National Guardianship Association, Inc

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Find a Professional Guardian

This search is designed to help you locate professional guardians in your area who are NGA members. You can search in two different ways!

Enter a state and receive an alphabetized list of professional guardians who hold NGA membership from within that state.

Or

To search by city, first enter the state name and then select a city for a list of professional guardians who are NGA members in that city.


If You Are a Guardian of a Family Member

If you are a guardian of a family member or think you may become one, I, as a Fellow Family Guardian, want to urge you to join the National Guardianship Association (NGA). It costs only $50 per year, and what you get is well worth it.

Family Guardians receive all the resources from NGA that professional guardians pay $170 more for: a information-packed quarterly newsletter, reduced fees for an annual conference which provides a unique opportunity to network with other family and professional guardians and to learn about cutting edge issues in the world of guardianship, membership on the only list-serve where guardianship issues are discussed and you are encouraged to ask questions, and the ethics hot-line where you can bring challenges or issues to professionals who will help you.

Being a guardian is not like being a parent. And, the differences are subtle and very important for you to understand.

More often than not, your job is to be a partner with your family member (ward) to figure out what he or she wants to achieve and then to be an advocate to reach those goals. It is a huge responsibility. You must be as well informed as doctors, social security personnel, residential service providers, social workers, lawyers, and judges about your ward's conditions, responsibilities, and rights. Sometimes, you will even need to challenge the opinions of the experts to best serve your ward.

If you don't know the difference between “best interest” and “substituted judgment” then you need to join NGA. If you do know the difference, then you know you need to join because you know the issues can be so vastly complex, that you will sometimes need to discuss your choices or decisions with others who truly understand the situation you are in. And, you can do that as a member. The support network, alone, is an invaluable benefit. You will never be alone in making these most important decisions.

Become a member for a year and try us out. You will not regret it.

Patricia Shillingburg, a Family Guardian 
NGA Board Member 1995 to 2003