Woman Weighs Guardianship of 34-Year-Old Brother as State Ward Option Looms

1 articles · Updated · Twisted Sifter · Jun 30

A 30-year-old woman is deciding whether to become legal guardian for her 34-year-old brother after he was moved into a behavioral home and told the alternative is state guardianship.
Her brother has schizophrenia, cannot live independently, and had been cared for by their grandmother until she could no longer manage him; their father also died in February, leaving no parent in place.
She says years of handling his aggression and erratic behavior have strained the family and left her feeling unfit to make life decisions for him, despite fearing that refusing makes her a bad sister.
The case centers on whether family obligation should outweigh personal limits when a relative needs long-term professional care that a sibling says she cannot provide.