The guardian owes the incapacitated person a special duty of care and accountability. A guardian who is given authority over the property of the ward is required by law in Florida to inventory the property, to invest it wisely, to use it for the ward's support, and to account for it by filing detailed annual reports with the court. The guardian must also exercise those other rights that have been removed from the ward and delegated to the guardian, such as providing medical, psychological, and personal care services and determining the most appropriate residential setting for the ward. The guardian must present a detailed plan for the ward's care to the court annually. If the ward recovers some or all abilities to make decisions, the court can have the ward reexamined and, through a hearing, restore some or all of the person's rights.
Guardianships can be quite expensive.
Since it is a legal procedure in a court of law, lawyers must be involved. Private guardianships are available for persons who can pay for their services. In some states, public guardianships exist to serve low-income incapacitated persons. There are several ways to avoid guardianships. Most of these procedures cost much less, both financially and psychologically, than going through a guardianship procedure, but must be put in place before incapacity occurs.