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The Office on Aging and Independence provides
information about guardianship and its alternatives.
A guardian shall be appointed if the court determines
from clear and convincing evidence that the
individual is incompetent. The Office becomes the
court-appointed guardian, the decision maker for
older Marylanders 65+, who, because of mental
disability, are unable to make informed decisions
about their medical care, residence, and safety, and
who do not have a family member, friend, neighbor
or agency to make these decisions. The Office on
Aging and Independence serves as the Guardian of
last resort. The local Office on Aging Director serves
as Guardian of the Person and an attorney or other
private party serves as Guardian of the Property.
For more information about the Guardianship
program, call Public Guardianship Program Manager
at 410-313-6052.
The Long Term Care
Ombudsman Program
The Ombudsman Program empowers residents to advocate for their health,
safety, welfare, and rights. The program is also available to assist families and friends
of residents of long-term care facilities, or people considering placement in these
settings, with information or referral to other agencies that provide services that the
resident or family might need.
In addition to advocacy, empowerment and referral functions, the Ombudsman
Program receives and investigates complaints, acts as mediators to facilitate
resolution of individual and group issues or
concerns, provides community and individual
education on issues related to resident’s rights
and long-term care, assists resident and
family councils, monitors care and conditions
through an on-going presence in facilities,
provides a voice for people who cannot speak
for themselves, and acts as a liaison with other
community and regulatory agencies.
Any resident, family member or friend of
a resident of a long-term care facility, members
of community groups, and others interested
in improving care in long-term care facilities
in Howard County are eligible to access the
services of the Ombudsman program.
Assistance provided by the Ombudsman is
free of charge and governed by a strict code of
confidentiality; anonymous calls and complaints
are accepted.
To learn more about the Ombudsman
program or access any of the services provided,
contact Nicole Baptiste-Patterson, Program
Manager at 410-313-6423 or via e-mail at
npatterson@howardcountymd.gov.
The Public
Guardianship
Program
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H OWA R D C O U N T Y C A R E G I V E R G U I D E