Other solutions include using more social service agencies like Lutheran Social Services and Jewish Home and Aging Services. These agencies do guardian work because it fits in with their mission, not as a business for profit. Jewish Home and Aging Services set up its guardianship program two years ago, matching professional, full-time guardians with volunteers. That doesn't just mean the body, but socially and spiritually, all of their needs are being met. The program has about 40 clients and operates in Oakland and Wayne counties.
Some clients are elderly, some have a mental illness.
Although the organization is affiliated with the Jewish community, about 40 percent of its clients are not Jewish. But usually, it's much more often. Each client is also paired with a volunteer who visits a minimum of once a month. The volunteers are trained and matched with a client and given a checklist of what to look for every time they visit. For example, if someone is in a nursing home, the volunteer is urged to check under the bed, look in the closet and check for cleanliness.