Types of Guardians and Co-decision-makers
A guardian is someone who has the authority to make decisions for an adult. A personal guardian makes decisions about an adult's personal welfare and a property guardian makes decisions about an adult's finances and property.
A decision-maker is someone who can make or assist in making decisions for an adult. The term is used to describe a personal guardian, a property guardian, a personal co-decision maker, a property co-decision-maker, a temporary personal guardian or a temporary property guardian. A decision-maker can be one person or more than one person.
A co-decision-maker is someone who has the authority to assist an adult in making decisions and to make joint decisions with the adult. A personal co-decision-maker makes decisions with the adult about personal matters and a property co-decision-maker makes decisions with the adult about finances and property. A co-decision-maker must ensure that the adult has and understands all the information needed to make a decision, and knows the alternatives and likely results of any choice.
A temporary personal or property guardian is someone who has the authority to make decisions for an adult in emergency situations for a limited time, to a maximum of six months. The authority of a temporary guardian is limited to doing what is necessary to protect the adult or the adult's property from serious or financial harm.