Professional Ethics Flashcards

A guardian deposits a client's Social Security check into the guardian's personal account temporarily for convenience. This is an example of:

Answer: Commingling of funds, which is prohibited

Guardians must keep the person's funds separate from their own; commingling violates fiduciary duty.

A person under guardianship wants to attend religious services of a faith different from the guardian's. The guardian should:

Answer: Support the person's religious preferences and facilitate attendance

Guardians must respect the person's religious and cultural values, not impose their own.

When the person's wishes cannot be determined and there is no prior expression of values, the guardian should decide using:

Answer: The best interest standard

Best interest applies when the person's wishes are unknown and cannot be reasonably ascertained.

A guardian learns that a client has regained the ability to manage their own finances. What is the guardian's ethical obligation?

Answer: Petition or notify the court to seek restoration or limitation of the guardianship

Guardians have a duty to seek limitation or termination when the person's capacity improves.

A professional guardian is named as a beneficiary in a new will that a client executed after the guardianship began. What is the main ethical concern?

Answer: Undue influence and conflict of interest; the guardian should not benefit and should disclose it to the court

A guardian should never benefit from the person's estate, and such a bequest raises strong undue influence concerns requiring disclosure.

Which is the best example of person-centered planning by a guardian?

Answer: Including the person in developing their care plan and reflecting their goals and preferences

Person-centered planning involves the person directly and builds the plan around their values and goals.

A guardian charges a client the guardian's professional hourly rate for driving the client to the grocery store. This raises concern because:

Answer: Fees must be reasonable and tasks should be billed at a rate appropriate to the service performed

Guardian fees must be reasonable, and non-professional tasks should not be billed at professional rates.