New at Lutheran Services of Georgia

Adult Guardianship Program

The Adult Guardianship Program has been created to insure that "vulnerable adults" in our community have:

•  medical, dental, and mental health care

•  medication needs and supplies

•  vocational, education, and social services

•  proper living conditions.

Our primary goal is to let them to know that there are people who care about their happiness and well being. This program blends well with other LSGA services to bring hope, healing and strength to the most vulnerable in our society.

Where
LSG services relating to Adult Public Guardianship are initially available only to residents of Fulton County, with plans for expansion to other parts of Georgia as the needs occur.

What
A grant from the State of Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Aging Services, is making it possible for us to reach out and help these most vulnerable adults. A guardian is a court appointed person who acts and advocates on behalf of an individual, makes decisions and gives consent for services, including residential placement, medical treatment and other therapies. The guardian’s decisions are guided by the best interest standards in Georgia law and the National Guardianship Association.  Lutheran Services of Georgia is working in cooperation with professionals within the state government to help insure that the growing need for guardianship services is met.

Volunteering
As a volunteer you can serve in a wide range of ways.  Your work could be as simple as friendly visiting, calling on the phone or sending cards.  There is also a need for a deeper level of care, such as accompanying your client to medical appointments or following up with providers of various services to make sure they are giving proper care.  These tasks would be done in coordination with a case worker from LSG.  In addition, if you want to become available as a court appointed guardian for a vulnerable adult, you can apply for that level of service and additional free training. Whatever level of service you wish to offer, we invite you to contact us so we can include you in our regular program orientation session.  It’s our goal to make this a rewarding experience for everyone involved.

If you’d like to give back to your community and feel great about it, then this program could be what you are looking for. To be included on our prospective volunteer list, contact Bob Gibeling through email at: bgibeling@lsga.org.