Netflix s popular new film I Care a Lot tells the shocking tale of a woman who improperly assumes legal guardianship of elderly people, taking control of their lives and selling off their assets to enrich herself.
In the film, Marla Grayson, played by Rosamund Pike, owns a guardianship firm and seeks out clients to bring under her care especially those who have little family and sizable assets.
The story is highly dramatized, but it raises questions about vulnerable seniors. Can elderly Pennsylvanians improperly lose their agency through court order?
In Pennsylvania, a professional or family guardian may be appointed by a court when an adult of any age is deemed incapacitated. Guardians become responsible for making certain decisions on behalf of clients, according to the commonwealth s judicial administration website. Those decisions can include financial, medical and personal matters the incapacitated person has been deemed unable to make.