Legal Question in Family Law in Illinois

Guardians are not liable for the debts of their wards under Illinois law as long as the guardian is acting in accordance with law. This will not prevent an unscrupulous person from alleging the guardian embezzled funds or something, but this is why it is good to have a surety bond up. And if the guardian is a charity or the Public Guardian, then people are less likely to make that kind of accusation. But in any event, everything in life has a risk. The real problem here is the distance between grandma and your mom, geographically. A court needs to look at everything and although there is no Illinois residency requirement, a court may only appoint your mom as a guardian of the ESTATE ($$$) of your grandma, but NOT of her person since logistics are involved. If you are over 18 and meet the other requirements (basically not a felon....) you could be her guardian but this is a HEAVY obligation. It may be worthwhile to consider social service through a public agency first, to get counseling for a good direction for grandma. Best of luck; geriatric issues today are so difficult.