it can be resolved without escalation.
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That's what I was going to ask, Vegaslady; along with what are the other three siblings' objections?
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Your father chose this person to make financial decisions for him, and he seems to have done so conscientiously. That will count for a lot in a guardianship application.

The other person who matters most is the brother with POA for health and welfare decisions. I assume that's not you, or you'd have said so? What's his take on the situation?
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