 TITLE: What Is a Conservatorship? CONTENT: How Does a Conservatorship Work?\n--------------------------------\nA judge can establish a conservatorship after a relative, friend or public official requests the appointment of someone to manage the financial or personal affairs of an adult who's no longer able to do so. A conservatorship request must spell out why the adult is unable to handle their finances or personal care.\nThe judge assigns an investigator to interview the adult (known as the conservatee) who would fall under the conservatorship. Based on the interview, the investigator determines whether the person is actually incapicated and whether a conservator should be named, then shares their opinion with the court.\nOnce the judge receives the investigator's report, they schedule a hearing on the conservatorship request. Relatives and others with an interest in the case will be notified of the hearing and may be called to testify. Unless the potential conservatee is medically prohibited from doing so, they must appear at the hearing.\nWith the request, investigator's report, court testimony and court evidence in hand, the judge decides whether a conservatorship is needed and what powers the conservator should be given. If the conservatorship is approved, a court-designated monitor regularly checks in with the conservator and conservatee.\nWhile they may sound similar, conservatorship and guardianship don't have the same definition. In many states, a conservator controls a person's financial affairs, while a guardian manages day-to-day non-monetary matters. Other states define a conservator as someone who cares for an incapicated adult, whereas a guardian looks after a child. A guardian and conservator can be the same person or different people. END