Bar association to hear ideas on conservatorship

By The Associated Press

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Bar Association is holding a hearing on possible improvements to the state law that allows courts to appoint guardians to handle the affairs of some vulnerable adults.

The law is meant to protect adults with diminished capacity due to age, disability, mental health issues or addiction. But the system does not always work as intended.

The hearings come after several reports of vulnerable adults being taken advantage of by their guardians or harmed by their guardians’ incompetence.

A Thursday hearing in Nashville is the first of several planned around the state.

The hearings are intended to provide the courts with ideas on how to improve the conservatorship process. That might include less restrictive alternatives that allow vulnerable adults to retain more control over their lives.