Kurt Molnar/Nevada Appeal Susan Swenson serves as public guardian for Carson City's elderly who have no one else to care for them. She was recently reappointed by the Board of Supervisors to serve in her position for four more years.
Carson City's public guardian, Susan Swenson, offers this advice: "People need to think about who will take care of them in the future."
Some of the things she suggests are to create powers of attorney, and to decide whether you want to have do-not-resuscitate orders if you become gravely ill. People also should make arrangements for their burial or cremation, she said.
Swenson's job is to take care of people who can't take care of themselves - those with Alzheimer's, dementia and other problems - who have no one else around willing or able to help.
"I can do my very best to take care of them, but I don't know what they really want," she said. "This is why it's so important for people to plan ahead."
Swenson was recently appointed by the Carson City Board of Supervisors to her position for four more years. She is the first person to have ever taken on the job.
She doesn't do what she refers to as "the actual caregiving part," but does handle a variety of tasks for these people: calling doctors, filing papers, ensuring their bills are paid, making sure they are relocated to an appropriate living or care facility.
About 80 percent of those with whom she deals are indigent or on Medicaid. They can't take care of themselves, and likely won't be returning home. They probably will be living in an assisted-care center or hospital for the remainder of their lives.
She tries to determine whether a client is eligible for some sort of government coverage to help offset the cost of care, for example such as whether the person is a veteran.
And when people die, she handles their final arrangements. Sometimes some of their things are worth selling, which would allow for the city to partially recoup the cost of Swenson's services. Often, however, the items are taken to the dump.
If the recipient has the money, the city takes a fee for services.
Referrals come to Swenson's office from Elder Protective Services. That department looks into a senior's situation after someone reports seeing the person in a precarious situation, such as living in a filthy home, wandering around disoriented or, in general, appearing incapable of taking care of himself or herself, Swenson said.
Sometimes, police officers, firefighters or other service providers come upon these people while responding to unrelated incidents. Sometimes, neighbors or some other residents notice something amiss. All of these concerns are relayed to Elder Protective Services, which, in turn, will contact Swenson's office.
"We are the last resort," she emphasized. "We try to find family, friend or a neighbor. We're not looking for work."
Swenson, with the help of a part-time office worker, normally handles 45 cases at a time.
According to Swenson, 15 percent of Carson City's population is elderly. That number is expected to increase as baby boomers start reaching retirement age. The oldest boomers started turning 60 this year.
"We're living longer, and our resources aren't carrying us through," she emphasized. "And some seniors don't have anyone."
Swenson spends a lot of her time in banks and hospitals. She has worked as a bookkeeper, dealt with insurance billing, worked for doctors, and done other things professionally and personally that have prepared her for the job, including helping one of her in-laws and her own parents with medical and financial matters, she said.
"It's such a specialized job. You have to have some life experience, a combination of many fields," she said. "But I still learn something new every day. And the people - they're teaching me something every day. Whatever they were handling in their life, I handle.
"A lot of seniors don't understand what we're trying to do. No one wants their independence taken away - but it's to keep them safe."
Also important: The person charged with handling your affairs has to live in Nevada. If a relative lives in California or anywhere else other than in the Silver State, you'll need a co-guardian who is in Nevada, Swenson said.
"It's always interesting, challenging, and the days fly by," she said. "I like people. I respect people. You're a person until you take you last breath."
She and her husband have three children and four grandchildren. They have lived here since 1992. Swenson was born in Utah, but raised in Las Vegas.
Her hobbies include knitting and quilting. She is active in her local quilt guild, which, she said, provides "my sanity."
-- Contact reporter Terri Harber at tharber @nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 215.
You can help
• If you see a senior who needs assistance, contact Elder Protective Services at 687-4210 or e-mail dascc@aging.state.nv.us. If you see a senior who is in imminent danger, call 911.
• Trouble can include abuse, neglect, exploitation, isolation or the inability to care for one's self, either physically or mentally. All information received as a result of a report is maintained as confidential, according to the state.
• The public guardian is not the person to whom these cases are reported. The guardian acts by recommendation.