Oregon Public Guardian Program

Description

The Oregon Public Guardian and Conservator Program (OPG) serves as court-appointed, surrogate decision makers for adults that are incapable of making some or most of the decisions necessary for their basic care and safety. The Oregon Public Guardian is the guardian of last resort and only serves when there is no less restrictive option available for addressing a serious safety risk and no appropriate alternative guardian is available.

Guardianship is one of the most severe restrictions on an individual's right to self-determination and should never be considered lightly. Under guardianship, a person loses the right to make decisions about their own lives. A guardian has the authority to determine where someone lives, what services they receive, who their doctor is, what medical care and procedures they receive, how their income is spent, who may visit them and many other decisions that most people take for granted. Guardianship should only be considered as an option if all other less restrictive alternatives have been attempted and failed, or evaluated to be non-viable.

OPG follows nationally recognized guardianship standards. All OPG professional staff are National Certified Guardians by the Center for Guardianship Certification (CGC). OPG follows the National Guardianship Association (NGA) model practice standards and ethical principles as well as all Oregon legal requirements for guardians under statute.