When Marcelle Jones spoke at Lunch with the League on February 6, she told a story that caught listeners' breaths.
An elderly woman, a Montgomery County resident, fell and broke her hip. Because no one was checking on her, she lay in her own waste, likely for days, after family members who should have cared for her simply disappeared. Finally, authorities and the Wabash Center’s guardianship program intervened. These are the people that the Wabash Center’s volunteer-supported adult guardianship exists to protect — and there’s a growing need for local volunteers to visit with such people.
In another case, a man who had lived for years under guardianship recently stood before a judge and was told he could manage his own life again. Given the choice, he asked to stay under guardianship just one more year, because having that support and advocacy had become a safety net the judge sensed he was not quite ready to live without.
What adult guardianship is
Under Indiana law, a guardian is a person or entity appointed by a court to make some or all personal decisions for an adult whose decision-making capacity is diminished. These decisions can include health care choices, financial matters, or other basic life decisions when a person can no longer safely manage them alone. Judges rely on medical reviews and formal findings of incapacity before guardianship is ordered; once that happens, the person becomes a “protected person” in the eyes of the court and the program.
Many people placed under guardianship have advanced dementia, intellectual or developmental disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, or severe mental illness combined with other serious medical conditions. Some have families who step up as guardians, but many do not. In some heartbreaking cases, the family members themselves have been the abusers or financial exploiters who left their relative without resources or support. In those cases, the Wabash Center’s adult guardianship program becomes the legal safeguard of last resort.
Who the volunteers serve
Program staff often refer to their clients as “unbefriended individuals” — adults in nursing homes, assisted-living settings, group homes, or independent living who simply have no one. Wabash Center is currently serving 11 open cases in Montgomery County, and more in Tippecanoe County, with clients ranging in age from their 20s to their 90s. These are people who have been deemed incapacitated by the court and now live in facilities where staff are busy, systems are complex, and it is easy for a quiet resident to fall through the cracks.
Without a guardian and volunteer presence, problems can go unnoticed: bedsores, missed medications, clothing that no longer fits, or subtle signs of neglect or abuse. Volunteer “care partners” become extra eyes and ears, noticing whether daily living needs are being met and whether the person seems comfortable, respected and safe.
What the commitment looks like
The Wabash Center intentionally calls its volunteers “care partners” because these volunteers can visit as little as weekly or a couple of hours a month. A care partner might visit a woman at Ben Hur, read to her, share a meal in the dining room, or watch a favorite show together. For another person, it might mean regular short visits to chat, taking a brief walk, or simply sitting quietly so the resident knows someone is there for them.
The time commitment is modest but meaningful. Volunteers are asked to visit at least one to two hours a month, with some choosing to do more depending on their schedule and relationship with the individual. They make basic observations about the person’s condition and care, jot down simple notes and submit monthly or quarterly reports that help Wabash Center meet its legal duty to provide 30-, 60-, 90-day, and annual updates to the court. Volunteers do not have to appear in court and are protected under Indiana’s probate code and Wabash Center’s liability, unless they themselves engage in abuse or other illegal behavior.
Why Montgomery County needs you
Wabash Center has been operating the Montgomery County Adult Guardianship Services Program since 2016, funded through a state grant (VASIA—Volunteer Advocates for Seniors and Incapacitated Adults), the Montgomery County Commissioners, and the Edna Divine Law Trust administered by the Montgomery County Community Foundation. Since then, the program has served 27 incapacitated adults here. Wabash Center is seeking to match one care partner to one volunteer in the county. They’re supported by a small staff, who Jones describes as a “one -and-a-half person team”—one full-time and one part-time—trying to cover a spread-out rural county where needs are often hidden.
Adult guardianship is growing more urgent across Indiana, Jones notes. Programs now exist in only about 15 of the state’s 92 counties, even as the population ages and abuse, neglect, and exploitation remain under-reported.
How to learn more or volunteer
Becoming a care partner starts with a simple expression of interest, followed by an application, a criminal background check, and a brief interview to determine whether the role is a good fit. Volunteers receive training, are carefully matched with an appropriate protected person, and have the ongoing support of Wabash Center staff, who are on call 24/7 for guidance.
Community members can also help by spreading the word—to churches, civic groups and neighbors—about the existence of the Montgomery County Adult Guardianship Services Program.
To learn more, visit Wabash Center’s website and look for the guardianship section or the Tippecanoe/Montgomery Adult Guardianship Services Program; the program also maintains a Facebook presence under that name.
Even one or two hours a month can give a vulnerable adult in Montgomery County what so many of us take for granted: a voice, an advocate, and a friend.