(Involuntary) Psychiatric treatment of geriatric patients ... - OHSU Home

Guardianship
The alternative to commitment has been to have family
members seek guardianship:
PROS: Guardianship allows an avenue for obtaining
informed consent for treatment in psychiatric settings
and for eventual placement in appropriate chronic care
settings.
CONS: Even when obtained as a “temporary” or
“emergency” measure, guardianship takes time to secure
(a minimum typically of 7-14 days), is expensive, and
often requires release of medically supporting evidence.