They have also organized group activities for five to seven wards. The 160 elderly clients under Barry's care are housed in different group homes, assisted living facilities, or nursing homes throughout Broward. Student interns spend 560 hours during their two-semester internship visiting wards. Many of the cases involve people who have been abandoned by their families. In some cases the families have granted permission for the courts to take care of them.
Interns complement the work of the full-time staff by spending more time with each of the wards.
As students, we serve as a liaison between the client and the outside world. The ward, a sweet woman who recently had begun walking again, patted Janzen on her knee and talked cheerfully about her improving health. I appreciate your coming. Although the Florida Legislature created the Office of the Public Guardian 12 years ago as a pilot program in Broward, Hillsborough, and Leon counties, it has never expanded to the rest of the state. In May, however, legislators enacted a new law creating an Office of the Public Guardian within the Department of Elderly Affairs.