One case that will always remain very dear to me is one in which a social worker asked if I would be willing to serve as guardian for a gentleman that was being exploited. He had been living in a home without electricity or running water for more than a year. Adult Protective Services had placed him in a home temporarily.

The day I was appointed, I picked him up from that home and took him to an Assisted Living Facility (ALF). He had only the clothes on his back which consisted of a pair of shorts, a shirt and socks. It was a very cold day. I had to turn on the car seat warmer and wrap him in a blanket during the ride. He had long tangled hair and a scruffy unkepmt beard. Once I got him settled in the ALF, I then bought clothes, shoes, and other needed items he needed and took them to the facility.

When I returned to the facility the next day to check on him, I was shocked beyond belief! They had cleaned him up, cut his hair and shaved off the beard. He looked like an entirely different person. This ward was so grateful for being in a safe environment and having hot meals. He told me that I was his guardian angel and thanked me for saving him. That was four years ago.

As I began to determine my ward's financial status, I discovered that he had inherited a very large sum of money that would sustain him through his life, but he was totally unaware of it. He had never even applied for Social Security, which I was able to get started. I also discovered that my ward was only listed as "baby last name" with vital statics. It took obtaining his school records to get his name placed on his birth certificate and to get an official ID card for the first time.

Cases like these make me thankful that I left my previous career and become a professional guardian!