Photography by Larry Sultan
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The Lifesaver
By Barry Yeoman, January-February 2004
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While untold thousands of guardianships result in fraud and neglect, some
are literally lifesavers. Take the case of private conservator Melodie Scott
and 91-year-old Merico Zanella of Fontana, California.
Two years ago, Scott first visited Zanella at the request of his attorney,
who said the former county employee was living in poverty even though his two
adult children had grossed almost $1 million from the sale of his property. A
take-charge 45-year-old, Scott is one of 600 professionals certified by the
National Guardianship Foundation in Tucson, Arizona. When she arrived at
Zanella's home, she discovered him slumped in his wheelchair in an
overheated house, drooling and unresponsive. Doctors determined he had fallen
unconscious as a result of malnutrition and dehydration. "When [his wife,
Genia] died in 1995, he became more and more reclusive," Scott says.
"He was done living."
Scott immediately filed a petition for conservatorship, which was
uncontested by Zanella's children. After the conservatorship was awarded,
she set out sleuthing for money to help take care of her client, who suffers
from dementia. She soon tracked down a parcel of oceanfront property
Zanella's children had listed for sale. With the court's permission,
Scott took over the sale and brought in $534,000. The windfall enabled Scott to
install central air conditioning in Zanella's home. More critically, it
provided the means for a personal-care aide who cooks for him, tidies his
house, and keeps a daily log of his activities. At least twice a month, Scott
or one of her employees drops by to review the log and check on the quality of
care.
Zanella was fortunate. With more than 150 active cases, Scott's office
is overloaded—and there are few certified conservators nearby to whom she can
refer requests. "The need is overwhelming," she says.
"Sometimes, if I don't take the case, the person will end up destitute
and living in his pajamas. We wouldn't do this to a six-year-old. Why do it
to a 90-year-old?"
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