MDoA25-02 Public Guardianship program - Medical/Psychiatric Services

Under State law, the Secretary of the Department of Aging (“Department” or “MDoA”) or Directors of local Area Agencies on Aging may be appointed by a court to serve as the guardian “of the person” for an adult age 65 or older who has been determined by the court to be incapable of making decisions on his or her own, and for whom no other suitable guardian is available. A guardian of the person may be required to determine appropriate living arrangements, oversee the provision of services, or consent to medical treatment to persons under their guardianship.The medical/psychiatric consultant provides the Public Guardians or their designees with medical/psychiatric advice and information specific to the care of the individual wards as well as general information specific to the care of individual wards as well as general information on gerontological topics. Such advice and information are generally given by phone and is used by the Public Guardians to assist in making health care decisions for older individuals under their court-appointed responsibility.The Department and the local aging offices are currently guardians of approximately 850 wards. In a typical year, approximately 55 hours of medical and psychiatric consultation are provided but is contingent upon the guardianship of the participant, the well-being of the participant, and the need for medical advice. The majority of requests for consultation emanate from the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan area. The contract will be a three-year agreement, not to exceed $50,000, and will be provided on an as-needed and on-call basis.